19th June 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I have commented in recent weeks on the 10-13 June London Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. This week, I give the floor to Pádraic MacOireachtaigh, Jesuit Refugee Service Regional Advocacy and Communications Officer in the Great Lakes based in Burundi, who participated in the Summit, and who contributes his own supportive but critical […]
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11th June 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
As the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict unfolds, I am delighted to give voice in my blog to a story from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Last week at Vatican Radio, a panel discussion showed that religious networks have a huge role to play to end the use of rape as a […]
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10th June 2014
Dublin, Ireland
In May 2012, British Foreign Secretary William Hague launched the “Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative” or “PSVI” In short, PSVI is about preventing the use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon in conflict. In so many conflict situations, it affects not only large numbers of women, but also men and children. However, the perpetrators of […]
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4th June 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I often have to remind people that I am accredited not to the Vatican City State, but to the Holy See, the governance of the global Catholic Church. As such, this embassy has reach into an extraordinary worldwide network of civil society organisations, religious congregations, diplomats, universities and other components that make up the Catholic […]
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20th May 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
That’s what Lord Carrington said when we met in London last week. I must hang round with 94 year olds more often. It’s been a long time since anyone’s called me a boy. But to the former Foreign Secretary who is my most distinguished predecessor, and who arrived in Canberra as High Commissioner in the […]
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11th May 2014
Islamabad, Pakistan
A year ago today, Pakistan went to the polls to elect a new Government. Some 50 million Pakistanis turned out to vote. They made a statement about the future they want for their country – a future based on democracy and accountability through the ballot box. We went on to see the first ever full […]
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6th May 2014
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Today, we have a guest blogger, Hj Aminuddin Hj Md Taib, who has just attended the ASEAN Public-Private-Partnership Study Visit in the UK arranged by our regional FCO Economic and Trade Policy Network. Read on to find out what he has to say about his visit. Back to UK, back home to London. I was […]
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30th April 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
It has been an extraordinary few years for the relationship between the United Kingdom and Ireland. When Prime Minister David Cameron and Taoiseach Enda Kenny met in London in March, they commented that relations between our two countries had never been better. That’s a bold statement to make. And yet it was confirmed earlier this […]
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17th April 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
At his General Audience on 16 April, Pope Francis urged the large crowd of pilgrims present to dedicate Holy Week to learning about the needs of others, especially those out of sight, “whom we often forget, who need our comprehension, consolation and help.” This is a message that applies as much to governments as individuals, […]
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1st April 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The new Australian High Commissioner in London will be moving back into his teenage home when he takes up his position in May. Alexander Downer, whose appointment was announced yesterday, lived at the splendid official residence, Stoke Lodge near Hyde Park, when his father was High Commissioner in London from 1964-72. He went to school […]
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