26th March 2012 Geneva, Switzerland
For every Council delegate there is one resolution, above all others, whose success or failure takes over their life. It dominates their working hours and prays on their subconscious mind even during the little sleep it’s possible to squeeze in. For me, it was Sri Lanka. There was a huge amount riding on the United […]
19th March 2012 Geneva, Switzerland
It’s been a strange week. Even during the frenzied latter stages of a Human Rights Council session you expect the UN to be a courteous place. Anything less than model behaviour would feel out of place in an organisation devoted to peace and harmony and based in a country whose last outbreak of anything resembling […]
7th March 2012 Beirut, Lebanon
Last week was full of surprises. On Sunday night, Valerie Amos, head of UN humanitarian affairs, arrived at short notice. I had worked closely with her several years ago when she was a Minister for Africa, so it was great to reminisce. But more importantly, we were able to discuss how best to persuade the […]
15th December 2011 USA
For those of us actively working toward successful international negotiations on climate change, the most recent meeting in Durban, South Africa seems like cause for optimism this holiday season. The UN climate talks wrapped up last weekend with over 120 countries (including major economies such as the United States) forming a coalition behind the EU’s […]
28th October 2011 New York, USA
The last blog I wrote was about the tenth anniversary of 9/11. That seems quite a long time ago. Danny Lopez has written about UN General Assembly week and our many other activities in September. So I wanted to pick up a few themes that don’t get quite as much play in our blogs. Politics. Under the skin […]
16th October 2011
Today is Blog Action Day 2011 and the subject is food. Food has a huge impact on our very existence, from the state of our countryside to the length of our lives. And in recent years food security has become a major security risk for everyone, alongside terrorism and arms proliferation – a problem we […]
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3rd October 2011 New York, USA
With one month to go until the New York City Marathon, I am about to enter what is often called the “Monster Month” – the month that involves the most intense, grueling and critical final weeks of training. It is said that a runner’s efforts during their “Monster Month” can make or break their success […]
3rd October 2011 New York, USA
With one month to go until the New York City Marathon, I am about to enter what is often called the “Monster Month” – the month that involves the most intense, grueling and critical final weeks of training. It is said that a runner’s efforts during their “Monster Month” can make or break their success […]
12th September 2011 Geneva, Switzerland
I’ve never liked this time of year. It always invokes my childhood dread of going back to school without having done any of my homework for the summer holidays. Each year I promised myself I’d change and be more organised the following summer. But I never was. On Monday the Human Rights Council begins its […]
7th April 2011 London, UK
After starting the week in Washington where I discussed the shared European and US economic and security interests with senior US officials and opinion formers, I travelled to the UN in New York. As it was my first visit as a Foreign Office Minister I wanted to find out how the UK team works to […]