Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

2nd January 2017 Delhi, India

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by Anshika Jha

UK Intellectual Property Office’s (UK IPO) Attaché

How do you put a monetary value on a brand?

UK IPO is partnering with leading Indian intellectual property (IP) law firm Anand and Anand to study brand valuation and IP commercialisation in India.  The methodology behind putting a value to a brand – in monetary terms – is still in the stages of being studied and understood not just in India, but around the […]

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28th December 2016 Holy See

Stephen Townsend

Stephen Townsend

Deputy Head of Mission

The Nativity Scene in St Peter’s Square

At Christmas, Nativity scenes make their appearance in churches and homes across the world. In Italy there is a particularly strong tradition of presepio – some churches in Rome have exhibitions of historical and modern designs, and there are some streets on Naples which are full at this time of the year with thousands of […]

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23rd December 2016 Kenya

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by Serah Nderitu

Science and Innovation Officer

A Dialogue on Sustainable Water Resources for Africa at the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Annual Congress in Nairobi

Access to safe drinking water is fundamental to human development and well-being. It is also a fundamental human right, as recognised in 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly. Worldwide, over 663 million people still lack access to safe drinking water; nearly half of this population lives in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Science and innovation must […]

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23rd December 2016 London, UK

Jon Ryan

Jon Ryan

Consul, Islamabad

Hogmanay 2017 from Islamabad!

As we look forward to 2017 and celebrating the Scottish holiday of Hogmanay, I’m thinking about the special link between Scotland and Pakistan. The British High Commission in Islamabad has an active Scottish contingent, who support the relationship between Pakistan and the whole of the UK, including Scotland, on issues ranging from economic development to […]

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22nd December 2016 Holy See

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by Sally Axworthy

Ambassador to the Holy See

Pope Francis at 80: The Pope’s favourite words

Pope Francis turned 80 on 17 December. Messages poured in from around the world (70,000 emails) and the Pope celebrated with 8 homeless people. Much has been written about the Pope’s achievements. He is on a mission to change the Church, making it more global, ecumenical, open to dialogue with other faiths, focussed on the […]

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22nd December 2016 Abuja, Nigeria

Eleanor French

Political Officer (Northern Nigeria)

Tackling Sexual Violence Stigma Attached to Victims of Boko Haram

On 23 November, the British High Commission and International Alert convened a workshop in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, where 2.2 million people are displaced. In North East Nigeria, stigma attaches to survivors of sexual violence. Stigma attaches to women who bear a child outside marriage. Stigma attaches to anyone associated with Boko Haram. Many […]

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22nd December 2016 Canberra, Australia

Bronwyn Capon

Bronwyn Capon

Visit & Event Coordinator and Chevening Officer

Gold Standard support for scholars

At the beginning of this month, I was honoured to accept, on behalf of the British High Commission, the Public Affairs Asia Gold Standard Award for Diplomatic Engagement for our work supporting scholarships for Indigenous Australian students. We have been supporting the Charlie Perkins Scholarship Trust since 2010 through the FCO’s Chevening programme, and recently extended […]

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21st December 2016 London, UK

Foreign Office 2016

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office has 268 overseas missions operating in 168 counties and territories and is the voice of the UK government across the world. Take a look at some of the biggest priorities we’ve been working on this year. EU Referendum On June 23rd, the British people voted to leave the European Union. […]

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21st December 2016 Lagos, Nigeria

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by Bisola Dawon

Science and Innovation Officer

SCIENTISTS AND STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGING AT THE SOUTH AFRICA SCIENCE FORUM 2016

The second South Africa Science Forum 2016, which was held from December 8 -9 at the International Convention Centre of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria, South Africa (SA) was a great opportunity for SIN Officers (Nairobi, Kenya; Cape Town, South Africa; and Lagos, Nigeria) to meet and interact with various […]

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