27th March 2017 London, UK
‘Blog first appeared on The State of Digital Diplomacy 2016‘ Alison Daniels & FCO Digital Team “Diplomacy is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip (103 characters).” The famous quote by Churchill is not just pithy aside it’s also an almost perfectly […]
21st September 2016 London, UK
In 2014, the UK hosted the Global Summit to end sexual violence in conflict, bringing together more than 120 countries, over 100 NGOs and international organisations and more than 900 experts and survivors. The Summit was a milestone in bringing the issue of sexual violence in conflict to international attention and encouraging governments around the […]
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20th September 2016
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a huge threat to global health. It is estimated that by 2050 AMR could be responsible for an extra 10 million premature deaths, more than die from cancer today. The UK’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, has said that ‘Antimicrobial resistance poses a catastrophic threat. If we do not […]
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25th September 2014 Beirut, Lebanon
For a week every year, the world’s foreign policy elites relocate to New York for the annual jamboree of statecraft, the UN General Assembly. The pace is frantic – diplomatic speed-dating. But it matters. The UN may not be perfect, but no-one has yet come up with a better idea for global coexistence. It matters […]
16th September 2014 Brasilia, Brazil
The 69th session of the UN General Assembly starts today in New York. The commonly referred to Ministerial Week – when the high level meetings occur – will take place next week. For most people the UN General Assembly (UNGA) will conjure up newspaper images of that huge hall familiar from television, with rows of […]
29th January 2014
This year agriculture is the main theme of the 22nd Assembly of Heads of State and Government at the African Union (AU) – the AU Summit, which is taking place this week. But African leaders are also deliberating on the peace and security of the continent. Country situations at the top of the agenda are […]
24th October 2013 Washington DC, USA
As the deadliest war in history was coming to an end in 1945, the international community began to envision ways to maintain peace and prevent another global conflict. This led to the adoption of UN Charter, the founding document of the United Nations, and the creation of the United Nations 68 years ago today. After […]
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9th October 2013 Beirut, Lebanon
A former British Ambassador here was asked at the end of a radio interview what he would like for Christmas. Thinking it typical Lebanese generosity but not wanting to be too greedy, he gave a modest reply. Listening to the broadcast later, he was shocked to hear several envoys asked the same question. The US […]
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30th September 2011
On 27 September, the Holy See Foreign Minister, Archbishop Mamberti, addressed the UN General Assembly in a wide ranging speech on current international issues or, as he put it – reminding us diplomats why we engage in international diplomacy – “the principal questions that concern humanity in the search for a better future for all”. […]
12th October 2010 New York, USA
Guest blog: Mike Niles, Press & Public Affairs, British Consulate-General, New York Word to the wise: if you are ever in New York the third week of September and feel like a quiet walk through midtown Manhattan, I suggest taking a look at Central Park or Wall Street instead. When world leaders descend on midtown […]