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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
27th January 2012 Windhoek, Namibia
CT World Cup Rally comes to Windhoek: from Big Ben south to the bottom of Africa
I met up with members of the CT World Cup Rally Team at the Kalahari Sands Hotel last night for a drink as they passed through Namibia on their epic ‘3 continent/14 countries/in 27 driving days’ journey down the African continent. The Rally marks the first ever timed driving event from Europe to the bottom […]
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26th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Freedom of the media in Ukraine
Back in July 2010 I wrote a blog called How to stop censorship in Ukraine. Based on a discussion with journalists, I noted both areas for concern and some areas for optimism; and observed that freedom of the media would be critical for Ukraine’s relationship with the EU because the Copenhagen criteria, which set out […]
25th January 2012 USA
Light bulb moments in climate security
A unique feature of the UK’s policy and political work with the US on climate change over the past several years has been the engagement of Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti, our Climate and Energy Security Envoy. This first-of-its-kind role has provided the Rear Admiral and our government with new opportunities to work with a key […]
25th January 2012 Toronto, Canada
SIN Global 2012
If things seemed a little quiet on the SIN blog and newsfeed last week, it’s because Nicole, Nicolina, Paolo, Shannon and I were in London rubbing shoulders with the rest of the global Science and Innovation Network at our all-Posts conference. As well as meeting face-to-face (often for the first time) with our stakeholders in […]
25th January 2012 Ottawa, Canada
Scotland’s gifts to Canada
January the 25th is Burns Night, an anniversary globally celebrated. It’s right and proper, therefore, to reflect for a moment on the Scottish contribution to Canada. I was given a book the other day, modestly titled: How the Scots Invented Canada, by Ken McGoogan. It points, not without evidence, to the seminal contribution made by […]
25th January 2012 Dublin, Ireland
London calling
I’m just back from a visit to the UK to promote the opportunities that Poland offers for British business and to discuss how to strengthen further the links between us after the successful Polish Presidency. London’s streets are hard on the feet. But everywhere I went, I found a lot of enthusiasm for more engagement […]
25th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Facing Africa
A team of British (and one Irish) volunter surgeons, anaesthetists, doctors and nurses is here in Addis Ababa this week to deal with a scourge that should not exist in the 21st Century. Noma is a gangrenous infection that mainly attacks poor and malnourished children. If undetected or untreated, it can eat away or distort […]
24th January 2012 Chevening, UK
London is proactive! And best of all, it makes you proactive!
Our new Chevening Conversations blog is by Lebanese Chevening Scholar Leena Ksaifi. Leena is studying for an MSC in Violence, Conflict and Development at the School of Oriental and African Studies. When you first arrive in London, everything is jaw dropping. Double-decker buses, shiny lights and flashy signs, bikers cycling, pedestrian buttons you press when you want […]
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24th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Communications, Silence, and Survival
It was interesting to see Pope Benedict speaking today about communications, in advance of the 20 May World Day of Social Communications. We are all in the business. From bloggers like me, to Foreign Ministries striving to get their “angle” across, from the frenzied activity of Twitter, to the simple conversation on the mobile. We […]
24th January 2012 London, UK
Working with the EU to help pursue UK foreign policy objectives
I have just attended the January meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels and have been reflecting on how the collective weight of EU members can be harnessed to promote the UK’s national prosperity and security. For example, at the December meeting, the Foreign Secretary discussed with all our European Union partners how […]
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