DIPLO Blog

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..

23 Dec 2019 — DFAT Addressing corruption can even the playing field in an era of widening inequalities By Valerie Cliff, Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Regional Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific and Director of the Bangkok Regional Hub, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Asia’s economic ascent over the past two decades has contributed to a dramatic transformation: steep decreases in poverty rates, soaring domestic consumption and better living standards for people at all levels of income. The Asia-Pacific region is slated to account for half of global output and 40 per cent of global consumption by 2040. This prosperity has coincided with ever-increasing concentrations of wealth and rising inequalities. How will the region lift the next 400 million people out of extreme poverty whilst dealing with the challenges posed by climate change, the impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, jobless growth and global economic volati..

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 19th December 2019 Vienna, Austria A French pacifist, a British Embassy and a “British Schindler”It is the summer of 1914 and a political assassination has shocked Europe. Not the one you are thinking of – but one which will lead to a change of name for the street in Vienna on which the British Embassy sits – the Jaurèsgasse. French politician Jean Jaurès, sometimes described as “one of the first social democrats”, was assassinated in Paris at the outbreak of World War I. He is perhaps best remembered for his anti-militarism and attempts to avert the outbreak of the First World War. The Wikipedia article at the link includes poignant details including the fact that Jaurès was shot in the back by a French nationalist as he ate his dinner in the Café du Croissant on 31 July 1914. Austria-Hungary had declared war on..

18 Dec 2019 — DFAT Making the most out of migration By Jane Duke, Australia’s Ambassador to ASEAN 18 December is International Migrants Day, marking the anniversary of the adoption of the UN convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and their Families. It’s a good time to take stock of how much migrant workers in our region contribute to societies, including Australia, through their work, skills and determination. They also contribute to economic growth and a stable region for all of us by sending money home. Every time I go to the airport in Jakarta, where I live, I see groups of Indonesian women and men preparing to leave abroad for work. They go to other ASEAN countries, especially Malaysia and Singapore, and further away to Hong Kong, Arab States and beyond. While their expectations, plans and backgrounds vary, one thing is common: they all hope to earn, save and send money home to build better futures for themselves and their families. Stories of migration and..

Skip to content Emilia Pecheva SIN Officer for Bulgaria and Romania Guest blogger for Rosie Duthie 17th December 2019 Cyber Security Challenge – SIN Bulgaria On 2-4 October 2019 I attended the 1st International scientific conference on Digital transformation, cyber security and resilience “DIGILIENCE” in Bulgaria. The event brought together international research and policy makers in cyber security to discuss the state of the art and future demands in the provision of security and resilience of processes, services and systems that are heavily reliant on information technologies. Key cyber security policy makers, EU and NATO representatives, leading practitioners from Bulgarian government, universities and research institutes were present which was a fantastic demonstration of the growing recognition and importance of cyber security. Everyone should understand that the cyberspace is borderless and no country is able to cope with the challenges alone. We need international mitigations ..

Skip to content Zaneta Trajkoska Director of the Institute of Communication Studies Guest blogger for UK in North Macedonia Part of UK in North Macedonia 13th December 2019 Skopje, North Macedonia For better environment: Don’t Ignore! React! “All of us should be persistent in our commitment to a cleaner and healthier environment, through self-criticism and timely and rapid response, towards addressing the effects of climate change. As President, I shall commit myself for policies for environmental protection and protection of the national biodiversity, and will support all civic initiatives that promote the public awareness on environment. It is up to us whether we shall live in a clean and healthy environment. That is why I call upon all of you all to join this joint mission and to leave a cleaner and safer country to the future generations in which they will live in.” This was emphasized by the President of North Macedonia in Skopje, at the November Climate Action Conference: to Pr..

Skip to content Karla Hagan Head of Science and Innovation Network, Washington, DC Guest blogger for Science and Innovation Network USA Part of Global Science and Innovation Network 12th December 2019 Science Innovation USA SIN Spins up Flurry of UK-US Collaboration in Offshore Wind Energy Innovation Ahead of COP26The UK’s global leadership in clean growth is clear. It is the first major economy to legislate for net-zero emissions by 2050, and in order to help developing countries take action the UK has committed to doubling International Climate Finance contributions by 2025. Within the clean energy sector, offshore wind energy deployment in the UK represents a whopping 34% of the world’s total installed capacity. As the UK prepares to host COP26 in partnership with Italy in November 2020, the Science and Innovation Network’s work in the US highlights UK expertise internationally, promotes global collective action, and furthers the deployment of clean energy in the United States. Cop..

Liverpool-Salzburg crunch match – who’d have thought? Plus: travel advice Austria has been awarded a fantastic early Christmas present on 10 December. At 1755 local time on Tuesday night Liverpool will visit to play Red Bull Salzburg in the final game of the Champions’ League group stage. Both teams need a result: if Liverpool lose they are likely to go out of the competition. If Salzburg win, they go through. As a Manchester United fan I am in theory supposed to hate Liverpool, but somehow the wires have got crossed and I usually support Liverpool against any other team. Last season I several times enjoyed watching them in the Champions’ League at the Red Lion, a Liverpool supporters’ pub in the third district of Vienna. I’m also a big fan of Austrian football, which has many fi..

Skip to content Matt Field British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina 5th December 2019 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina A Woman’s Place is in the House… of Parliament Along with many others across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the UK Embassy is currently marking ’16 Days of Activism’ to combat violence against women. Why only 16 days, you might well ask, and what does this mean for the other 349? By giving this critical problem a defined period of focus, running from 25 November (International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women) to 10 December (International Human Rights Day), we shine a light on the different forms that violence against women takes, hoping to motivate and energise fighting this phenomenon all year round. I want now to concentrate on one particular aspect of violence against women, attacks targeted at those in public life, and politics in particular. What is the experience of women in the parliamentary ‘House’? Earlier this year, the Westminster Foundati..

Skip to content Aidan Liddle UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament 4th December 2019 Geneva, Switzerland Disarmament blog: Towards a World Free of Land Mines The Norwegian capital Oslo is where, in September 1997, the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) was concluded, and also where the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, and its founder Jody Williams, were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize the following year. So although the Convention is often known as the Ottawa Convention, after the city where the negotiations were opened in 1996 and where it was formally signed in December 1997, Oslo has a good claim to be at least one of its spiritual homes. It felt like a homecoming then when last week, the now 164 States Parties, along with observer States, international organisations and civil society, returned to Oslo for its 4th Review Conference. The Conference took stock of progress since the last Review Conference in Maputo in 2014, and adopt..