3rd December 2024
RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
25th November 2024
The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
29th June 2018 Science and Innovation Network
How’s the weather in Jakarta?
As a Brit abroad, it’s still my go-to conversation starter when I call my colleagues in other countries in the region. There’s a misconception that the weather at the equator is the same most of the year round, but this is far from the truth! The islands of Southeast Asia (known to meteorologists as the […]
29th June 2018 Vientiane, Laos
“The Best Way To Predict The Future is To Create It” (Abraham Lincoln)
Our annual Queen’s Birthday Party (QBP), held in mid-June, broadly coincides with the anniversary of my arrival in Laos So, it always puts me in a retrospective mood, especially as I contemplate my final year in Vientiane. But though my small and still relatively new Mission has had its best year ever in terms of […]
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28th June 2018 Abuja, Nigeria
Beating Plastic pollution – a view from Nigeria
At the British High Commission (BHC) in Abuja, we are stepping up our efforts to become greener, and to help Nigeria be greener too. Having spent the past 16 months living in Nigeria I am almost immune to seeing mounds of burnt and discarded plastic bottles and bags littering the roadside and choking the waterways. Almost […]
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28th June 2018 Vienna, Austria
Austrian EU Presidency: Service Announcement
A medium-sized1 EU country takes on the Presidency of the Council of the European Union during a busy period in Europe. In addition to Brexit, migration and asylum policy are at the forefront, along with tense long-term EU budget negotiations. Although people in this country are famously modest, everyone knows that they have run two […]
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26th June 2018 London, UK
UK interviewing and investigation techniques take a detour through Norway and go global
For the last decade, the Norwegian Police Service and the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) at the University of Oslo have cooperated on implementing methods of interviewing and investigations in law enforcement, military and intelligence services around the world. The methods originated in the UK and the ongoing projects involve close cooperation with British […]
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25th June 2018 Geneva, Switzerland
Keeping the light on
My Council session got off to an unfortunate and slightly messy start. As I rushed to leave the house I discovered that the cat had regurgitated something unpleasant inside my freshly polished work shoes. I’m not prone to superstition but it felt like a worrying omen for what lay ahead. And so it proved to be. […]
19th June 2018 New Delhi, India
Engineering Innovation thrives on the ‘Living Bridge’
At its essence engineering is about making ‘things’ that work and making ‘things’ work better. From farming to sanitation and healthcare to infrastructure, engineering has led to advances in technology which have saved and improved the lives of – and unlocked opportunities for – billions of people around the world. However, such breakthroughs don’t happen […]
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18th June 2018 Tokyo, Japan
AI, synthesised speech and elderflower lemon cake at the QBP in Tokyo
Your speech at the Queen’s Birthday Party is one of the big events of the year for most Ambassadors, in front of hundreds of VIPs and important embassy contacts. So, I suppose it was a bit brave to give up part of mine to a synthesised version of my voice, speaking random sentences written by […]
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15th June 2018 Vienna, Austria
Meeting Hugo Portisch – again
The guest of honour takes up his place at the podium. The room is hushed. He begins to speak. I was recently invited to attend the award of the honorary citizenship of the city of Vienna to Dr Hugo Portisch, at the splendid Vienna town hall. I had met Dr Portisch briefly when I was […]
13th June 2018 London, UK
Media freedom in Mongolia: a Human Rights Defender’s perspective
“If we don’t protect freedom of expression and free press, we will lose democratic values.” I am a free media advocate from Mongolia, working to ensure fellow Mongolians are able to enjoy their right to freedom of expression both on- and offline. I am passionate about the right to enjoy media freedom and for journalists […]
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