25th April 2024
Reflect & Remember: Anzac Day 2024
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
23rd April 2024
Good English – A Key to Panama’s Future Success
21st March 2024
Forests in focus on International Day of Forests
16th March 2012 Toronto, Canada
High Commissioner visits Toronto Rehab
SIN Toronto had the pleasure of a visit by the High Commissioner last week, and took the opportunity (with the Consul-General) to get a tour of the state-of-the-art facilities over at Toronto Rehab. After a cordial chat covering research collaboration, rehabilitation science and the Paralympics (Dr. Gaétan Tardif, Chief Medical Officer at Toronto Rehab, is […]
Read more on High Commissioner visits Toronto Rehab | Reply (1)
16th March 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Girls allowed
I blogged recently about the good example set by women ambassadors, and about the growing number of British women ambassadors. Those interested in these issue (NB – should be all of us) may wish to check out the fine blog “Girls Allowed” by my colleague Sian MacLeod, ambassador in Prague. Not only does it present […]
16th March 2012 London, UK
Estonia and Latvia: steadfast allies
I recently made my first visit to Estonia and Latvia as Europe Minister. During the visits I was pleased to meet the Foreign Ministers of both countries and discuss a wide range of bilateral issues and international interests, on many of which we share similar views. In Estonia I met Members of Parliament, opinion formers […]
16th March 2012 Beirut, Lebanon
Reconciliation and coexistence: five ideas for Lebanon from Northern Ireland
Yesterday, I joined an inspirational conference on reconciliation and coexistence, led by interfaith NGO Adyan. It reminded me of the great Margaret Mead line – ‘Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.’ Beirut is of course the […]
Read more on Reconciliation and coexistence: five ideas for Lebanon from Northern Ireland | Reply (1)
15th March 2012 Windhoek, Namibia
Commonwealth celebrations in Namibia
I have just returned from hosting Namibia’s first ever Commonwealth Day celebrations in Parliament where I shared British fish ‘n chips with the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, SWAPO Chief Whip, Toivo ya Toivo and other local VIPs. The British High Commission in Windhoek rallied together the eight other Commonwealth missions accredited to Namibia to hold […]
14th March 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Archbishop of Canterbury in Rome
It is often easier to say what divides religion than what unites. And that is certainly the emphasis given by media reporting from the “front line”, be it sectarian violence in Nigeria or historic resentments in Northern Ireland. Sometimes, regrettably, religious division is real, and does lead to violence. But very often it is the […]
Read more on The Archbishop of Canterbury in Rome | Reply (2)
13th March 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Speaking about the economy
It’s been quite a business-focused couple of weeks. I accompanied Hector Sants, CEO of the UK’s Financial Services Authority for calls in Canberra and Sydney. He had come to look at Australia’s “Twin Peaks” regulatory structure, which is close to the model the UK is currently moving towards. We called on Treasurer Wayne Swan, Assistant […]
13th March 2012 Ottawa, Canada
#StartupNations supporting the entrepreneurial spirit!
Over the past few months I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working with Startup Britain, Startup Canada, Startup America, the Kauffman Foundation and the Canadian High Commission in London to plan a Startup Nations event to be held in the margins of the Global Entrepreneurs Congress, taking place (now) in Liverpool UK! Well, over the past couple of days, all […]
Read more on #StartupNations supporting the entrepreneurial spirit! | Reply (4)
12th March 2012 Washington DC, USA
Keep calm and innovate!
Today’s fast moving, ever-changing digital landscape has altered many things about how we work, live and do business. But some constants remain – entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity are still king. This year’s South By Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) festival exemplified just that – and showed that Britain is certainly towards the front of the pack! From […]
12th March 2012 Geneva, Switzerland
Sleep-walking and breaking taboos
Maybe it’s just that I’m getting older but this feels like a particularly tiring Council session. And judging by the number of weary diplomatic faces around this week, I’m not the only one whose been feeling the strain. The Council is set to adopt more resolutions than at any other previous session, and with a […]