Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

25th April 2012 London, UK

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by David Lidington

Minister for Europe, London

What has been the effect of EU sanctions on Burma?

On Monday EU Foreign Ministers decided to suspend all EU sanctions against Burma, apart from the arms embargo. This extraordinary decision is very welcome. The British Government has worked tirelessly to build a solid and coherent EU foreign policy towards Burma. We believe that when a nation, like Burma, reacts to international pressure and begins […]

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25th April 2012 Ottawa, Canada

Spaceship Earth

A guest blog posting in honour of Earth Day (April 22nd), from our British High Commission Ottawa, Climate and Prosperity Advisor, Adrienne Yuen: “There are no passengers on spaceship Earth. We are all crew.” – Herbert “Marshall” McLuhan This past Sunday marked the world’s 42nd Earth Day. It’s a great way to refocus our attention […]

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24th April 2012 Ottawa, Canada

Climate and resource security

Guest blog from Head of Global Issues Group Euan Wallace: Last month I found myself at Lancaster House attending an Foreign Office/Wilton Park Conference: “A climate and resource security dialogue for the 21st Century.” The conference had been many months in the planning and I was lucky to get a place alongside a few other […]

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24th April 2012 Washington DC, USA

Hetty Crist

by Hetty Crist

Deputy Press Secretary

Art Imitating Science

The following is a guest blog from Bradley Keelor. Brad is a Senior Science and Innovation Policy Advisor at the British Embassy in Washington. It was recently World Creativity and Innovation Week. This was started by a Canadian anthropologist in 2001 as a way to commemorate the birthday of Leonardo Da Vinci and generally celebrate […]

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23rd April 2012 Washington DC, USA

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by Eric Hepburn

HM Consul General and Counsellor for Corporate Services

New boy in Washington

I’m just three weeks into the Corporate Services role here and spent last week flying solo after a great handover from my predecessor, Alison, who is now destined for Uganda in the summer. It’s a busy agenda as expected, but made easier by a remarkable and supportive team from the very top downwards. But my […]

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23rd April 2012 Washington DC, USA

UK finances Afghan Forces beyond 2014

At the 18 April meeting of the NATO Foreign and Defence Ministers in Brussels, the British Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond announced a firm UK commitment to help fund the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) after 2014. He said “The UK contribution of £70m per annum to the funds to support the Afghan National Security Forces will make […]

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23rd April 2012 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

The Olympic spirit

Last week I beat an Olympic champion at tennis. OK, an ex-Olympic champion. A water-polo ex-Olympic champion. And it was Wii tennis (the video game). And he’d never played before. But a win’s a win, right? It was at a fantastic event which the Embassy supported. A competition for able-bodied children and children with disabilities […]

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23rd April 2012

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by Peter Millett

Ambassador to Libya, Tripoli

Time for a party!

The Jordanian parliament is debating a new law to regulate political parties.  The law is part of a package of measures to implement the government’s commitment to political reform.  The long term aim is to meet His Majesty’s vision of a small number of parties with programmes based on ideology to the right, left and […]

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23rd April 2012

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by Martin Harris

British Ambassador to Ukraine

Easter with Stefan cel Mare

I returned last week from Bucovina, in the far north of Romania, where I spent Orthodox Easter with my family, my godson and his brother and parents, who were visiting from the UK. There can be few better places in the world to spend Easter than among the fabled painted monasteries of Bucovina. Here five […]

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23rd April 2012

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by Greg Dorey

Diplomat

Linked by a red cross

Today, 23rd April, the Flag of St George is flying over the British Embassy in Addis Ababa. And it’s a timely reminder of yet another historical link between Britain (in this case, specifically England) and Ethiopia – the fact that we share a patron saint. We don’t know much about St George. He was soldier […]

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