23rd May 2018 Vienna, Austria
The crystals are colourless and brittle. They could be an illegal narcotic substance. How to find out? Here at the UK Mission to the United Nations in Vienna we work closely with the UN office on Drugs and Crime. Policy on drugs, which are produced and consumed in countries across the world, is a classic […]
10th January 2018 Vienna, Austria
A corrupt official takes an illegal bribe. Why does matter? And if it does matter, what can we do about it? This isn’t just about morality. Research shows that corruption raises the cost of doing business and reduces economic growth. A 1% reduction in corruption perception scores can raise growth by 0.57% in developed economies […]
Read more on How the UK and UNODC are working together to tackle corruption | Reply (1)
6th November 2017 Vienna, Austria
The pictures are grisly. A black rhino lies slumped, its head a mass of blood and gore. A rotting elephant carcass is hunched in the savannah, torn and ripped by scavengers. #ICYMI @BrentStirton named #WPY53 Wildlife Photographer of the Year for the powerful Memorial to a species. #rhino #photography @NHM_WPY pic.twitter.com/qM1fmF0scf — NHM Images (@NHM_Images) […]
Read more on How to stop the illegal trade in wildlife – in Vienna | Reply
14th September 2017 Vienna, Austria
On 14 September the UK joins others in celebrating the 20th anniversary of the formation of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, known as the UNODC. The UNODC was set up in 1997 from a merger between the UN’s Drug Control Programme and the UN’s Centre for International Crime Prevention. Today, the UNODC’s work […]
Read more on Celebrating 20 years of fighting illegal drugs and crime | Reply (1)
28th March 2017 Vienna, Austria
What do Project NEPTUNE and New Zealand have in common? Both are working to tackle the problem of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), also known as legal highs. I recently opened an expert panel in Vienna, organised by the UK and New Zealand with the UN Office of Drugs and Crime, on tackling NPS. The New […]
7th February 2017 Vienna, Austria
I wrote in my blog about modern slavery last month that “modern slavery is happening throughout the world, including in Europe, on a large scale”. So what are we doing about it? More than 200 years ago William Wilberforce led Britain in the fight against slavery – opening the eyes of the world to the […]
Read more on Vienna: tackling modern slavery – concrete action | Reply (1)
10th January 2017 Vienna, Austria
A person is transported illegally away from their community to somewhere unfamiliar or foreign. Once there, they are forced to work without any form of contract or proper remuneration. This is modern slavery. It is happening throughout the world, including in Europe, on a large scale. According to the Vienna-based UN Office on Drugs and […]
Read more on Tackling Modern Slavery – in Vienna | Reply (1)
13th December 2016 Vienna, Austria
As an Ambassador constantly meeting people of all nationalities interested in the impact of the 23 June vote by the UK to leave the European Union, I am an avid follower of statistics. So for ease of reference, I’ve put together a few of those which have caught my eye. Vienna Globenmuseum The fact Britain […]
Read more on #GlobalBritain: some remarkable statistics | Reply (2)
6th September 2016 Vienna, Austria
What does a diplomat do? On Monday 29 August I started work in Vienna as “Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the UN and other International Organisations in Vienna”. Recent weeks offer some pointers as to how I’ve prepared for the job, and, now, started. For example, I arrived in Austria on 1 August […]
Read more on Salzburg, Vienna, Austria: language, migration and nuclear testing | Reply (2)