4th June 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I often have to remind people that I am accredited not to the Vatican City State, but to the Holy See, the governance of the global Catholic Church. As such, this embassy has reach into an extraordinary worldwide network of civil society organisations, religious congregations, diplomats, universities and other components that make up the Catholic […]
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3rd May 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Today is World Press Freedom Day #WPFD. The work that journalists do is often dangerous and difficult. Unfortunately, 2013 was one of the most dangerous years for the profession across the world, with 70 journalists killed. Many of these were caught in the cross-fire of armed hostilities. They had been trying in exceedingly difficult circumstances […]
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30th January 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Unsurprisingly, most Australians don’t know much about the Falkland Islands, so visiting Legislative Assembly member Mike Summers faced lots of questions during his trip to Melbourne this week. At 51 degrees south, it’s further south than Australia, and is often perceived as being almost polar. But maps can be deceptive. In the northern hemisphere the […]
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2nd December 2013
Mogadishu, Somalia
As part of our support to the 16 days of activism campaign, I have invited some of our partners to share their stories. Abdisalan Buthul Shurie is a Programme Advisor at the Somali Aid Foundation (SAF). The organisation provides support to communities in Lower Juba across a range of issues including health, hygiene, and gender-based […]
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3rd September 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
One of the highlights of the United Nations General Assembly in September will be an event hosted by Foreign Secretary William Hague and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to launch a high level political and ambitious declaration on the need to keep up the international momentum on tackling sexual violence in conflict. This event follows […]
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19th June 2013
Beirut, Lebanon
The windy resort of Lough Erne in Northern Ireland this week must have felt far from the millions of Syrians whose lives have been ripped apart by conflict. Yet many of the G8 leaders meeting there have seen the human impact for themselves. Prime Minister David Cameron’s focus on stopping the war in Syria is […]
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12th April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Foreign Ministers of the G8 met this week in London as part of the UK’s one year G8 Presidency. As their statement made clear, they addressed between them the major issues of the day: Syria, Iran, North Korea, and the Middle East Peace process. But G8 Ministers were not just fire fighting. The focus […]
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8th January 2013
Washington DC, USA
How do you prevent the spread of dangerous weapons around the world? Negotiations? Treaties? Sanctions? Seizing illegal shipments? Securing dangerous materials? All of these play an important part. But there is always room for innovation. And who is better suited than the wealth of NGOs and think-tanks based here in the US to combine their […]
Read more on FCO Seeks Innovative NGO Counter-Proliferation Projects to Fund | Reply
29th November 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The following is a guest blog by Sr. Eugenia Bonetti. Human trafficking is one of the greatest affronts to human dignity of our time. It claims an estimated 27 million victims globally, primarily women and children, many forced into prostitution. And it is a lucrative trade, generating roughly $32 billion annually for well organized crime […]
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26th November 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
25 November was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It is shameful that crimes by humans against other humans are, it seems, an inevitable element of the human condition. The use of rape as a weapon of war, or human trafficking as a lucrative trade by organised crime, are all too […]
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