20th August 2013 Havana, Cuba
It’s exactly a year to the day since I arrived in Havana. When I stepped off the plane 365 days’ ago, it was my first time in Cuba, I knew a little but not a lot about the country and, after a recent posting in Mozambique, my Spanish had a very Portuguese twang. A year later and I […]
4th July 2013
Trafficking in human beings – for forced labour, for sex, for their organs – has been with us as long as one human has exploited another. That is no reason why we should resign ourselves to its existence in the 21st century. The British government sees tackling modern slavery as an important global priority. And yet, […]
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3rd July 2013 Washington DC, USA
I’ve never met Nelson Mandela, nor have I been to South Africa. But like many who care about Africa or human rights or history, I am thinking of him a lot these days. And I can’t help but remember February 1990, when he was released from prison. Back then I was ten and living in […]
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15th May 2013
What is it that leading British Sikhs, Jews, Hindus, Roman Catholics, Copts, Buddhists, Presbyterians and Muslims have in common? Too often, we hear about the differences between faiths. But this week we saw an extraordinary coming together for a great cause. On 14 May, Foreign Office Minister Alastair Burt received in person an open letter […]
19th April 2013
The following is a guest blog by Simona Prete, Head of Communications. “Working for the British Embassy to the Holy See, I am privileged to meet and engage with remarkable women at the Vatican and in the Catholic network. Our Ambassador Nigel Baker noted on International Women’s Day: “the vital role played by women religious […]
17th April 2013
G8 Foreign Ministers came together in London last week to discuss conflict resolution and the prevention of sexual violence. With the current turmoil on its south eastern border, Turkey needs no reminding of the suffering conflict can cause. William Hague has described Syria as potentially the “worst humanitarian catastrophe” of the 21st century. Last weekend’s […]
17th April 2013
This year it will be 65 years since the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Open any newspaper or news website today and you find depressingly many and varied examples of continuing breaches of those universal rights in countries around the world. Advancing respect for universal human rights is a priority […]
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16th April 2013 Bucharest, Romania
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office launched yesterday the 2012 Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report, which details our efforts to promote human rights during 2012. I’ve invited Iulian to tell us more about the rights of the disabled and the joint work that could be done between Romania and the UK on this issue: My name […]
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8th April 2013
Being an Ambassador is a great job. In the last two years, I’ve steered a battleship, driven a sports car, travelled all over Romania and met some wonderful people. But the day I enjoyed most was July 27, 2011, when the British Embassy marked a year to go to the London Olympics by holding a […]
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18th March 2013
In my job I am often asked “what difference can diplomacy really make?”. It is not always an easy question to answer. But, this week at the United Nations in New York, we should see an example of diplomacy making a real, tangible difference – and both Turkey and the UK are involved. Today the […]
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