21st May 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
This week the Roadmap signatories meet in Addis. Their aim? To resolve a number of outstanding issues relating to the political process. And it’s vital they do. Over the next few months, the Signatories have an historic opportunity to make real progress and help Somalia move forward towards greater stability. Theirs is a challenging agenda: […]
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3rd May 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
On World Press Freedom Day, my thoughts are with the families of the brave Somali journalists who were killed on the course of duty and those who still brave the dangers of operating in one of the most difficult places in the world to be a be a journalist. The shocking fact is that so […]
24th February 2012 Islamabad, Pakistan
Yesterday Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar attended the international conference on Somalia in London hosted by British Prime MinisterDavid Cameron. Her presence was valuable and built on the good collaboration that Britain and Pakistan have enjoyed over the narrower question of Somali piracy. We’ve both suffered from these pirates. So our two navies have collaborated on […]
24th February 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
In my opinion the London Conference on Somalia yesterday was a great success. In case you missed any of it then you can find full reports and links here. It was the biggest conference on Somalia, involving the greatest number of senior leaders, from as wide a range of countries and international organisations, as seen […]
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17th January 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
So far, we’ve had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the British Prime Minister’s announcement to host a Conference on Somalia in London next month. After 20 years of sliding backwards, it’s clear – and welcomed by many – that Somalia needs a step-change in effort, both from the international community, but also Somalia’s political leaders. […]
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11th January 2012
The address of Pope Benedict XVI to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, at the start of each year, is always an opportunity to look ahead at the foreign policy challenges of coming months. 2012 was no exception, and I was struck by just how much of his Holiness’s wide ranging speech dovetailed […]
21st December 2011 Nairobi, Kenya
With 2011 drawing to a close, let’s take a moment to reflect on the past year, and look ahead to the next. 2011 has been a particularly tragic year for Somalia and, most importantly Somalis. Despite a great deal of effort and goodwill by many people both outside and inside of Somalia, the country remains […]
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28th October 2011 Nairobi, Kenya
This week sees the fifth year of the Somali Week Festival in London, organised by the Kayd Somali Arts and Culture organisation. The British Office for Somalia is a proud sponsor of this event, which brings together poets, writers and musicians from across Somalia to perform in the UK. This year’s artists and performers include […]
22nd August 2011 Nairobi, Kenya
My name is James Hooley and I’m currently part of the British Office for Somalia team in Nairobi. My boss, Matt Baugh, has very kindly lent me his blog so I can tell you a little bit more about our trip to Mogadishu on Wednesday with Andrew Mitchell, the UK Secretary of State for International […]
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19th May 2011 Nairobi, Kenya
I’d like to welcome you to my first blog as the UK Senior Representative to Somalia and the first-ever one on behalf of the new British Office for Somalia. My name is Matt Baugh. You will find a link to my biography elsewhere on this page, in case you would like to know a […]