18th May 2012
This morning I was again helping raise the London 2012 flag in front of our Embassy, to mark the arrival of the Olympic Flame in the UK. This time I was assisted by Yanet Siyoum, a young and promising Ethiopian swimmer, who is preparing not just for the Olympic Games but also her college exams. […]
17th May 2012
The immediate run-down to the London 2012 opening ceremony has begun. During an hour-long ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, the Olympic Flame was handed to HRH The Princess Royal, who is leading a UK Delegation which includes Lord Coe, London Mayor Boris Johnson and Sport and Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson. The Panathenaic Stadium […]
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17th May 2012
Today is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Many international events will take place this day, intended to raise awareness about discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and to promote respect for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The UK Government is committed to the promotion and protection of the […]
3rd May 2012
Last week I found myself at the lowest point in Africa with some Embassy colleagues. Lac Assal in Djibouti is 155 metres below sea level – Mirage pilots stationed nearly like to skim the surface, so they can say they have flown under the sea. The lake itself is heavily salted and you have to […]
26th April 2012
Guest blog by Lynne Featherstone MP My name is Lynne Featherstone MP. I am the Minister for Equality and Criminal Information, and I am a senior member of the British Government responsible for promoting gender empowerment and equality. I am also the British Government’s champion for protecting women from violence, both in the UK and […]
23rd April 2012
Today, 23rd April, the Flag of St George is flying over the British Embassy in Addis Ababa. And it’s a timely reminder of yet another historical link between Britain (in this case, specifically England) and Ethiopia – the fact that we share a patron saint. We don’t know much about St George. He was soldier […]
28th March 2012
“Ambo” is slang for Ambassador. So as soon as I knew of the existence of a town by that name in Ethiopia, I was keen to visit – I’ll go a long way for a good blog title. So I visited Ambo last Friday, not least so I could learn more about development outside of […]
22nd March 2012
The EVERY ONE Campaign Tour exhibition showcases the artistic journey which is creating widespread awareness about maternal and child mortality in Ethiopia. I visited it yesterday, with my colleague Betty. The EVERY ONE campaign, initiated by Save the Children UK, aims to help Ethiopia achieve the global Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 (reducing […]
19th March 2012
Last week was a very busy week. There was a horrific attack on a bus in Gambella which left at least 14 dead. We heard rumours of His Excellency President Girma being ill. Ethiopian defence forces launched an attack on targets inside Eritrea. I called on several Ethiopian Government Ministers. And we prepared for a […]
12th March 2012
Last week we had head teachers and teachers from 12 UK schools here in Ethiopia to meet partner schools – I met them on Saturday. 30 counterparts from Ethiopian schools will be in the UK on a reciprocal visit at the end of March. This was all within the framework of the International Inspiration Programme […]