FCDO Editorial

7th March 2017 London, UK

Fiona Blyth

Senior Policy Adviser, UKMis New York

Working for Somalia through the United Nations Security Council

Delivering support and achieving progress in Somalia requires more than one international partner. Multilateral institutions are a vital way of convening the international community and combining our efforts to have a greater effect. One of the many ways in which the UK supports progress in Somalia is through our Permanent Seat on the United Nations […]

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7th March 2017 London, UK

Sam Grout-Smith

Peacebuilding, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, UKMis New York

The fight to end slavery is still not won

To me, and I expect many others, the word slavery conjures up images of the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade. Although the institution of slavery has been almost entirely abolished around the globe, there are still millions of people living in conditions of slavery. When we talk of child soldiers, women trafficked into the […]

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27th February 2017 London, UK

Matthew Rycroft

Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations

The UK Presidency of the UN Security Council

Matthew Rycroft

The United Kingdom will take on the Presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of March. This will be our 62nd Security Council Presidency, a position that rotates between each of the 15 members of the Council monthly. The UK’s first Presidency was in 1946. At that time conflict prevention was top of […]

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21st February 2017 London, UK

Aycan Alp Erozalp

Digital Communications, Press and Public Affairs Officer, British Embassy Ankara

0 to 50 in 3 years

Many of us have had second-hand cars that take that long to get from 0 to 50!  But add a “K” to the 50 and you have a description of the British Ambassador to Turkey, Richard Moore’s Twitter journey since he arrived in Turkey in January 2014.  Richard was recently proclaimed by Turkey’s biggest selling […]

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20th February 2017 London, UK

Sally Balcombe

CEO VisitBritain / VisitEngland

When it comes to TV and film, Britain has got it all

Watching a gripping drama play out on a cinema screen can be transporting, taking your imagination on a journey to places new, exciting and unexplored. But what about when a film literally takes you somewhere, when you can walk onto the set? Film – and, increasingly, television – is a growing driver of tourism in […]

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13th February 2017 London, UK

Jane Duncan

President, The Royal Institute of British Architects

British architects play a major role in redefining the world’s cities

For centuries the UK has been held in high regard for its architecture, and the profile of UK architects is stronger than it has ever been. Architecture is one of the UK’s most significant and visible creative exports, with an almost unrivalled reputation around the world for excellence, innovation and creativity. From Beijing to New […]

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6th February 2017 Skopje, North Macedonia

Charles Garrett

British Ambassador to Macedonia

Five Thoughts on Diplomatic Tweeting in Macedonia

Like all British Ambassadors, I was encouraged (slight diplomatic euphemism) by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office to get active on Twitter when I came to Skopje. TBH, as twitterati say, I had anyway been thinking of jumping in to the frenzied waters of social media.  So I readily bought the FCO’s argument that it was […]

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6th February 2017 London, UK

Adrian Wootton

Chief Executive, British Film Commission and Film London

Why the UK is first for film and TV production

I head up the British Film Commission – the organisation charged with bringing major productions to the UK and supporting them while they’re here – and we are quite simply one of the best places in the world to make film and TV. But don’t just take my word for it, the figures speak for […]

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3rd February 2017 London, UK

Dr Aga Gambus

Chromosomal replication laboratory, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham

Science knows no borders

On World Cancer day, Polish cancer researcher Dr Aga Gambus tells us about the importance of international collaboration in her research An Italian, a German, a Spanish, a British and a Polish scientist walk into a bar, and have a great time discussing science over a few beers! This is my usual “after work drink” […]

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3rd February 2017 London, UK

Dr Luca Magnani

Research fellow at the Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London

Cancer research: Together we can achieve so much more

On World Cancer Day, Italian cancer researcher Dr Luca Magnani tells us about how close European collaboration helped bring about a recent discovery. What does it mean being a cancer scientist in 2017? It means having access to incredible technologies. It means working side by side with some of the best scientists alive. It means […]

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