20th September 2019
Beirut, Lebanon
This time last year was one of the highlights of my career – presenting Queen Elizabeth’s letter to President Aoun that nominated me as Ambassador. The anniversary has allowed reflection on the year: for Lebanon, and for the UK. My first 12 months in Lebanon has been remarkable. Rolls Royce and MEA signed our largest […]
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14th June 2019
Brazil
Recently, I visited refugee camps on the Brazil-Venezuela border, talking to those who have escaped Venezuela. The main crossing point is a small Brazilian town called Pacaraima, at the very northern-most tip of the country, in the smallest, poorest Brazilian state of Roraima. A city of 12,000 inhabitants receives between 500 to 1,000 migrants a […]
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6th February 2019
Beirut, Lebanon
The Embassy has been celebrating in recent weeks. There was a Wedding – on Saturday night a colleague married, the couple looked radiant, and the party was full of Lebanese life. We’ve had an award from Her Majesty The Queen, who at New Year recognised Lea Baroudi of MARCH for her inspiration in creating peace, […]
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19th October 2018
Beirut, Lebanon
As Fayruz says….. bhebak ya lebnan. “Ahla wa sahla saadet el safir” said my welcoming team at the airport – “shoukran, please call me Chris, and do speak to me in Arabic” I said back. That was only 5 weeks ago – it seems much further back. Lebanon has a reputation for outstanding hospitality, stunning […]
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21st March 2016
Geneva, Switzerland
The Syrian conflict is the source of the most immediate threats now facing the United Kingdom and Europe. Dealing with it has become the most important agenda in Geneva. Our citizens have travelled to the conflict and came back radicalised and ready to commit acts of terrorism. Regional rivals have been drawn into the conflict […]
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8th February 2016
Geneva, Switzerland
Last week’s conference in London did not solve the Syrian refugee crisis. That requires an end to the conflict. The suspension of the peace talks in Geneva last week shows we’re not even at the end of the beginning of that process, as Churchill might have said. But London did some important things. It raised […]
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11th January 2016
Geneva, Switzerland
The Geneva institutions are facing big questions at the start of 2016. Will the humanitarian system adapt to the challenges of protracted conflicts and unsustainable mass migration? Will the World Trade Organization (WTO) rediscover its role at the heart of the global economy? Can we respond effectively to the growing threat of pandemics and the […]
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16th November 2015
Geneva, Switzerland
How can Geneva help Paris? I was going to write this week about antimicrobial resistance, the stealthily spreading obsolescence of antibiotics that will cost the world an estimated 10 million lives a year by 2050 if we don’t act now. But after Friday, that somehow didn’t feel right. With over 130 mostly young people massacred […]
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19th October 2015
Geneva, Switzerland
Last week Geneva was overrun by humanitarian NGOs, activists, international organisations, think tankers and government delegations. The rather utilitarian Centre International de Conférences Genève (CICG) – a cross between the Barbican Centre and the Hall of the Supreme Soviet – was filled with large crowds, colourful presentations, and displays of national music and dance. They were […]
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12th October 2015
Skopje, North Macedonia
Migration, Asylum and Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI) was established in 2004. It is a unique mechanism dealing with these three areas in the Region. Our motto is to act as advocate and be catalyst of the Western Balkans Six interests and responses to the challenges related to our field of competence. Albania, Macedonia, Bosnia and […]
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