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
13th April 2017 Kolkata, India
Interviews for an education
There are many ways of gaining an education. Apart from the usual places like school, college and university, I’m a fan of travel and seeing new places (which partly explains why I became a diplomat). Meeting people who have very different lives can teach you a lot. And for a lucky few, there is all […]
13th April 2017 Vienna, Austria
Behind the Scenes on a Royal Visit: Communications
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall enter a room in Vienna’s magnificent Hofburg Palace as guests of the President of Austria, Dr Alexander Van der Bellen and the First Lady, Mrs Doris Schmidauer Around 70 journalists are present to record the event. A flurry of camera […]
Read more on Behind the Scenes on a Royal Visit: Communications | Reply (1)
12th April 2017 Vilnius, Lithuania
Handing over
Tomorrow is my last day in the office for about 6 months. I am taking a break to have a baby (in Lithuania) and will be back in November. I will miss the work for the time I am away. It is a job I enjoy doing very much. I get to listen and talk […]
12th April 2017
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A Very Special Visit
The OSCE begins a 2 week Easter recess this week, giving secretariat and 57 national delegations the chance to catch breath and look ahead after an exceptionally busy month of multilateral diplomacy. The broad nature of the OSCE remit is such that unrelated events and political developments can coincide to create flurries of intense activity. […]
11th April 2017 Vienna, Austria
Royal visit – pictures
I will be writing a blog soon about the recent visit of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. It was a privilege to welcome them to Vienna; and wonderful to witness the warm welcome they received. During their visit, Their Royal Highnesses met a host of people from all […]
11th April 2017 Delhi, India
Exploring opportunities in marine science and technology
The Indian Ocean region is abundant with resources, particularly in the sectors of fisheries, aquaculture, ocean energy, sea-bed mining and minerals. Oceans have immense potential that needs to be harnessed in a balanced manner, where its preservation and health are given their due importance. The UK has world-leading strengths in marine technologies (robotics and autonomous […]
Read more on Exploring opportunities in marine science and technology | Reply
10th April 2017 Geneva, Switzerland
Imagine A World Without Humanitarian Agencies
It been nearly half a century since John Lennon released the song that was to become the most successful of his solo career. His vision of a world without borders, countries, religion or conflict looks utopian to say the least from the perspective of 2017. But there is an area where the common humanity that […]
Read more on Imagine A World Without Humanitarian Agencies | Reply
6th April 2017
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Farewell to Murmansk
I paid a farewell visit to the ‘hero city’ of Murmansk in late March. I’ve enjoyed many interesting visits to this Arctic city over the past few years but my introduction back in autumn 2013 was a little unexpected. Instead of the routine range of introductory calls, my first visit to Murmansk included a prison […]
4th April 2017 Vienna, Austria
Modest yet famous: Salzburg
I began my current posting to Austria on the platform at Salzburg station (Hauptbahnhof) at around midnight on 1 August 2016. My plan was to spend four weeks polishing my German at a top language school in the city and to reacquaint myself with all things Austrian after an absence of 29 years. I got […]
4th April 2017 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Digging up the legacy of war
It’s 20 years since Princess Diana walked through a minefield in Angola and changed the way we think about land mines. And it’s 20 years since the Ottawa Convention banning their use was concluded. But mines and unexploded ordnance still cause indiscriminate destruction and hinder development in over 63 countries and territories around the world […]