Sarah Dickson » Ambassador to Guatemala and Honduras

With the Ambassador in London at the FCO’s Leadership Conference, this is a guest blog from Hector Marroquin, our Prosperity Officer. Last weekend we went to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala’s second city, also known as Xela, to take part in their Cultural and Business Festival, “XelajuEs… Diferente!” This was the second year the Municipality of Xela had organized the festival, and the second time we had participated. After the success of our … Read more »Promoting London’s Olympic legacy in Guatemala’s second city, Xela

The Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the Guatemalan Frank La Rue and friend of this Embassy, has written an article to commemorate the World Press Freedom Day: To mark this important date, I will like to highlight some important conclusions contained in my last Report on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, … Read more »What we have to combat

Yesterday the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, officially launched the 2012 Foreign & Commonwealth Report on Human Rights. You can read it here: http://www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk/. The report once again highlights the British Government’s determination to strengthen the development of human rights around the world, working through the global network of British Embassies and Consulates. This includes our Embassy in Guatemala and our work in Honduras. The Foreign Secretary’s words yesterday resonated here. … Read more »2012 Annual Human Rights Report launch

I doubt very much that I am the only British Ambassador writing, talking and promoting the Arms Trade Treaty this week. All over the world British Embassies had been working with treaty supporters and to change the minds of sceptics for the past 7 years. So when it was agreed in the United Nations the British Embassy in Guatemala City cheered. We were so pleased that our friends the Guatemalans … Read more »The Global impact of the Arms Trade Treaty

This week the Embassy helped Jovenes Por Guatemala (JXG) launch the next phase of their campaign to break the cycle of violent culture in the home.  Regular followers of the Embassy’s work on this campaign will remember JXGs 2012 event, the Subida por la vida – the “Climb for Life” up the Agua volcano in January last year. The main purpose of that event was to raise the profile of … Read more »Tour for Life: Campaign against violence

The unofficial anthem of the London Olympics became our unofficial anthem for British Week 2013. As we proved that music is Great Britain by showcasing some of the best of British music via a Queen tribute band and a charity dinner with everything from Rolling Stones to Coldplay. But regular readers will know that British Week is so much more then one event. In fact this year was made up … Read more »British Week 2013 – we will rock you Guatemala!

The Embassy is buzzing with British Week 2013 activity. We have so much going on this year open to the public that I wanted to highlight the opportunities so you don’t miss out! It some ways it feels like we are trying to do a year’s worth of events in one week. But the team assures me that the work will be worth it, as over the course of one … Read more »Flying the flag and making friends

Anyone who has worked in Latin America will know that nothing really replaces face to face contact for increasing understanding and building relationships. That is why it is so positive for the UK’s relationship with Guatemala that one of the first visits by Foreign Minister Fernando Carrera has been to the UK. His meeting with the Foreign Secretary William Hague showed there are a range of issues on which they … Read more »Don’t underestimate the impact of a face to face meetings.

One of the objectives we have for British Week is to make some money for charity. Last year we were able to raise US$32,800 for Education for the Children and Hospitatlito Atitlan. You can see from the photos that the money raised made a real difference to those projects by equipping classrooms and helping buy an ambulance. This year we will be helping the organisation Mayan Families (www.mayanfamilies.org) via concert … Read more »To give and to get

OK get your new 2013 diaries ready. British Week is back! This year’s British Week will be held from 22 February to 2 March and as usual it will be packed full of fabulous events. And the majority of them will be open to all. The Week will kick off with a promotion of UK education, and announcing the winners of the English language scholarship competition, which we’ll tell you … Read more »Diaries ready? British Week 2013 is coming!