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?
13th April 2018 Harare, Zimbabwe
Death of the world’s last male northern white rhino
The death of the last northern white male rhino Sudan on March 19 in Kenya sent the world into mourning. When Sudan was born in South Sudan in 1972 there were around 1,000 northern white rhinos left in the wild. Now there are only two left, both females.
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12th April 2018 Vienna, Austria
“Russia and the West: a new Cold War? Who is responsible?”
If you have followed recent discussion over the case of the attempted murder of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury using a military grade nerve agent, you may find interesting the programme “Russia and the West: a new Cold War? Who is responsible?” transmitted on Austrian broadcaster Puls 4 on 11 April. In the programme […]
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12th April 2018 Morocco, Rabat
A memorable climb to Mount Toubkal
Leaving the beautiful Kasbah Toubkal, like the Last Homely House at Rivendell we walked off into the hills, over low-slung bridges, the brown flood-water gurgling round their feet along increasingly muddy paths, past villages clinging impossibly to terraces hanging off vertiginous cliffs, the mules carrying our trekking sacks and climbing gear making easy going of […]
10th April 2018 Wellington, New Zealand
Henderson Island: plastic pollution in paradise
Henderson Island is one of the most remote islands in the world. Uninhabited, and largely untouched, it was recently found to have the highest density of plastics pollution anywhere in the world. So what has happened, and what can we do about it? Henderson is one of four Pitcairn Islands and lies bang in the […]
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10th April 2018 Abuja, Nigeria
Midline Evaluation of DFID Funded Child Development Grant Programme reveals Positive Impact of Cash transfers on Child Nutrition in Northern Nigeria
On March 7th 2018, Oxford Policy Management (OPML) presented to over 80 key stakeholders in Abuja, the midline findings of the mixed-methods evaluation of the DFID-funded Child Development Grant Programme (CDGP). The CDGP programme is a six-year pilot cash transfer programme that aims to improve child and maternal health in two states of Northern Nigeria. […]
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10th April 2018 Tripoli, Libya
“Who lives sees, but who travels sees more” Ibn Battuta
When I became British Ambassador to Libya over a month ago, I promised to travel and meet people from across Libya. Only by living in Libya, as I do, and by meeting people from across the country can a diplomat truly understand Libya and the challenges we must face together. In the past few weeks […]
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10th April 2018 London, UK
One in three young people live in the Commonwealth: education is the key to their future
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will soon be upon us. A major gathering of representatives from 53 governments who look after 2.4 billion people – a third of the world’s population – over 60% of whom are 29 or under. It’s also an opportunity for the UK to demonstrate its commitment to this multilateral […]
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9th April 2018 Vienna, Austria
#ViennaMemories #6: three slow glasses
The three liqueur glasses are sub-standard in every way. Each is slightly different from the other. The thickness and shape of the glass curves are irregular. Two are chipped. I treasure them. The three tiny liqueur glasses I bought second-hand in Vienna in 1986 are another #ViennaMemories item rich with history. I have used them […]
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29th March 2018 Geneva, Switzerland
Unruly Behaviour
Voting days at the Council have always been stressful, and things don’t seem to be getting any easier with age. The drawback of having been around in these parts for longer than most is that I’m expected to know what I’m doing, especially when it comes to the finer points of the UN’s rules of […]
29th March 2018 Gaborone, Botswana
The Giants Club Summit: 5 things you need to know
Ahead of a global conference on the illegal wildlife trade in London in October, Minister for Africa Harriett Baldwin attended the the Giants Club Summit in Kasane in northern Botswana to show the UK’s commitment to protecting Africa’s elephants. Here are 5 things you need to know about the summit, and the elephants that the organisers […]
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