DIPLO Blog

Skip to content Caron Röhsler British High Commissioner to Maldives Part of UK in Maldives 7th June 2020 Maldives Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean: Maldives & the Nekton Mission Were it not for covid, for World Oceans Day this year I’d have been writing about early reports from the Nekton Mission’s First Descent in Maldives, following their exploration of sites around Addu Atoll, the Zero Degree Channel and Gnaviyani Atoll. This ambitious expedition to “the Midnight Zone” of the Indian Ocean (the least explored ocean in the world) should have completed its field research by now. The team would have been chomping through terabytes of data at their Oxford base, just as they did after their expedition to Seychelles which I also had the thrill of witnessing, in 2019. The theme of this year’s World Oceans Day is “Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean”. What distinguishes Nekton from other deep sea expeditions is a commitment to innovation in both scientific method and sustainable developmen..

Skip to content Chris Trott UK Ambassador to South Sudan Part of UK in South Sudan 4th June 2020 Juba, South Sudan When it comes to vaccines and access to healthcare we must think and act beyond COVID-19Today the UK is hosting the Global Vaccine Summit to raise money and awareness for Gavi, the vaccine alliance. Gavi is key in the global and local COVID-19 response, supporting countries to invest in preparedness and response, working with global partners on a vaccine, and ensuring that when a vaccine is available, all countries can access it. The immediate and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will be devastating in South Sudan where 7.5 million people already need humanitarian assistance. During this global pandemic we are reminded that work on vaccines is more important than ever. However, it is critical that we continue to prioritise healthcare and vaccines beyond the scope of COVID-19. The World Health Organisation, UNICEF and Gavi have recently released fresh global warn..

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 3rd June 2020 Vienna, Austria Cycling in Vienna: diplomatic, healthy and green The freshly oiled crank purrs like a sewing machine. The sun has come out from behind the clouds, casting a silverish gleam on the Danube. There is a mild breeze. Hundreds of people are cycling on Vienna’s 21 kilometre-long Danube island and I am one of them. To me this is pure happiness. Cycling is one of the most popular leisure activities worldwide. For many people it is also an efficient, healthy and green means of transport. In the UK, perhaps inspired by some remarkable elite sporting achievements (a British rider won the prestigious Tour de France in six out of the last eight years and the UK has won 19 Olympic gold medals in cycling since Beijing 2008), cycling popularity has increased steadily. According to the British Departm..

Skip to content Robin Barnett Ambassador to Ireland, Dublin Part of Brexit 2nd June 2020 Dublin, Ireland A week in the life of Robin Barnett Many people have asked me how an Embassy can operate virtually. After all, diplomacy is something of a contact sport. The answer lies in a combination of good IT, a great team, lots of imagination and creativity, a network of contacts, a lot of hard work and, crucially, by recharging your mobile phone at every opportunity! Let me give you a practical example. The publication of the UK’s approach to the Ireland / Northern Ireland Protocol last Wednesday made for a busy day for me and colleagues in Dublin as well as London, Belfast, Brussels and elsewhere. But the preparation had begun much earlier. Like most organisations, the British Civil Service has relied heavily on e-mail exchanges and face to face meetings when doing business. But preparing for and gathering reactions to the launch of our paper required a variety of secure technical solution..

Skip to content Caron Röhsler British High Commissioner to Maldives Part of UK in Maldives 30th May 2020 Maldives Meeting Maldives Before I came to Maldives, my non-resident predecessor told me that being the first resident UK Ambassador* to Maldives would provide a great opportunity to get out to islands that diplomats hadn’t reached in many a year. In my previous posting, in Seychelles, I’d been limited to a small number of affordable islands. So I made it my plan — once I had set up the new office and recruited a team — to get to as many of the 1,200 Maldivian islands as possible. Then C-19 darkened our doors. It’s not easy getting to know a country when you’re confined to a flat on an island you can run around in under an hour. But, as John Donne wrote in 1624, “no man is an island entire of itself”. The spiritual connections he wrote about back then have since been augmented with technological ones. Working from home in MaldivesSo, the other week, I found myself on a virtual odys..

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 May 2020 Vienna, Austria How “The adjoining house at the Lustig Prean Gasse” became the British Embassy “The Ministry of Works may have ideas about office accommodation. I doubt whether it would be possible to extend the existing offices by building in the courtyard. Failing this, it might be possible to secure the adjoining house in the Lustig Prean Gasse (No.10), which is now divided into flats and which would be sufficiently large to accommodate all the services and the Consulate.” We have recently published two blogs about our estate in Vienna. One considers how repeated changes in the name of the street on which the British Embassy is located, the Jaurésgasse, reflect Austria’s 20th Century history. A second explores how the historic 1875 residence was recovered from the National Socialist Flying Corps,..

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..