21st March 2024
Forests in focus on International Day of Forests
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
19th March 2024
Russia – 25 years of broken hopes and smashed dreams
8th March 2024
Gender equality is non-negotiable
5th April 2023
Ambassador for a Day in Venezuela
Within the framework of International Women’s Day, the British Embassy in Caracas held the “Ambassador for a Day Contest”, an initiative of the British Government to promote the participation of young women in leadership roles. As a result, UK Heads of Mission around the world give hundreds of women the chance to experience first-hand our […]
5th April 2023 Geneva, Switzerland
Groundhog Council
I think it’s over. But I’m not entirely sure. Each morning for the last six weeks I’ve been waking up to the grim realisation that the Human Rights Council session was still going and going and going. It went on for so long that I’ve lost track of everything. What day it is, my name, […]
15th March 2023
Rights, freedom and potential: our Women and Girls Strategy
Last week the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) launched its International Women and Girls Strategy on International Women’s Day. As the Director for Education, Gender and Equalities, and Gender Envoy at the FCDO, I had the privilege and pleasure of joining the Foreign Secretary in Sierra Leone for the launch, where we saw the […]
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20th February 2023 Belgrade, Serbia
Ukraine one year on: look back in anger
On 24 February 2022 the world watched with horror and disbelief as Vladimir Putin launched a full scale, illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. One year on that horror and disbelief is mixed with anger and sorrow. At the senseless loss of tens of thousands of lives – Ukrainian and Russian. At the callous disregard […]
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14th February 2023 Skopje, North Macedonia
Open Source Intelligence Events signal the beginning of a twelve month Commitment to Financial Investigation Training in North Macedonia
The British Embassy Skopje based Conflict Stability & Security Funded (CSSF) HMRC Western Balkans Training Team have enjoyed a successful (if hectic) start to their 2023 programme of events. The team, supported in no small part by respective Fiscal Crime Liaison Officers (FCLOs) FCDO and respective embassies. Financial Investigation Training: North Macedonia Skopje January 30th […]
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23rd December 2022 United Kingdom
A year of contrasts: PM’s Special Envoy for LGBT+ rights reflects on global events in 2022
2022 was a year of contrasts for LGBT+ rights. I often talk about two worlds of rights: one in which conditions seem to be going backwards for LGBT+ people, but another in which progress is being made. It’s impossible to ignore the awful things that have happened this year. Two people were killed in Norway […]
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17th November 2022 Belgrade, Serbia
Wisdom, Trust and Remembrance
Citizens look to their national leaders to govern responsibly and in the interests of their country. They hope that leaders will be blessed with wisdom and good judgement, and that they will exercise their authority responsibility. In return, leaders earn the trust of the people they govern. In democratic societies people are free to make […]
27th October 2022 Geneva, Switzerland
Lessons from a lawyer: my first year in multilateral diplomacy
The close of the 51st Session of the UN Human Rights Council marked a full year since I started my role as Legal Counsellor to the UK Mission in Geneva. Truth be told, I almost missed the anniversary completely. According to those that have been around far longer than I have, it was one of […]
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13th October 2022
Girls’ education: measuring access and learning through the Global Objectives report
Today the Minister for Development Vicky Ford launches the Global Objectives report alongside colleagues from the Global Education Monitoring Report, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, and the UN Girls’ Education Initiative, who jointly authored the report. The report sets out the progress made against two objectives on girls’ access to education and their learning. Improving […]
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12th October 2022 Geneva, Switzerland
Number 51
I’ve always had a fond attachment to the number 51. It was my house number growing up in Manchester, as little Robert. My first memory there was my parents bringing my newly-born baby sister home from the hospital. And my mum was born in the year ’51 (as well as some more famous but less […]