22nd December 2025
Continuing to grow the global alliance for women and girls
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
17th December 2025
MAKING LIFE SAFER, FOR EVERYONE
9th December 2025
Why We Need Data, Courage, and Community
16th February 2017 London, UK
Researching user research
(User research in project phases – courtesy of Leisa Reichelt) One of the first tasks I was given upon joining the Digital Transformation Unit within the Foreign Office was devising a strategy for user research. User research is at the heart of digitising government services. Everything we do should be designed with the user in […]
15th February 2017 Holy See
Tackling Modern Slavery together
Last week Offer Stern-Weiner, Head of the Modern Slavery Unit at the Home Office, and I journeyed out of Rome to visit a small and tranquil convent in a historic town set in the beautiful Italian countryside. The reason we were there? To meet five young Nigerian women who had been trafficked from Nigeria to […]
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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