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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
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7th March 2012 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Home of Peace: Educating and Empowering Vulnerable Girls
To mark International Women’s Day, I’m delighted that Gail Featherstone, the wife of the High Commissioner, has agreed to write a guest blog on the efforts of one woman to give underprivileged girls in Malaysia a genuine chance in life.
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6th March 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Peru joins EITI group – a success to celebrate
We’ve decided to do something new – we’re going to start blogging from the Embassy here in Lima. Our blogs will give us a chance to tell you a bit more about things we are and have been doing, as well as to share some of our ideas, impressions and experiences. What better way to […]
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6th March 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
International Women’s Day: Doing Something Practical
One of the dangers of International “Days” is that they can generate a great deal of well-meaning talk, but little action. Sometimes they serve to raise public consciousness about an undeservedly forgotten issue or a neglected cause. But too often they come round on the annual calendar, and nothing much seems to change. International Women’s […]
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6th March 2012 Washington DC, USA
Michael O’Neill highlights progress in Helmand
I’d like to draw your attention to the latest blog by our Head of Mission in Helmand, Michael O’Neill. The post covers his recent trip to Sangin, and highlights the impressive progress that has been made there over the last year and a half. As Michael notes, when he first visited Sangin in late 2010, […]
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6th March 2012 Islamabad, Pakistan
“It’s not about charity”
I first met Atif Sheik in Lahore. He and I were speaking at a British Council event for Pakistani graduates of UK universities. He told me that he campaigned for disabled people’s rights in Pakistan. “It’s not about charity,” he said. It’s about political participation. ” I know,” I said. “I’m disabled too.”. So back […]
5th March 2012 Windhoek, Namibia
Hitting the road least travelled by to the South of Namibia
I have just returned from a fascinating week-long familiarisation trip to the deep south of Namibia. I visited British businesses, a High Commission-funded environmental project, met with local mayors, officials from the Karas Governor’s office, flew by helicopter to visit NamDeb’s offshore marine diamond operations, saw a 16th century Portuguese shipwreck, talked to local school […]
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5th March 2012 Beirut, Lebanon
English in Lebanon: A Fire Worth Lighting
A love of English language teaching is in my DNA. My first job was as an English teacher, to Palestinian schoolchildren. My Grandfather spent fifty years in Nigeria, promoting access to English education. And my father has devoted his life to making it easier and more fun for people to learn English. He lives the […]
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5th March 2012 London, UK
Serbia – from war to EU candidate in 20 years
On Friday, European leaders agreed to Serbia being a candidate for future EU membership. The significance of this achievement, and the difficult steps Serbia had to take to get here, should not be overlooked. Serbia has come a long way in the last 20 years. Her EU aspirations have meant coming to terms with the role […]
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5th March 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Ukraine/EU: article by 5 European Foreign Ministers
The Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany have published an important article in the International Herald Tribune about Ukraine. In the article, the authors note that they see themselves as Ukraine’s allies and are convinced that closer political and economic ties, as well as people-to-people contacts, between the […]
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5th March 2012 Geneva, Switzerland
Panels, Protocols and Ponchos
It’s been a busy week. With our Ministers in town for the Council’s High level Segment, we’ve all been suffering from higher than average stress levels. Many Ministers chose to use their statements to focus on the appalling violations in Syria, which the Council addressed in an urgent debate on Tuesday. Council members spoke out […]