Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

21st November 2016 Beirut, Lebanon

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by Hugo Shorter

British Ambassador to Lebanon

To 365 Days of Independence

Mabrouk, Lebanon! There is a positive new mood in the country. Posters have gone up, and flags been hoisted. Just last week I was treated to a truly stately guard of honour and credentials ceremony at Baabda Palace, and was honoured to finally present my credentials to President Aoun. It has been a long time […]

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21st November 2016 Chennai, India

Rudy Fernandez

Rudy Fernandez

Head of Public Affairs

Yashoda’s story: burn survivors of violence against women and the need for a support system

On Wednesday, I will launch British Deputy High Commission Chennai’s violence against women (VAW) project at Kerala’s Baby Memorial Hospital (BMH) in Kozhikode (Calicut). Here’s a great blog by Rudy Fernandez who’s leading on this project which we’re running across several Indian states over the next couple of months to support better government responses and […]

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21st November 2016 Athens, Greece

British Ambassador to Greece, John Kittmer

by John Kittmer

Former UK ambassador to the Hellenic Republic

Conflict, Poetry and Remembrance

Conflict within and between societies is, it seems, a regrettable, tragic constant in human existence. During the twentieth century, conflict reached a previously unimaginable scale. Through two worlds, and many other murderous animosities, the idea of human civilisation flickered and paled. In the First World War, the total military war dead alone reached some nine […]

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21st November 2016 Mogadishu, Somalia

Adrian Strong

Adrian Strong

Criminal Justice Advisor

UK support to Somalia’s Justice System’ – governance and Rule of Law go beyond the justice programmes

Good governance, economic development and security forces that maintain order without repression are among the fundamental building blocks of a stable, peaceful democracy. But it’s the rule of law, and by extension, competent, capable and independent justice systems, that are the mortar holding it all together. The UK is driving a number of key justice […]

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21st November 2016 Tokyo

Elizabeth Hogden

by Elizabeth Hogben

Head of Science and Innovation (Japan), British Embassy Tokyo

The network that puts British science and innovation on the map

From sniffer bees to inflatable incubators, shaking hands with robots and with royalty, a job in the UK Government’s global Science and Innovation Network is never dull. Made up of 90 staff based in British Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates, the network helps build research and innovation partnerships with more than 30 countries around the […]

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18th November 2016 Holy See

Stephen Townsend

Stephen Townsend

Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy to the Holy See

The Universality of the Church

On 19 November the Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will gather in the Vatican. This Consistory (from the Latin “con sistore” – to stand together) is traditionally the opportunity for the Pope to gather the views and concerns of the Cardinals from all corners of the world.  It will also be the occasion to […]

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18th November 2016 Kolkata, India

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by Bruce Bucknell

Former British Deputy High Commissioner Kolkata

My TECH Summit

I’ve been converted to a new way of thinking. I may have used this thinking before, but I wasn’t conscious of it. I’m now a proponent of ‘T-bar’ thinking and ‘T-bar’ learning. I’ve had a quick look on the Internet and can’t find any obvious gurus on the subject. Perhaps I could patent it … […]

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17th November 2016 Science Innovation USA

Catharine Young

Catharine Young

Senior Science and Innovation Adviser

Week of Women: Women in Science

As a child, I never thought I was going to become a scientist. My story does not start with a major epiphany of looking up at the stars and realizing I was going to be an astrophysicist. Luckily for me I had an older brother who had an incredible affinity for math and science, so […]

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17th November 2016 London, UK

Christina Vallianos

Christina Vallianos

Program and Grants Manager, WildAid

Saving Pangolins

Around 100,000 pangolins are killed every year to satisfy demand in Asia for their meat and scales, making them the world’s most heavily trafficked wild mammal. Their meat is viewed as a delicacy and their keratin scales are falsely believed to possess medicinal properties. These unique animals – which resemble scaly anteaters – are taken […]

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17th November 2016 Delhi, India

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by Anshika Jha

UK Intellectual Property Office’s (UK IPO) Attaché

UK and India sign MoU on Intellectual Property Cooperation

November 7, 2016 marked the cementing of bilateral cooperation between the UK and India on intellectual property (IP) matters.  The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) and India’s Department for Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at undertaking bilateral activities to enhance and strengthen our respective IP systems.   The […]

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