DIPLO Blog

Skip to content Dr Keith Franklin Nuclear Councellor, British Embassy Tokyo 21st May 2020 Japan A Flood of (un)Kindness #KindnessMattersIt was the summer of 2007, and Gloucestershire had just experienced the worst floods in living memory. In an ironic twist, the major impact on the area was a water shortage. The floods had overwhelmed the pumping station at the reservoir in Tewkesbury, and the water supply to hundreds of thousands of people in the surrounding towns had been cut off. It wasn’t restored for a full three weeks. The local authorities did an amazing job, supplying bottled water for drinking, and household water supplies were provided through ‘bowsers’, large plastic tanks, which looked a little like mini petrol tankers, parked in various places throughout the town. My area was serviced by a large orange bowser. You can actually see it here on YouTube. I recorded it being filled on my “flip phone” in the early days of phones being able to record video, it is appalling quali..

Skip to content Arijeta Hadzi-Hamza Ismaili Executive Assistant to Her Majesty's Ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission Guest blogger for UK in North Macedonia Part of UK in North Macedonia 20th May 2020 Skopje, North Macedonia Local traditions during the holy month of Ramadan The holy month of Ramadan is about to end and I would like to send my very best wishes to all who are Muslims, who like me observed this special time of the year. Keeping yourself and loved ones well during Ramadan this year will mean adapting usual religious and cultural practices. Traditionally Ramadan is a time for communal prayer, spiritual reflection, meals with extended family and friends to break daily fasts. However, this Ramadan is very different due to the coronavirus pandemic. Mosques remain closed to help stop the spread of the virus through social distancing, and of course, we must refrain from visiting friends and family. The fact is that the whole of the country is making huge efforts and sacr..

Skip to content Dominic Otway Deputy Head of Mission, British Embassy Skopje Guest blogger for UK in North Macedonia Part of UK in North Macedonia 17th May 2020 Skopje, North Macedonia Inclusion in uncertain times – IDAHOBIT Two things struck me when I was asked to write this week’s blog marking the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) on 17 May. First, it reminded me how much the world has changed since February. I’m thinking of then because it was the last public event I hosted, the day before the first Coronavirus case was reported in North Macedonia. And it was with groups and societies representing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people here. We planned to publicise the meeting at the time, but I got distracted by unfolding developments.. and soon it felt that much of what we discussed had been overtaken as events (including how to mark IDAHOBIT) and meetings need to be postponed until we can meet safely again. Today is a good t..

Skip to content Matt Field British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina 15th May 2020 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina A home for all of us 17 May is IDAHOBIT, International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. While there are many special days to mark throughout the year, this is an important one to me personally. Last September, my wife Martina and I took part in the first PRIDE march in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This was a happy day for us, and the many others that joined the peaceful walk through the centre of Sarajevo. It belonged to all of those citizens of this country who organised and participated in it, despite a small but sometimes hostile group of opponents during preparations. Why was this PRIDE, in the last country in the region to hold one, important? Because it was a message of support to all LGBTI brothers and sisters, that they did not need to hide their identity, that they were valued and welcome members of society. And this matters because so many of the..

Skip to content Nick Low British Deputy High Commissioner to Kolkata Part of Coronavirus (COVID-19) UK in India 8th May 2020 India Manipur to London: One Brit’s epic 8,000-mile journey from India Whether at home or overseas, each of us will have our own memories of the COVID-19 pandemic – both personal and professional. In India, we’ll recall the fateful 24 hours in late March when FCO advised all British tourists and short-stay travellers abroad to return to the UK and the Government of India imposed what its External Affairs Minister has described as the ‘world’s toughest lockdown’. No flights, no trains, no buses, closed inter-state borders, stressed connectivity as India Plc tried to work as normal using home broadband, and northwards of 20,000 British Nationals telling us they did indeed want to go home. Here at the British Deputy High Commission Kolkata, we were spared the thousands in Goa, Gujarat and Punjab. Instead we had hundreds of British Nationals scattered across a consu..

29 Apr 2020 — DFAT Helping Australian businesses get the most out of our Free Trade Agreements This article was originally published in November 2018 and updated in April 2020. By Michael Dean and Angela Rendall, Free Trade Agreement Outreach Section, DFAT The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Portal provides easy access to information that helps exporters, importers, customs brokers, freight forwarders and other businesses benefit from Australia’s free trade agreements. Users of the FTA Portal can, for instance, search for the goods they want to export using keywords, find reduced free trade agreement tariff rates, and learn how to obtain the documents necessary to get tariff reductions. The FTA Portal also includes guidance and information on selling services to overseas customers, travelling overseas to supply services, and establishing an overseas presence. Where more than one free trade agreement is available to an exporter or importer, the FTA Portal helps identify which..

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 27th April 2020 Vienna, Austria Why now is the time to take global action against COVID-19 Coronavirus or COVID-19 has been shaping the reality of life and work in Austria, the UK and around the world. As we are all trying to do our bit to fight the spread of the virus (stay at home!) and adapt where possible to a new normal, I think it’s worth reminding ourselves that in order to find a long term solution to the threat posed by the virus we have to work together as a global community. We face an urgent need to develop, manufacture and equitably distribute therapeutics, diagnostics and a vaccine. No country can do this on its own. Without cooperation on this, our eventual recovery will take longer, be more uncertain and bring greater risk of repeated outbreaks. As an international, open and densely populated coun..

Skip to content Robin Barnett Ambassador to Ireland, Dublin Part of Coronavirus (COVID-19) 22nd April 2020 Dublin, Ireland Living in LockdownI wanted to reflect on the Coronavirus crisis, the tragic loss of so many lives around the world and on actions that need to be taken to defeat the virus. The enormity of what is happening is incredibly difficult to come to terms with. Just like everybody else, I have never known anything like this despite spending 40 years as a diplomat and living through such historic ruptures as the end of the Cold War. The impact is dramatic at every level, including personal. I too am separated from friends and loved ones. I too miss the social things that we all enjoy so much. But the stay home policy is successfully beginning to halt the spread of the Coronavirus both here in Ireland and in the UK. Most importantly, it is easing the pressure on the heroic health service professionals in both our countries. They are true celebrities. And they have been supp..

Skip to content Mare Janevska Manager and Chef at British Residence Guest blogger for UK in North Macedonia Part of UK in North Macedonia 16th April 2020 Skopje, North Macedonia Local traditions and recipes for Orthodox Easter My name is Mare Janevska and I am the Manager and Chef of the British Residence in Skopje. It was an honour to be chosen for this position that I have been working in for 13 years now. I am working on both positions in parallel but the role as Chef at the Residence is my favourite as it is creative, which makes me happy and everyone should work on what makes them happy. For me cooking is a passion, love, respect, emotion and I find inner peace in the dishes I am preparing and cooking for the guests at the Residence. When I see everyone happy and satisfied, I know that I have accomplished my goals and job well done. I have been privileged to cook for high level visitors to North Macedonia such as Ministers, Prime Minister and also members of the Royal Family. I a..

The spread of the new coronavirus is testing our globalised world. The world of diplomacy is particularly affected by these developments, as meetings, conferences,...