25th July 2014
A major area of work for any British Embassy or High Commission is consular responsibility: looking after British nationals when they’re abroad. This is one of the three priority aims of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office – together with protecting national security and building prosperity (our foreign policy as a whole is geared towards strengthening […]
18th July 2014
Child, Early and Forced Marriage (#CEFM) affects millions of girls every year. One in three girls in developing countries is married by the age of 18. Some are as young as eight. Girls who marry young will have babies while still children, putting them at risk of death or suffering for the rest of their […]
13th July 2014
This week I hosted former Ethiopian scholars at the British Residence to mark the 30th Anniversary of the #British Government’s flagship #Chevening Scholarship programme. The Chevening Scholarships are the #UK government’s global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (#FCO) and partner organisations. The programme targets outstanding scholars with leadership potential from around […]
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3rd May 2014
Today is World Press Freedom Day #WPFD. The work that journalists do is often dangerous and difficult. Unfortunately, 2013 was one of the most dangerous years for the profession across the world, with 70 journalists killed. Many of these were caught in the cross-fire of armed hostilities. They had been trying in exceedingly difficult circumstances […]
14th April 2014
‘Women in Leadership’ is not a new concept in Ethiopia. From Queen Eleni, the wife of the Ethiopian Medieval King ZeraYaqob, to Empress Taitu, this country has had its share of iron ladies. So may I congratulate Her Excellency W/ro Aster Mamo, just appointed Deputy Prime Minister #DPM for Good Governance and Reform and Minister […]
11th April 2014
I am writing this in Mandela Hall of the African Union in Addis Ababa, where Ministers, Ambassadors, Religious Leaders, Senior Officials and Civil Society are gathered to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Rwanda Genocide. “Kwibuka” (“to remember” in Kinyarwanda) is a global programme underway since January to ensure that the deaths of over a […]
4th April 2014
Each year on 4 April we observe the United Nations’ International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance. This day aims to raise awareness of the threat caused by landmines to the safety, health and lives of civilian populations, and encourages Governments to develop mine clearance programmes. This global problem has an acute local dimension. Ethiopia is one […]
24th March 2014
Since mid-December, over 70,000 refugees from South Sudan have fled the violence there into the Gambella Region of Ethiopia, seeking to escape insecurity and a lack of food. The numbers are growing all the time. The UK Government is extremely concerned about this situation. This week I visited a new camp for refugees (currently known […]
8th March 2014
International Women’s Day has been observed in different forms since in the early 1900’s. But in recent years it has gone from strength to strength and become a much more genuinely global and shared event. With such a history, we should expect to see more progress on women’s issues. But women are still not paid […]
17th February 2014
On 13 February the UK hosted governments from across all five Continents to galvanise international action on the illegal wildlife trade – The London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade. Our focus was to improve law enforcement to catch and punish those responsible; support the development of sustainable livelihoods in areas affected by wildlife crime; and […]
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