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?
15th February 2017 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Staying safe in cyberspace
The UK and Sri Lanka are both island nations. This doesn’t mean much, however, when it comes to cyber security. Earlier today, I addressed a group of nearly 50 Chief Information Officers and IT Directors from across the Sri Lankan civil service. This was as part of a project the UK is funding with our […]
14th February 2017 Tokyo, Japan
First month in Japan
Well, I’ve now completed my first month in Japan. It’s been interesting comparing my experiences with the first time I was posted here more than 25 years ago. It’s hard to make direct comparisons because coming back as Ambassador after a long Foreign Office career, is different from arriving on your very first overseas posting. […]
13th February 2017 London, UK
British architects play a major role in redefining the world’s cities
For centuries the UK has been held in high regard for its architecture, and the profile of UK architects is stronger than it has ever been. Architecture is one of the UK’s most significant and visible creative exports, with an almost unrivalled reputation around the world for excellence, innovation and creativity. From Beijing to New […]
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10th February 2017 London, UK
UK – Russia Year of Science and Education: the beginning of a beautiful relationship?
At the end of the classic film Casablanca, Rick says to the Chief of Police “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”. So, as we embark upon a year of UK – Russia Science and (science) Education events, what do we expect our scientific relationship to look like 12 months from now? […]
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10th February 2017 London, UK
LGBT History Month is…
Every February, UK celebrates LGBT History Month. For me, being part of a global network of LGBT and straight ally colleagues, I am amazed every month when I see a celebration of the FCO’s diversity & inclusiveness, and the pride that posts have in showcasing the UK’s commitment to LGBT rights around the world. Yet February always […]
10th February 2017 Beijing
On a Mission
“By 2030 China’s urbanisation rate will have increased from 56% to 70%.” On the face of it the projection doesn’t look that alarming. Yet what it means is another 200 million people moving from the countryside to cities. What has been called history’s largest human migration began in the late 1970s with Deng Xiaoping’s reform […]
9th February 2017 Vientiane, Laos
“Dare to be Honest and Fear no Labour” (Robert Burns)
I was recently delighted to host my first Burns Supper in Vientiane. It was a wonderful evening of poetry, food and dance for which the organizational credit must go to Scottish community stalwart, Clare Hepburn, ably supported by her husband Alistair and others. As someone who grew up in the southern Scottish town of Dumfries. […]
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8th February 2017 London, UK
My speech at Family Office Forum Dubai on UK-GCC relations and a post-Brexit Global Britain
I am going to talk to you today about the relations between the Gulf and a Global Britain – an outward-looking nation thriving and prospering on the world stage. I will touch on the strength of the partnership, the shared interests which make this imperative, and, of course, the implications of Brexit. Partnership between the […]
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7th February 2017 Vienna, Austria
Vienna: tackling modern slavery – concrete action
I wrote in my blog about modern slavery last month that “modern slavery is happening throughout the world, including in Europe, on a large scale”. So what are we doing about it? More than 200 years ago William Wilberforce led Britain in the fight against slavery – opening the eyes of the world to the […]
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7th February 2017 Mogadishu, Somalia
UK and Somalia join hands to eradicate FGM
Where do you start with change when everything seems so difficult and entrenched? That was the question that first greeted me when I started my current role as a Social Development Adviser in Somalia. The data that exists on education, health and employment are not heartening and the country has political and security challenges that […]
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