Public diplomacy

Skip to content Chris Trott UK Ambassador to South Sudan Part of UK in South Sudan 14th January 2020 Juba, South Sudan Twenty wishes for 2020At the start of the year I have been discussing with my team @UkinSouthSudan what we would like to see happen this year. While this list is by no means exhaustive, and we may be overly optimistic if we think we will see it all come true, I hope at least some of the following 20 wishes for 2020 will become a reality this year. Cessation of hostilities holdsHumanitarian situation improves with greater security and access granted to allow all those in need to receive life-saving supportAid workers are no longer targetedFighting with non-signatories to the peace agreement stops, and the parties convince them to join the process by making genuine progressThe formation of a single national army allows the security sector to provide genuine security for all South Sudanese rather than serving the objectives of a single party to the agreementResolution of..

Skip to content Leigh Turner Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna Part of UK in Austria 14th January 2020 Vienna, Austria New video: an update for UK nationals in Austria Video Script: Where are we with Brexit? The Withdrawal Agreement Bill is working its way through Parliament in London. Once confirmed in the UK, it has to be agreed by the European Parliament. The UK will then leave the European Union, with a deal, on 31st January at 11pm UK time. At this point, we will enter a “transition period” or “implementation period” until 31st December 2020, during which the UK and EU will negotiate our future relationship. You may still hear talk about a possible “no deal” during this time, but this refers mainly to our future relationship in areas such as trade, and not your right to live in Austria. So, what does this mean for UK nationals living in Austria now, and what action do you have to take? The W..

Skip to content Matt Field British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina 13th January 2020 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 2020 VISION 2020 is written with 3D colorful numbers standing on a white surface - 3D rendering illustrationNew year, new start. Many of us will be looking ahead to what 2020 holds in store, probably with some nervousness, but hoping for positive change. Here in the British Embassy there will be lots of continuity – working to deliver citizen-focused change that increases opportunity, reduces corruption, strengthens the rule of law, and improves public services. But every year is different, and there are some major events in front of us. At the end of this month the UK will leave the EU. Just as Brexit was a democratic decision, so we respect the decision of BiH to work towards joining the EU. As I have explained many times, this does not mean less of us and our support. Quite the opposite. We are increasing our cooperation, our programmes, our staffing, and our v..

Skip to content Aidan Liddle UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament Part of Conference on Disarmament 10th January 2020 Geneva, Switzerland Disarmament blog: disarmament in 2020 2020 is going to be a hugely important year for multilateral disarmament in Geneva. The biggest event of the year, of course, is the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which takes place in New York over April and May. The RevCon’s job is to look back over the last five years and “identify the areas in which, and the means through which, further progress should be sought in the future,” as well as addressing the strengthen the implementation of the Treaty and further its universalisation. That task takes on extra significance this year, the 50th anniversary of the Treaty’s entry into force, and the 25th of its indefinite extension. No-one doubts that this RevCon takes place in an extremely difficult context; expectations for success are low. But the U..

Skip to content Leigh Turner Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna Part of UK in Austria 10th January 2020 Vienna, Austria A tobacco bust in SlovakiaAt a nondescript warehouse in Eastern Slovakia, fine tobacco dust fills the air, and the lungs of the workers. The remote building has been sealed carefully to keep any smells and sounds hidden from the outside world, which might give away its true nature. When Slovak officers arrive, they act quickly, arresting 47 people involved in the production of illegal cigarettes. Many of these dangerous products would have crossed the Channel into the UK black market. The raid was the result of close cooperation between the HMRC team based at the British Embassy Vienna and the Slovak authorities. Our Fiscal Crime Liaison Officers are part of a global network responsible for stopping crimes that hurt the UK’s tax revenues. There are 47 HMRC officers posted in 37..

07 Jan Looking back on a decade of British foreign policy Posted at 16:58h in UK Perspectives, Uncategorized by Flora Holmes Britain began the decade fighting Gaddafi in Libya, championing a ‘liberal-internationalist’ foreign policy that had carried the nation since the end of the Cold War. It ends the decade with this ideal in tatters. Then 2010s have seen the argument for ‘responsible interventionism’ lost. A botched intervention in Libya has left the nation state-less, with warring factions vying for control over oil-rich lands. The publication of the Chilcot Inquiry in 2016 confirmed what many already knew about the Iraq war – the reasons given for the invasion could not be justified by the evidence, and the lack of strategy for post-invasion Iraq left it open to the sectarian violence and extremism that dominates the nation to this day. Whilst the interventions of the past were often ill conceived and mistaken, the backlash against it has..

Skip to content Laura Clarke British High Commissioner to New Zealand and Samoa, Governor of the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands. Part of UK in New Zealand 7th January 2020 Wellington, New Zealand Here’s why the UK wants to strengthen its relationship with New Zealand Māori British High Commissioner to New Zealand, Laura Clarke, with Charlotte Gibson of the Ngati Oneone iwi (tribe), following the delivery of the expression of regret in Gisborne.Writing in The Guardian, Laura explains how the UK and Māori of Aotearoa New Zealand are looking to the past to build stronger relationships for the future. The connections between the UK and New Zealand are such that we feel instantly at home in each other’s countries, sipping a flat whiteor an English Breakfast tea. We have a similar sense of humour, a similar sense of adventure, similar tastes. There is so much that feels familiar. But perhaps the greatest joy of my first two years as British high commissioner to New Zealand has ..

Most-Read Blogs of 2019 Dec 17, 2019 What did the public diplomacy conversation look like in 2019? To ring in 2020, we took a look at your favorite CPD Blog posts for the year: Cultural Diplomacy: Bridging the Study-Practice Gap By Lynda Jessup Jessup announces the North American Cultural Diplomacy Initiative (NACDI)'s new partnership to advance the study of cultural diplomacy. Cities Will Determine the Future of Diplomacy By Nina Hachigian Ambassador Hachigian examines how urban centers can take international relations into their own hands. This piece was originally published by Foreign Policy. Take a look back at this year's second LA Summit on City Diplomacy, produced by CPD in partnership with the Los Angeles Mayor's Office of International Affairs. Exploring Arts, Evaluation, Soft Power and Cultural Relations By CPD Research Fellow (2018-2020) Ian Thomas Thomas, the British Council's Head of Evaluation for the Arts, discusses the value of arts showca..

Skip to content Irfan Siddiq British Ambassador to Sudan Part of UK in Sudan 30th December 2019 Khartoum, Sudan Building the new Sudan Celebrating the building of the new Sudan, British Ambassador's residenceWith the 17 August agreement, Sudan entered a new era. The signing of a constitutional charter to govern the transition, the formation of a Sovereign Council and the appointment of Prime Minister Hamdok and his civilian cabinet puts new, primarily civilian leaders in charge of running the country. The change has been immediate. Prime Minister Hamdok’s government’s vision for Sudan, one that fulfils the revolutionary slogan of “freedom, peace and justice” is clear. It has worked to promote human rights and freedoms – through the repealing of the Public Order Law, agreement to open a UN Office for Human Rights and commitment to protect media freedom. It has prioritised peace talks, which are making progress in Juba. And it has started work on justice, through the dissolution of..

SRBIJA POVLAČI 27 AMBASADORA DO NOVE GODINE Velike promene u diplomatiji, "Blic" saznaje NEKA OD NOVIH IMENA Do Nove godine će biti povučeni svi ambasadori...