Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

14th December 2010 Geneva, Switzerland

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by Bob Last

Head, UK Mission Political and Human Rights Team

Putting the “Universal” Back in the Universal Declaration

 Guest blog by John Fisher, ARC International* “It is not called the ‘Partial’ Declaration of Human Rights,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon underlined at a World Human Rights Day panel on Ending Violence and Criminal Sanctions based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.  “It is not the ‘Sometimes’ Declaration of Human Rights.” The Secretary General […]

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13th December 2010

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by Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Keeping Ukrainian families together

It’s not often that we charge people to enter my house.  But we make an exception when we host a charity reception in support of the Ukrainian charity EveryChild. Ukraine, like many other countries in Eastern Europe, continues to house large number of children in orphanages.  EveryChild, which was set up as the result of […]

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12th December 2010

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by Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

BBC Book of the Year 2010

The lofty, historic hall of the Kyiv Mohyla Academy is packed with journalists, TV cameras and microphones. The occasion is the prize-giving for the BBC Ukrainian Service Book of the Year Competition.  The prize, worth #1,000, is in my pocket.  Several of the five short-listed authors are present, one via Skype from Washington.  Five distinguished […]

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10th December 2010

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by Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Transcarpathia: castles, skis and the mayor’s car

The walls of the castle rise sheer from the base of a deep, dry moat.  Three different batteries of cannon face the west.  To the east rise the Carpathians, dusted with snow.  Welcome to Mukachevo, scenic setting of the world’s largest ski factory and as dense a melting pot of European cultures as one could […]

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10th December 2010 Chevening, UK

Human Rights Day 2010 – another view from Nigeria

Adeniyi Egbetade writes about CHIEF GANIYU OYESOLA FAWEHINMI (1938-2009). This eminent Nigerian lived and died for justice for mankind and the rule of law. He never allowed religious or tribal sentiments to taint his fight for human rights. Chief Fawehinmi studied law at Holborn College of Law UK between 1961and 1964. He fought the scourge […]

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10th December 2010

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Racism and discrimination

OHCHR’s representative in Bolivia, Denis Racicot, writes as a guest blogger. For more information visit http://bolivia.ohchr.org. In 1966, by means of the signing of the International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination and the subsequent ratification en 1970, the State of Bolivia committed to adopt all the necessary measures for the […]

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10th December 2010

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by Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Can we make convoys more democratic?

When I first arrived in Kyiv, a local journalist asked if I liked playing golf.  When I said that, wonderful (and British) a game as golf was, I preferred table-tennis, she noted it down.  “Very democratic,” she said.  A couple of weeks later, I flew back from a visit to the UK using a budget […]

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