25th April 2024
Reflect & Remember: Anzac Day 2024
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
23rd April 2024
Good English – A Key to Panama’s Future Success
21st March 2024
Forests in focus on International Day of Forests
14th March 2017 Guatemala City
A trek to the lost Mayan city of El Mirador, Part 1
Three years ago, when I first heard I was being posted to Guatemala, I spotted in the guide books a mention of a ruined Mayan city deep in the jungle which was only accessible by walking for five days there and back. I instantly decided I had to go there. And finally, last month, I […]
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13th March 2017 Geneva, Switzerland
Change in the Air
While there haven’t exactly been howls of protest about my online silence these last few weeks, the number of people asking what I’ve been up to rose to three on Friday (excluding my last boss who is clearly still keeping tabs on me from afar), so I feel a little sheepish and neglectful. The main reason […]
13th March 2017 London, UK
The Commonwealth is no Empire
When the recently elected Gambian President announced that he intended to take his country back into the Commonwealth (the previous president had withdrawn Gambia from the organisation), one of my twitter followers commented that Gambia was becoming a British colony again! For some in Turkey, the sun has never set on the British Empire. But […]
13th March 2017 UK, London
UK-China relations are going from strength to strength as we celebrate 45th anniversary
It is surprising to think that ambassadorial relations between the United Kingdom and the People’s Republic of China have been in place for just 45 years. Today, on the 45th anniversary, we see cooperation at an all-time high and a bilateral relationship going from strength to strength. The global partnership established during President Xi Jinping’s […]
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13th March 2017 Holy See
The Commonwealth and the Holy See
The Commonwealth and the Holy See represent the two largest soft power networks in the world. The Holy See has over 1.2 billion faithful globally, and a network of Bishops, NGOs and religious congregations which reach deep into the societies of the countries where they live. The Commonwealth is made up of 52 countries with […]
13th March 2017 Gaborone, Botswana
Celebrating the diverse partnership of nations that make up the modern Commonwealth
At primary school, I remember we used to have a large poster of the flags of the Commonwealth on the wall of the classroom. I used to daydream about what kids my age would be doing in those countries – what was their school day like? Were their teachers nice? Did they also hate sitting […]
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10th March 2017 Skopje, North Macedonia
How do you know that the taxes you pay are being spent wisely?
Here’s a question for the average person in Macedonia: how do you know that the taxes you pay are being spent wisely? It’s a simple question but actually on that’s quite difficult to answer. Some might be happy to just trust those spending your tax money. But others will want to be more questioning. They […]
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10th March 2017
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Farewell to Arkhangelsk
I have made over a dozen visits to Arkhangelsk since autumn 2013. It’s a very special place in Russia for the UK and I was keen to make one final visit before I leave Russia to thank our key contacts and underline our commitment to future friendship and engagement. Visiting Arkhangelsk has been a highlight […]
9th March 2017 Tokyo, Japan
Six years after the tsunami, Japanese resilience
On 11 March, it will be six years since the people of East Japan suffered the triple blows of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident. None of us, around the world, will forget watching the terrible footage on our TV screens. For Japan it was the most significant domestic event for decades. So I was keen […]
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8th March 2017 Science Innovation USA
A Tale of Two Power Systems – Plugging Innovation into the Electricity Grid
Above Photo: March 02, 2017- Attendees collaborate during a break out session at the U.K.-U.S. Grid Modernization Collaboration Workshop at the Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO. (Photo by Dennis Schroeder / NREL) I was really pleased to be able to attend and participate in the UK-US […]
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