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Busting the gender myths – women and organised crime
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 […]
12th March 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Ukraine’s 2012 elections: OSCE/ODIHR observers
The atmosphere in the press conference is electric. TV and video crews cram the aisles. Finally, the OSCE/ODIHR mission announce that, in their view, the 2010 Ukrainian presidential election has met most OSCE and Council of Europe commitments. Leaders of the mission talk of “an impressive display of democratic elections” and “a well-administered and truly […]
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12th March 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Education for business
Unemployment has long been high on the agenda of governments all round the world. The biggest challenge is how country can make itself competitive and play to its strengths. Education has a key role in preparing young people for the jobs market. So how can schools and universities ensure that they are offering the courses and […]
12th March 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
Celebrating International Women’s Day
Last week the world marked International Women’s Day – a day to renew our commitment to the empowerment, education and advancement of women and girls around the world. Somalia is, according to a 2011 survey, one of the worst countries in the world in which to be a woman. Women are subjected to violence, harassment […]
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12th March 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Inspiring internationally
Last week we had head teachers and teachers from 12 UK schools here in Ethiopia to meet partner schools – I met them on Saturday. 30 counterparts from Ethiopian schools will be in the UK on a reciprocal visit at the end of March. This was all within the framework of the International Inspiration Programme […]
9th March 2012 Lima, Peru
A journey through Latin America – Destination Peru
By Sharon Ganney, Head of UK Trade & Investment, Peru Do you think that British products and services are under-represented in the Peruvian market? I certainly do and it is our objective to try to change that. British exports to Peru increased by 28% in 2011 and by the end of 2014 We hope to […]
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9th March 2012 Washington DC, USA
VIDEO: 2012 – A GREAT Year for the US and UK
Ed. note: This is the first video blog in what will become a more regular feature on the Ambassador’s platform. 2012 is a big year for the UK: Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June; the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London starting in July; and more immediately, the official visit of Prime Minister […]
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8th March 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Romania, country of choice for British investors
Today I opened the new service centre of Stanleybet, one of the most established British investors in Romania and one that is now expanding its operations here. Stanleybet has chosen Romania from the eight countries in which it operates as the location for its service centre, dealing with customers in Italy, Germany and Cyprus. Why? […]
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8th March 2012 USA
Entrepreneurs—the modern gold rush
I had the pleasure of visiting Nicaragua for a short holiday recently. I loved the scenery, friendly people and, unexpectedly, learning about Nicaragua’s role in the California gold rush. Back in the 1850s Nicaragua was a key route for those dashing to the west coast as it was quicker and cheaper to sail from New […]