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Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

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16th October 2010

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Blog Action Day 2010: Climate Change and Water Supply

It is often said that we are more likely, in the future, to fight wars over water than over oil. Global warning, and changes to our climate, mean that this future possibility becomes more real every day. In Bolivia, every year, the glaciers that supply water – for drinking and hydro-electric power – to cities […]

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30th September 2010

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Blogging and Freedom of Expression

No, Bolivian readers, I am not commenting on the new Law against Racism. The debate around that law does indeed show just how sensitive is the issue of freedom of expression, and how careful legislators must be when drafting laws that might impact upon what is a critical tenet of democracy. Instead, I want to […]

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28th September 2010

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Great Britain and Bolivar

At a time of bicentenary celebrations across Latin America, it seems right that we should also look at the history of Britain’s relationship with the region, and why that relationship remains so important today. In 1810, Simon Bolivar visited Britain as head of a diplomatic mission to enlist support for the Junta in Caracas and, […]

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15th September 2010

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Britain

Pope Benedict XVI will visit the United Kingdom from 16 – 19 September. This will be the first ever official Papal Visit to the United Kingdom – the last visit by Pope John Paul II in 1982 being purely pastoral. He will be visiting both as a Head of State, and as the head of […]

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10th September 2010

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Diplomacy and human rights

I have written before about diplomacy and human rights in my Spanish blog . But I thought I would return to the charge following a recent interesting article by William Hague, the British Foreign Secretary. Mr Hague’s article was prompted by the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan, and the generous response of the British […]

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About Nigel Baker

Nigel was British Ambassador to the Holy See from 2011-2016. He presented his Credentials to Pope Benedict XVI on 9 September 2011, after serving 8 years in Latin America, as…

Nigel was British Ambassador to the Holy See from 2011-2016. He presented his Credentials to Pope Benedict XVI on 9 September 2011, after serving 8 years in Latin America, as Deputy Head of Mission in the British Embassy in Havana, Cuba (2003-6) and then as British Ambassador in La Paz, Bolivia (2007-11). In July 2016, Nigel finished his posting, and is currently back in London.

As the first British Ambassador to the Holy See ever to have a blog, Nigel provided a regular window on what the Embassy and the Ambassador does. The blogs covered a wide range of issues, from Royal and Ministerial visits to Diplomacy and Faith, freedom of religion, human trafficking and climate change.

More on Nigel’s career

Nigel was based in London between 1998 and 2003. He spent two years on European Union issues (for the UK 1998 EU Presidency and on European Security and Defence questions), before crossing St James’s Park to work for three years as The Assistant Private Secretary to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. At St James’s Palace, Nigel worked on international issues, including the management of The Prince of Wales’s overseas visits and tours, on the Commonwealth, interfaith issues, the arts and international development.

Nigel spent much of the early part of his FCO career in Central Europe, after an initial stint as Desk Officer for the Maghreb countries in the Near East and North Africa department (1990-91). Between 1992 and 1996, Nigel served in the British embassies in Prague and Bratislava, the latter being created in 1993 after the peaceful division of Czechoslovakia into the separate Czech and Slovak Republics.

Nigel joined the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) in September 1989. Between 1996 and 1998 he took a two year academic sabbatical to research and write about themes in 18th century European history, being based in Verona but also researching in Cambridge, Paris and Naples. The research followed from Nigel’s time as a student at Cambridge (1985-88) where he read history and was awarded a First Class Honours degree, followed by his MA in 1992.

Before joining the Foreign Office, Nigel worked briefly for the Conservative Research Department in London at the time of the 1989 European election campaign.

Nigel married Alexandra (Sasha) in 1997. They have one son, Benjamin, born in Bolivia in September 2008.

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