21st March 2024
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
8th March 2012
Girl Power
Today is International Women’s Day, with the theme of “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures”. The focus is on events that involve, educate and inspire girls to reach their full potential and enjoy equal and empowered futures. Many British diplomatic colleagues around the world will be blogging about this subject from different angles, not least the economic […]
7th March 2012 Washington DC, USA
Investing in the Olympic Legacy
London is probably the coolest city on earth. As a native Londoner I may be biased, but this week I’m back home for work and taking some time off to catch up with friends and family. I’m staying with my fashion fabulous friend, a stylist and dress-designer who has recently expanded her business into several […]
7th March 2012 Budapest, Hungary
Completing the free market
I’ll be spending a lot of my time on bilateral Hungary-UK issues over the next few years. But of course another important feature of my work will be our countries’ relationship with the EU and how the EU will develop. With that in mind I went to a well attended seminar on the EU’s future […]
7th March 2012 Washington DC, USA
An unconventional flapper lives the American Dream
My mother’s mother was born early in the 20th century in a small Welsh mining village. She was the third of 11 children and she left school – illegally – at 12 to work in a factory. This was not uncommon – indeed only her very youngest sister finished school. Married at 17, to avoid […]
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7th March 2012 Beirut, Lebanon
Humanitarians, Hacks, and Heroes
Last week was full of surprises. On Sunday night, Valerie Amos, head of UN humanitarian affairs, arrived at short notice. I had worked closely with her several years ago when she was a Minister for Africa, so it was great to reminisce. But more importantly, we were able to discuss how best to persuade the […]
7th March 2012
Ambassadors in high heels heading your way?
This time last year I published a blog, Ambassadors in high heels, drawing attention to the importance of female diplomats both as high-impact top performers and as role models. This recorded the excellent tale of our then ambassador in Baku, Carolyn Browne, discussing with upwardly-mobile female diplomats in Azerbaijan the potential conflict between looking one’s […]
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7th March 2012 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Home of Peace: Educating and Empowering Vulnerable Girls
To mark International Women’s Day, I’m delighted that Gail Featherstone, the wife of the High Commissioner, has agreed to write a guest blog on the efforts of one woman to give underprivileged girls in Malaysia a genuine chance in life.
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6th March 2012
Peru joins EITI group – a success to celebrate
We’ve decided to do something new – we’re going to start blogging from the Embassy here in Lima. Our blogs will give us a chance to tell you a bit more about things we are and have been doing, as well as to share some of our ideas, impressions and experiences. What better way to […]
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6th March 2012
International Women’s Day: Doing Something Practical
One of the dangers of International “Days” is that they can generate a great deal of well-meaning talk, but little action. Sometimes they serve to raise public consciousness about an undeservedly forgotten issue or a neglected cause. But too often they come round on the annual calendar, and nothing much seems to change. International Women’s […]
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6th March 2012 Washington DC, USA
Michael O’Neill highlights progress in Helmand
I’d like to draw your attention to the latest blog by our Head of Mission in Helmand, Michael O’Neill. The post covers his recent trip to Sangin, and highlights the impressive progress that has been made there over the last year and a half. As Michael notes, when he first visited Sangin in late 2010, […]
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