Public diplomacy

Skip to content Leigh Turner Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna 17th September 2020 Vienna, Austria Why the British Embassy in Vienna is proud to be greenDiplomats from the British Embassy are off to an important meeting in Vienna. The Ringstrasse, as so often, is gridlocked. No problem for our diplomats, who hop on an embassy bike and arrive not only on time, but in style. Our British Embassy Vienna bikesOur embassy bikes mean that British diplomats in Vienna make many journeys by bike which would once have been by car. Result: zero emissions (apart, perhaps, from some panting). The bikes are just one of the measures we have taken to make the three British diplomatic missions in Austria greener. Our Embassy ‘green team’ are constantly looking for ways to reduce our environmental footprint. Measures we have taken so far include: Banning single use plastics. This is harder than it sounds. The first..

What Gen Z Brings to the Public Diplomacy Table Sep 9, 2020 For a generation accustomed to long periods of screen time, Generation Z (Gen Z)’s digital consumption is of particular relevance to public diplomacy. Consistent online engagement allows for Gen Z to connect with others globally amid a wealth of information, sharing content and building networks. A new article posted to LinkedIn by Jonathan Steffert, New Zealand Cultural Attaché in Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, identifies Gen Z’s strengths in the worldwide pivot to cyberspace reliance. Might Gen Z be better equipped for the challenge? Through five public-diplomacy themes, Steffert speaks to how Gen Z leverages an innate familiarity in digital spaces to organize and unite across borders: The Changing World of Youth Leadership Embrace Transnationalism Cultural Equity and Inclusion You'll Need a New Mindset Offer and Build Community Roughly born after 1996 and becoming the most diverse generation in history, ..

Skip to content Leigh Turner Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna 7th September 2020 Vienna, Austria How Austria has – and hasn’t – changed‘You were a diplomat in Vienna in the ‘80s?’ My interlocutor scans me, perhaps wondering why I am still working, or alive. ‘It must have changed so much!’ ‘Well…’ I seek a diplomatic reply. ‘Yes and no.’ Oscar Wilde famously said “Comparisons are odious”. I often cite him when asked which of my diplomatic postings I have preferred out of Vienna, Moscow, Berlin, Kyiv and Istanbul. But Vienna has evolved since 1984-87, when I served here as second secretary press and political. With exactly one year to go before I am due to conclude my posting as ambassador in Vienna, I thought I would have a go at highlighting five things that have changed since the ‘80s, and five things that haven’t: What hasn’t changed (i) Vienna used to be so grey and dull, didn’t it? Young Vi..

Skip to content Leigh Turner Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna 7th September 2020 Vienna, Austria How Austria has – and hasn’t – changed‘You were a diplomat in Vienna in the ‘80s?’ My interlocutor scans me, perhaps wondering why I am still working, or alive. ‘It must have changed so much!’ ‘Well…’ I seek a diplomatic reply. ‘Yes and no.’ Oscar Wilde famously said “Comparisons are odious”. I often cite him when asked which of my diplomatic postings I have preferred out of Vienna, Moscow, Berlin, Kyiv and Istanbul. But Vienna has evolved since 1984-87, when I served here as second secretary press and political. With exactly one year to go before I am due to conclude my posting as ambassador in Vienna, I thought I would have a go at highlighting five things that have changed since the ‘80s, and five things that haven’t: What hasn’t changed (i) Vienna used to be so grey and dull, didn’t it? Young Vi..

Skip to content Ming Liu Head of Science and Innovation, BCG Guangzhou Part of Global Science and Innovation Network 31st August 2020 Guangzhou, China ‘He that is thy friend indeed, he will help thee in thy need.’In March, a large shipment of thousands of masks, gloves, overalls and goggles arrived in Birmingham. Stapled to the side of each of the crates was a quote, in both Chinese and English, attributed to William Shakespeare: ‘He that is thy friend indeed, he will help thee in thy need.’ (“岁寒知松柏，患难见真情.”) This consignment was one of many from Chinese universities to their partner institutions in the UK. In this case, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University sent this shipment to their long standing partner, the University of Birmingham. Minister Sharma spoke at the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University in 2017 The importance of partnerships comes the fore in times of crisis. As the scale of the COVID-19 crisis in the UK became apparent in March, we start..

Skip to content Ming Liu Head of Science and Innovation Part of Global Science and Innovation Network 31st August 2020 Guangzhou, China ‘He that is thy friend indeed, he will help thee in thy need.’In March, a large shipment of thousands of masks, gloves, overalls and goggles arrived in Birmingham. Stapled to the side of each of the crates was a quote, in both Chinese and English, attributed to William Shakespeare: ‘He that is thy friend indeed, he will help thee in thy need.’ (“岁寒知松柏，患难见真情.”) This consignment was one of many from Chinese universities to their partner institutions in the UK. In this case, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University sent this shipment to their long standing partner, the University of Birmingham. Minister Sharma spoke at the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University in 2017 The importance of partnerships comes the fore in times of crisis. As the scale of the COVID-19 crisis in the UK became apparent in March, we started to receive g..

Skip to content Matt Field British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Part of UK in Bosnia and Herzegovina 30th August 2020 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina The Search Continues International Day of the Disappeared is not an abstract commemoration of a far off event. Many around us are living with a terrible curse, not only of losing a loved one, but of not being able to put them and their memory to rest. In my time in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), I’ve met many families who are in this position and heard their stories of ongoing pain and loss. In BiH and neighbouring countries, 11,000 people still remain to be found, and identified. The UK, for its part, continues to support this work, and hold governments to their commitments to do so too. But the search for the missing has also represented a remarkable success. Thanks in large part to the tireless efforts of families of those who disappeared, approximately 70% of the 40,000 who disappeared during the 1990s conflicts have been ide..

A train swoops at high speed through the Austrian Alps. Despite the stunning scenery, the passengers are – this being the twenty-first century – more interested in what’s happening on their screens as they work, browse the internet and use social media… also at high speed, thanks to a British company. © ÖBB/Philipp HorakNomad Digital is the world’s leading provider of passenger and fleet connectivity solutions and trackside networks. Founded in 2002 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, they are dedicated to delivering connectivity on trains, offering benefits to operators and passengers. In Austria, they are responsible for the onboard WiFi service of the ÖBB (National Federal Railway). © ÖBB/Harald EisenbergerNomad won the contract in..

Skip to content Leigh Turner Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna 28th August 2020 Vienna, Austria How a British company keeps Austrian train passenger online © ÖBB/Philipp HorakA train swoops at high speed through the Austrian Alps. Despite the stunning scenery, the passengers are – this being the twenty-first century – more interested in what’s happening on their screens as they work, browse the internet and use social media… also at high speed, thanks to a British company. © ÖBB/Philipp HorakNomad Digital is the world’s leading provider of passenger and fleet connectivity solutions and trackside networks. Founded in 2002 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, they are dedicated to delivering connectivity on trains, offering benefits to operators and passengers. In Austria, they are responsible for the onboard WiFi service of the ÖBB (National Federal Railway). © ÖBB/Harald EisenbergerNomad won the contract in..

Skip to content Leigh Turner Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna 28th August 2020 Vienna, Austria How a British company keeps Austrian train passengers online © ÖBB/Philipp HorakA train swoops at high speed through the Austrian Alps. Despite the stunning scenery, the passengers are – this being the twenty-first century – more interested in what’s happening on their screens as they work, browse the internet and use social media… also at high speed, thanks to a British company. © ÖBB/Philipp HorakNomad Digital is the world’s leading provider of passenger and fleet connectivity solutions and trackside networks. Founded in 2002 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, they are dedicated to delivering connectivity on trains, offering benefits to operators and passengers. In Austria, they are responsible for the onboard WiFi service of the ÖBB (National Federal Railway). © ÖBB/Harald EisenbergerNomad won the contract i..