29th September 2011
I was surprised and very touched to be presented today with a annual Prize for an Outstanding Contribution to the Cause of Women’s Equality by the Association for Women’s Career Development in Hungary. The prize is given to those who the Association sees as most actively promoting the issue of gender equality. Because I was […]
15th June 2011
How much should an ambassador know about Louboutins? My recent blog Ambassadors in high heels prompted some interesting comments (eg from one female British diplomat: “there is no doubt that when I joined up as a young woman in the 1970s the expectation was that I would marry and leave”, but… “I have never not […]
14th March 2011
On 14 March, 54 countries across the world with a combined population of 2 billion people celebrate Commonwealth Day. But what is the Commonwealth? The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of independent states that grew out of the former countries of the British Empire. The most recent member to join was Rwanda in 2007, committing […]
8th March 2011 Geneva, Switzerland
Guest blog by Jacqui Hunt, Equality Now This session of the Human Rights Council sees the appointment of a new mechanism to promote women’s rights – a working group to focus on discrimination against women in law and practice. A significant milestone in respect of women’s rights of which the Human Rights Council should be […]
7th March 2011
I’m giving a press conference at a seminar for young eastern European mayors at the Ukrainian provincial town of Vinnitsa when a journalist leans forward. Why, he asks, are there are so few women amongst the mayors invited to the event? After the organisers have explained that they had to invite young mayors from those […]