Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

10th November 2011 Chevening, UK

Always Bring Your Umbrella!

Monchi Roderos is one of our new 2011/12 Chevening Scholars from the Philippines. He is studying Public Services Policy and Management at University College London. In his week’s Chevening Conversations entry, he tells us about his thoughts just prior to travelling to the UK, and most important of all, whether to bring an umbrella. A Pre-Departure Requirement? By Monchi Roderos One […]

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10th November 2011

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by Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Ukrainians… together

The metal of the factory gleams in the sun.  Around it, gathered on walkways around three steel structures and massed in the space in front, stand hundreds of workers, some in hard hats, others in lab coats or shirts and ties.  Welcome to the world of Igor Gaidai, one of Ukraine’s top photographers, who recently […]

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10th November 2011 London, UK

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by David Lidington

Minister for Europe, London

UK and Netherlands – a common outlook

I was in the Netherlands earlier this week, my second visit as Minister for Europe. The UK and the Netherlands have a strong working relationship; the aim of my visit was to deepen bilateral and multilateral co-operation in the many areas where our views are closely aligned. As well as the important trade relations the […]

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10th November 2011 Ottawa, Canada

Lest we forget

11 November is Remembrance Day. Along with many of my diplomatic colleagues, I’ll be laying a wreath at the War Memorial in Ottawa, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, when the guns finally fell silent on the Western Front in 1918. This will be particularly poignant for me, as […]

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9th November 2011 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Guest blog by Natalie Luscombe, Office Manager for UK Minister for Africa

I am UK based member of staff at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and have been in Namibia for two and a half weeks to help with the organisation of the 3 day visit to Namibia by the UK’s Minister for Africa, Henry Bellingham. The Minister arrived fresh from the UK on 31 October to […]

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9th November 2011

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by Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Why I wear a poppy

Once again, as November begins and temperatures dip towards freezing in Kyiv, Ukrainian friends and contacts are asking why I am wearing a small, red flower on my jacket lapel.  I can do no better than refer to the blog I published this time last year, “Why I wear a poppy“. As in previous years […]

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8th November 2011

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

The race that stops a nation

Last week Sarah and I were invited to attend the Melbourne Cup, the race that famously “stops the nation”. In British terms it seems to be the equivalent of Ascot, the Grand National and the Derby all rolled into one. It’s an unmissable Aussie experience. We were very fortunate to be able to join the […]

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4th November 2011 New York, USA

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by Danny Lopez

British Consul-General, New York

Countdown to the Marathon

As my Monster Month of training draws to a close and I enter the final 36 hours before the New York City Marathon on Sunday, I’d like to take this opportunity to praise the efforts of those involved and the causes which are being supported by thousands of competitors. Within the British Consulate in New […]

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4th November 2011

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by Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Making Chornobyl safer

Did you know that one of the largest moveable structures ever assembled is being created in Ukraine over the next four years?  That it will cost around Euro 1.54 billion?  And that the aim is to reduce the risk of radiation escaping from Chornobyl’s damaged Reactor Number 4? The “New Safe Confinement Project” at Chornobyl […]

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4th November 2011 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Windhoek relaunches Chevening Alumni Association of Namibia (CAAN).

I thought it was well worth highlighting a couple of key events in turn (over a series of blogs), which really helped round out the heavy commercial focus of the programme  and highlight the breadth of our activities here. The photos also help illustrate the tremendous warmth of the reception that the minister received from […]

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