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11th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Helping prevent child exploitation in Ukraine
People sometimes wonder what an embassy does; and what international co-operation really means. By way of an interesting concrete example, the British Embassy organised a visit late last year by experts from the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre to meet their Ukrainian counterparts. The CEOP experts also met Ukrainian and international NGOs […]
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11th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Beer, a waterfall and Britain’s biggest investment in Ethiopia
Yesterday I participated in a press conference to mark Diageo’s purchase of the Meta Abo brewery from the Government of Ethiopia. With a mountain forming the backdrop and its own waterfall, this has to be one of the most beautiful settings for a brewery anywhere in the world. This is Britain’s largest ever single investment […]
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10th January 2012 New York, USA
A Royal Honour for Sheila O’Connor
I had the privilege of being posted to the British Consulate-General in New York from 2006 to 2010. My role was Her Majesty’s Consul and Regional Manager for the UK Border Agency. It was a fantastic posting, and this past November, I was absolutely delighted to receive an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order […]
10th January 2012 Chevening, UK
Chevening Scholarships: How It All Began From Brunei Darussalam
The following article was written by Ms Andrea Yin Cheng Tay, a 2011/12 Chevening Scholar currently studying Masters of Science in Economics at The University of Nottingham. How it all began from Brunei Darussalam Everything feels like a blur image and that time has accelerated without you knowing it. I can still remember my relief […]
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10th January 2012 Dublin, Ireland
Happy New Year!
The successful Polish Presidency is over. But 2012 is set to be another year in Britain and Poland. Even if England were drawn in Ukraine, EURO 2012 will be a highlight here and a chance to showcase the best of Poland. For the UK, 9 January marks 200 days until the start of the Olympic […]
9th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
2012–Un an “GREAT” pentru britanici
În calitate de Ambasador al Marii Britanii la Bucureşti doresc să lansez tuturor românilor invitaţia de a vizita Regatul Unit anul acesta. Mai mult de o sută de mii de români călătoresc în ţara mea în fiecare an, dar 2012 va fi cu adevărat special şi va aduce motive în plus de a merge la […]
9th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
2012 – a Great British year
As Britain’s Ambassador in Bucharest, I would like to extend an invitation to everyone in Romania to visit the United Kingdom this year. Over a hundred thousand Romanians visit the UK each year, but 2012 is going to be a special one with more reasons than ever before to make a trip to London and […]
8th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Christmas in summer, New Year’s Eve in Sydney
Well it wasn’t quite a barbie on the beach: we still felt it wouldn’t be Christmas without roast turkey and all the trim, but it was nice to spend Christmas afternoon relaxing in the sunshine. In some ways Australian Christmas is quite similar to British ones, with parties and carol services. But it’s also the […]
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6th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Is Ukraine Democratic?
In January 2011, I wrote a blog called “Is Ukraine free?” In it, I noted that for 2011, in the ranking produced by the US-based NGO Freedom House, Ukraine fell back into the “Partly Free” category, having been in the “Free” category every year since 2005. Being in the “Partly Free” category, with a score […]
5th January 2012 Washington DC, USA
Living the dream in Washington
When I was offered the dream job of Counsellor for Global Issues at the British Embassy in Washington DC, clearly I couldn’t refuse. It’s a dream job because of the range of issues my portfolio covers—diplomacy on trade, energy, the environment, transport, science and innovation—and because of the country and context, since the US is […]