10th October 2012
Today is both World and European Day against the Death Penalty. As British Ambassador to Ethiopia, I am responsible for lobbying the Ethiopian government on issues that are important to the United Kingdom. And in partnership with other European Union (EU) Ambassadors, I will be calling on the Ethiopian government to abolish the death penalty. […]
9th October 2012
Ethiopia is already one of the greenest countries in the world (though that may surprise many). And with its ambitious but far from incredible plans to become a middle income country with zero net carbon growth by 2025, through implementation of its new Climate Resilient Green Economy strategy, it should continue on this path. The […]
4th October 2012
Last week the world marked World Tourism Day with the theme ‘Tourism and Energetic Sustainability’. As I blogged about the colourful Meskel celebration on 27 September, Ethiopia was simultaneously commemorating World Tourism Day, using the opportunity to promote the tourism sector while keeping the need to be green in mind. This year the focus was […]
25th September 2012
Ethiopia is one of the few countries that celebrate their New Year at this time. On 27 September, the ceremony of Meskel will be observed by many Ethiopian Orthodox Christian believers. Meskel is one of the most significant holidays for the Orthodox Church: arrays of vivid colours, religious chants, huge bonfires (Demera in Amharic) and […]
21st September 2012
As well as being British Ambassador to Ethiopia, I am also the United Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Africa. Given that today is the International Day of Peace, it is perhaps worth reflecting on how much the AU does to promote peace throughout the […]
15th September 2012
Happy Democracy Day! Since 2007, 15 September is International Day of Democracy. Democracy has been around for over 2,500 years. From its origins in ancient Greece, it has become a political ideal and goal for most countries in the World. In recent years it has been the the political system of choice for many post-conflict […]
12th September 2012
The success of Ethiopian athletes in the London 2012 Olympic Games created an amazing wave of national excitement and pride here. And then the Paralympics games continued to maintain the spirit of jubilation. Like many Ethiopians and indeed sports fans all over the world, I was keenly looking forward to the Paralympics. Britain has always […]
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31st August 2012
Within a (fairly long) walk of where I live are slum communities where a new shower or latrine block or a supply of clean water within a few steps of home can have a transformational impact on the life of the community. AMREF (the African and Medical Research Foundation) have been working in the Kechene […]
27th August 2012
With the death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and the funeral of Abune Paulos, the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox church, this has been an exceptionally sad week for Ethiopia. The late Patriarch I attended the Patriarch’s funeral, at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa (where Emperor Haile Selassie and suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst are […]
17th August 2012
And so, it’s over. After seven years of preparation, the London 2012 Olympic Games has finished. 17 days of world class sporting talent on show to a global audience of billions of people, with more than 7.4 million of them visiting venues across the UK. We have been enthralled, excited, dismayed. We’ve laughed, smiled, groaned […]