5th November 2026
United Nations General Assembly: championing women and girls’ rights
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
1st October 2026
A Year Too Big for Two Suitcases: Notes From a Chevening Scholar
11th May 2026
The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill: turning a global ocean agreement into UK law
31st January 2018 Vilnius, Lithuania
Lithuanian centenary – the people who built our friendship – Sir Thomas Preston
2018 sees the centenary of Lithuania’s modern statehood. Congratulations Lithuania! I wanted to blog this year, then, about some of the many people who have contributed to a close relationship between our countries over the past 100 years. (Although I may go further back in time than that, given Lithuania’s longer history). My first choice […]
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26th January 2018 London, UK
UK – Russia Year of Science and Education: A year older, a year wiser
Last month Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visited Moscow for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Whilst media reporting of the visit focused on our bilateral political relationship and what we are doing to solve together the world’s most pressing global challenges, science and education were also among the topics discussed during the visit. Both […]
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26th January 2018 London, UK
Bending the rules to save souls
“And so we must know these good people who helped Jews during the Holocaust. We must learn from them, and in gratitude and hope, we must remember them.” Elie Wiesel You may have heard of Nicholas Winton, the stockbroker who organised the Kindertransport and saved 669 Jewish children from Czechoslovakia. Or Frank Foley, the Secret Intelligence […]
25th January 2018 Auckland, New Zealand
Gateway to Space
In my previous blogs I have informed about the support the UK Science & Innovation Network (SIN) is providing to the UK’s National Space Academy (NSA) in China; helping to spread an inspirational model of teaching which uses Space Science in the context of teaching STEM subjects. The core objective is to get more children […]
23rd January 2018 Wellington, New Zealand
The UK and New Zealand: Old Friends, New Prospects
The connections between the UK and New Zealand are many and strong. It is a friendship built on a shared history, on family, sporting and cultural links, and on the rich exchange of goods and ideas. We have a similar sense of humour, a similar spirit of adventure, similar tastes. You drink our Scotch; we […]
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22nd January 2018 Stockholm, Sweden
From the Transformation of Energy to the Transformation of Transport
The Paris Agreement signed by 195 countries at the 21st Conference of the Parties meeting in 2015 marked a significant and critical milestone in the global effort to combat climate change. Already, many countries around the world are making significant advances on their pathways towards clean and sustainable economies. In particular, the decarbonisation of the […]
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17th January 2018 Morocco, Rabat
Dormitories of hope
It was raining by the time we got to Marrakesh. The long-threatened storm had held off as we had forged our way across the flat desert that forms the northern hinterland boundary to the magical city. But the rain teemed down as we wound our way slowly through the traffic and out beyond the city […]
12th January 2018 Vienna, Austria
Why we do social media
I recently attended the annual diplomatic reception for ambassadors given by Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen. Result: a minor social media storm. Why? And why was this a good thing? The President’s annual diplomatic reception has taken place for years; someone recently sent me a picture of Kaiser Franz Josef meeting the diplomatic corps […]
11th January 2018 Tripoli, Libya
Dear Libya
We have known each other for two and a half years. But the time has come for me to leave. As Juliet said to Romeo: “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” It is hard to say goodbye, but I have to move on. Getting to know you has always been a pleasure. Though it hasn’t been […]
10th January 2018 Vienna, Austria
How the UK and UNODC are working together to tackle corruption
A corrupt official takes an illegal bribe. Why does matter? And if it does matter, what can we do about it? This isn’t just about morality. Research shows that corruption raises the cost of doing business and reduces economic growth. A 1% reduction in corruption perception scores can raise growth by 0.57% in developed economies […]
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