Tag: accountability

15th September 2016 Skopje, North Macedonia

Charles Garrett

Charles Garrett

British Ambassador to Macedonia

Democracy is not a spectator sport

Today, 15 September, is International Day of Democracy – celebrated each year by the UN and its members. Why celebrate a system of government? What’s so special about democracy? I think the answer is simple. Democracy is the only system of Government that puts ordinary people at its centre. It ensures the people have a […]

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30th October 2015 London, UK

UK receives International Award for Open Government

At the Open Government Summit in Mexico City this week the UK was presented with the International Award for Open Government marking our outstanding achievement in the area and our commitment to the principles and benefits of Open Government. Yet the majority of UK citizens are not aware of the revolutionary progress we have made […]

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28th September 2015 Skopje, North Macedonia

`Speak Truth Unto Power`

The UK Civil Service doesn’t have an official motto – but if it did, it would almost certainly be: “speak truth unto power”. It’s a maxim that’s in the blood of good civil servants, even if they know that it won’t make their lives any easier. The best politicians learn to cherish civil service advice […]

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25th May 2015 Istanbul, Turkey

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by Gareth Bayley

UK Special Representative for Syria

Remembering Houla – why sectarianism cannot be part of Syria’s future

Three years ago today, a massacre took place in the Syrian village of Taldou in Houla, in northern Syria. According to the UN, 108 civilians were brutally murdered, including 34 women and 49 children. More even than the death toll, the clear sectarian nature of the killings sparked an international outcry. The UN and twelve other […]

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