17th December 2025
MAKING LIFE SAFER, FOR EVERYONE
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
9th December 2025
Why We Need Data, Courage, and Community
2nd December 2025
In cybersecurity, there are no limits – only new voices ready to lead
8th March 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Largest ever overseas investment in India – by a British company
In February I took part in five workshops, from Edinburgh to Newmarket, and Leeds to London. These workshops were arranged and supported variously by UKTI, the Asia Task Force, RBS and The Economist Intelligence Unit about India. From the number of businesspeople who attended at each venue, probably over 500 in all, I was left […]
Read more on Largest ever overseas investment in India – by a British company | Reply
8th March 2011 Geneva, Switzerland
Combating Discrimination Against Women
Guest blog by Jacqui Hunt, Equality Now This session of the Human Rights Council sees the appointment of a new mechanism to promote women’s rights – a working group to focus on discrimination against women in law and practice. A significant milestone in respect of women’s rights of which the Human Rights Council should be […]
7th March 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
My Welsh Great-Grandfather
1 March is St David’s Day, named after the patron saint of Wales who died in 589. I’m part-Welsh: my great-grandfather John Derfel (photo below) came from the the town of Llanderfel in north Wales and was the son of the Welsh poet and political writer Robert Jones Derfel (for the Welsh-language Wikipedia entry, click here). […]
7th March 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
How to make energy more transparent
“Transparency” is a big buzzword whenever people talk about improving the business climate in Ukraine. Everyone agrees that if we can increase transparency in the way economy is run, with a level playing field for all and transparent arrangements for eg tax payments, the business climate will improve. That in turn will boost Foreign Direct […]
7th March 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Ambassadors in high heels
I’m giving a press conference at a seminar for young eastern European mayors at the Ukrainian provincial town of Vinnitsa when a journalist leans forward. Why, he asks, are there are so few women amongst the mayors invited to the event? After the organisers have explained that they had to invite young mayors from those […]
7th March 2011 Ottawa, Canada
The British Antarctic Survey, Robert Culshaw, and our second Science Salon!
So we recently had a visitor in from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), a Mr. Robert Culshaw, the Deputy Director of BAS, to be precise. We (in collaboration with the British Council, WWF, the University of Ottawa, The Goethe Institute…) convinced Mr Culshaw to come to Ottawa to participate in a series of events that […]
Read more on The British Antarctic Survey, Robert Culshaw, and our second Science Salon! | Reply
7th March 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
British expertise for Romania’s public purse
I took part earlier last week in the launch of a workshop designed to help the justice system here respond to an ever-increasing challenge: recovering illicitly acquired assets. The project is part of the UK’s wider effort to help tackle cross-border and organised crime. The workshop followed the UK Justice Secretary, Kenneth Clarke’s visit to […]
Read more on British expertise for Romania’s public purse | Reply
4th March 2011 Islamabad, Pakistan
Remembering Shahbaz Bhatti
This was another sad week for Pakistan. On Wednesday morning, I was telling journalists about a doubling of the UK’s aid to Pakistan, when I was horrified to hear that Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti had been shot and killed in broad daylight in Islamabad. As I said that day, his death is a loss to […]
3rd March 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
One giant leap for business: VAT refunds
What single thing could the Ukrainian authorities do to show foreign and domestic businesses that they are serious about improving the business climate? Ukraine faces a daunting list of reforms needed to create a business environment to stimulate foreign direct investment (FDI). The authorities have announced welcome steps to tackle corruption, remove over-regulation and reform […]
Read more on One giant leap for business: VAT refunds | Reply
2nd March 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Dragons and daffodils
On 1 March the Welsh flag was flying outside the British Embassy as we marked St David’s Day. And several staff were wearing dragon or daffodil badges in their lapels to recognise the patron saint of Wales. (I even persuaded the Australian Ambassador to wear a daffodil alongside his kangaroo.) The date marks the anniversary […]