26th February 2026
Different Memories, Shared Futures: Why Inclusive Remembrance Matters for Serbia and the Region
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
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22nd December 2025
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17th December 2025
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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 […]
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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 […]
1st March 2011 New York, USA
Blog: Climate change as a national security threat
Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti discusses the potential threats climate change can pose to our national security, on a recent trip to New York.
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1st March 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
How to sell your city
The chocolate flows down in an endless stream, pouring like a waterfall over the freshly-baked crispy wafers. Further down the production line, individual sticks are wrapped and packed in boxes. Lucky visitors are invited to taste the delicious end-product, fresh from the ovens. I’m at the “Roshen” chocolate factory in Vinnitsa, a city of 370,000 […]
1st March 2011 Geneva, Switzerland
A visit from the boss (and everyone else’s)
These are heady days at the Human Rights Council. On the back of Friday’s firm action on Libya, senior figures from around the world descended on Geneva today for the start of the Council’s March session. It’s the first time so many leading politicians have come to the Council and with them came the world’s […]
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25th February 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Engaging on the Games
Earlier this week I sat with the UK Sports Minister and leading members of the Hungarian Olympics and Paralympics Committees. Hugh Robertson was visiting to attend the Sports Ministerial Informal meeting at Gödöllő and at the end of his programme made time to meet our partners and ask what we could do to help them […]
25th February 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Culture, diversity and art
What do an artist from Afghanistan and a Ukrainian dancer have in common? The answer is that both are big fans of Ukraine who are enriching the country’s cultural life. I’m delivering a short speech at an event at the M17 Cultural Centre in Kyiv organised by the International Organisation for Migration on a cold […]
23rd February 2011 Geneva, Switzerland
Empty Sausages and Children’s Menus
I’m not sure how it started, but there’s a growing trend in UN human rights meetings these days to convey displeasure through culinary metaphor. The German Ambassador did this to great effect when he revealed his reaction to the latest set of proposals on the Human Rights Council Review, which is finally approaching a close […]
23rd February 2011 Ottawa, Canada
Off on some Scientific Adventures!
So as some of you may have noticed, I’ve been unfortunately delinquent in my blog postings this month, due in part to the fact that I have been kept quite busy here on the ground. Not to worry, I have a few tidbits that will be finding their way to this site in the near […]
21st February 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Fair gold
On 14 February, Valentine’s Day, there was the launch in London of the very first Fairmined and Fairtrade gold ingot from artisanal and small-scale mining. This was mined at the Cooperativa Minera Cotapata in the Nor Yungas area of La Paz. To receive this certification, the mine had to comply with a number of conditions. […]