8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
17th October 2024
OSLOBOĐENJE BEOGRADA
11th October 2024
Busting the gender myths – women and organised crime
6th September 2011 Windhoek, Namibia
The Olympic message goes north
Bright lights in the north: spreading the Olympic message in northern Namibia and learning more about Ovamboland. It is always incredibly uplifting to address a school of young African learners. Pupils have generally walked miles each way to attend classes. They take their studies seriously – and they always have plenty of answers when you […]
6th September 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
War Memorials, Welsh Prime Ministers, Wacky Comedians
I was involved in a number of events last week which reminded me of the multi-faceted relationship between Britain and Australia. On a sunny morning in Canberra, I laid a wreath at a memorial service to honour Australians who had served in the Malayan Emergency (1948-60) and Indonesian Confrontation (1962-66). These successful campaigns are nowadays […]
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2nd September 2011 Bucharest, Romania
Commercial Diplomacy at the heart of our work
I was in London last week for a packed one-day training to understand how the Foreign Office supports the overall work of the British Government to take forward the growth and prosperity agenda. Commercial diplomacy is a newly coined concept yet diplomats have always been looking out for business potential in their host countries, whether […]
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2nd September 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Increasing Ukrainian gas production
A dozen TV cameras zoom in on a pen and an inch-thick contract. Signatures are completed; contracts swapped; and more signatures added. Eventually the process is complete and there are handshakes and a round of applause. I am at the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy to witness the signing of an important Joint Activity Agreement between […]
1st September 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Cautious optimism at the Australia Davos Connection Leadership Retreat
Last weekend I attended the annual Hayman Island Retreat organised by the Australian Davos Connection. It is a prestigious gathering of senior figures from the worlds of business and government, together with eminent academics and thinkers to provoke discussion on long term trends. This year’s theme was .”On the Edge – confidence in the face […]
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31st August 2011 New York, USA
An August Welcome
New York Consul-General Danny Lopez’s First Month It is hard to describe the excitement I felt when I was first informed that I’d been selected to be the next British Consul-General in New York. I spent two years living in the Big Apple in the early 2000s working for Barclays Bank, and I very much […]
31st August 2011 Chevening, UK
The birth of an alumni association in Nigeria
Dr Chijioke Nwaozuzu is a Chevening scholar from 2001-2002. He is the new General Secretary of the newly created Chevening Alumni Association of Nigeria. In this blog entry he tells us how the first meeting went and lists the new associations objectives. INAUGURATION OF THE CHEVENING ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (CAAN) THE JOURNEY SO FAR: […]
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31st August 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Close cooperation on Afghanistan and Pakistan: visit by UK Special Representative
Mark Sedwill, the UK’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, visited Canberra last week. He is a former British Ambassador in Kabul, and was NATO Civilian Representative alongside General Petraeus until earlier this year. So he was already well known to many of the Australian interlocutors on whom he called. I took him to see […]
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30th August 2011 New York, USA
It’s that time of year again for Marshall Scholarships
Guest blog by Ann Reinking, Media and Public Affairs Coordinator. Planning the federal budget for President Obama. Directing and writing the Hollywood film The Adjustment Bureau. Co-founding the professional social networking site Linked-In. These are just a few examples of the impressive achievements of Marshall Scholarship recipients. The Marshall Scholarship provides American students with the exciting […]
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30th August 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Ukraine: hand grenades in the polygon
The wire is carefully concealed: stretched through the grass at ankle-height and attached at one end to a grenade. When a soldier’s boot connects with it there is a mighty explosion. Nearby, a military convoy is ambushed by enemy forces and a helicopter is called in to evacuate the wounded. Fortunately, this is a military […]