DIPLO Blog

Skip to content Peter Jones Chief Operating Officer at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Guest blogger for Foreign Office 11th February 2020 Manchester: International links and ambition A second evacuation plane, carrying over 200 passengers, travelled from Wuhan to the UK over the week-end. As colleagues are all too aware, the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation on 30 January, has been a big part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s crisis work so far this year to support British Nationals at risk. Last Monday, I visited Manchester as part of a British Foreign Policy Group (BFPG) series of national engagement events. Wuhan was a hot topic of conversation, but not for the reasons you might expect. Manchester and Wuhan have been sister cities since 1986. In the last 3 decades, their city-to-city partnership has created and strengthened business links, sporting and cultural ties, fostered skills and expertise exchange, an..

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 11th February 2020 Vienna, Austria How the British residence in Vienna was rescued: 1945-1950 “It is open to doubt whether this location in Vienna is really suitable for the Minister’s residence… it can in no way be considered a pleasant district in which to live.” How times change! Historic papers we recently unearthed about the restoration of the British ambassador’s residence at Metternichgasse 6 in Vienna after 1945 contain fascinating nuggets. The residence was built in 1873 for the British government by the Austrian architect Viktor Rumpelmayer. After the Anschluss in 1938, it was sold to the National Socialist Flying Corps, and in 1945 became the property of the Austrian government. The excellent “Room for Diplomacy”, by my former Foreign office colleague Mark Bertram, sets out its history. This pre-war pi..

Skip to content Sheak Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) Apprentice Guest blogger for FCO Careers Part of FCO Apprenticeship Schemes 7th February 2020 United Kingdom Sheak: a day in the life of a Foreign Office apprentice Sheak is a Level 3 Business Administration Apprentice, working in the Legal Department at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). My typical day at the Foreign OfficeMy day starts in my office in the Legal Department. My colleagues are mostly International Lawyers working on Human Rights. They’re a great bunch who work extremely hard but also take the time to relax so that there is always an enjoyable atmosphere. I log in to my laptop and begin answering emails or checking up on tasks from the day before. I mostly work with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and I have to ensure that I maintain the operational delivery capacities of our international lawyers, whose role is as solicitors representing the UK government in front of the judges of the ECHR. This ..

Skip to content Molly Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) Apprentice Guest blogger for FCO Careers Part of FCO Apprenticeship Schemes 7th February 2020 United Kingdom Molly: a day in the life of a Foreign Office apprentice Molly is a Level 3 HR Support Apprentice, working in the Finance Directorate at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). My typical day at the Foreign OfficeA typical day in the office for me is working with my team to help get our officers overseas. This can range from liaising with our freight contractors to move personal belongings, to collaborating with our appointments teams to know who’s going where, to presenting on a course to help prepare our officers for their roles and life overseas. Life as an apprentice is always varied with our requirement for “off the job” learning, which leads us into some great learning opportunities. My biggest achievement so far?I have lots of little achievements within my time in HR Services and a few big ones. For me, every arri..

Skip to content Simon Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) Apprentice Graduate Guest blogger for FCO Careers Part of FCO Apprenticeship Schemes 5th February 2020 United Kingdom Simon: a day in the life of a Foreign Office apprentice Simon is a Level 3 Business Administration Apprentice graduate. After completing his apprenticeship, he now works in a geographical team at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). My typical day at the Foreign OfficeI work in a geographical department that is responsible for managing the UK’s relationships with 3 European countries. My role is split into 3 parts: Acting as a Personal Assistant to the head of departmentProviding business administration support for the departmentAlso, providing some policy support across the departmentThis makes my work really varied and allows me to focus my development on areas I find particularly stimulating. I’ve worked on some really interesting projects, for example I now lead on liaising with our overseas posts and co..

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 4th February 2020 Vienna, Austria All eyes on the UK’s tech sector The UK has one of the world’s largest technology ecosystems with thousands of tech start-ups. As the third largest technology sector in the world, the UK is a global technology leader, with the state-of-the-art capabilities and resources to stay ahead of the curve. In the first eight months of 2019 alone, London attracted 114 FinTech investments with a record-breaking value of more than £1.6bn, according to industry body Innovate Finance and the mayor’s promotional agency London & Partners. Over the past ten years, Silicon Valley has dominated the start-up investment landscape, receiving over $110bn worth of venture capital and private equity funding. However, London is also showing strong growth, attracting $34.2bn in growth capital, outpacing th..

Skip to content Katie Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) Apprentice Guest blogger for FCO Careers Part of FCO Apprenticeship Schemes 3rd February 2020 United Kingdom Katie: a day in the life of a Foreign Office apprentice Katie is a Level 3 Business Administration Apprentice, working in the Project Task Force at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). My typical day at the Foreign OfficeI don’t think there is a typical day at the Foreign Office! I am based within the PTF (Projects Task Force). We work on time-limited projects on priority issues, covering all areas of the office. During my time in the department I have worked on projects within Crisis Management, Communications as well as a Minister’s Office, to name a few. On a daily basis, as well as project work, I also provide administrative support to the PTF such as helping with the project bidding rounds and providing updates on project resourcing and the department’s budget. I spend around 6 hours a week working on my apprent..

Skip to content Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon Minister of State (Minister for the Commonwealth, UN and South Asia) and Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Guest blogger for FCO Editorial 31st January 2020 Reflecting on 200 years of Antarctica Antarctica – the name conjures up images of extraordinary natural beauty, inhospitable conditions and heroic, sometimes ill-fated, human endeavour. These days, it might also bring to mind worrying images of the impact of climate change, as huge sections of the ice-shelf break away, and majestic Emperor penguins struggle to survive. It is hard to believe that, 200 years ago, this vast, white continent was unknown to – and untouched by – humankind. No-one is quite sure who actually sighted it first. Two men claim that prize: Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, an Estonian on a Russian naval expedition, and the Royal Navy’s Edward Bransfield, both of whom spotted it in late January 1820. Later that yea..

Skip to content Christopher Pincher Minister of State (Minister for Europe and the Americas) Part of Brexit 22nd January 2020 London Living in the EU: an update on your rights as a UK national An outreach event in Aarhus for UK nationals in Denmark, hosted by the British Embassy in Copenhagen.At the end of January, the UK will leave the EU. Although the UK will begin a new kind of relationship with Europe, your rights as a UK national living in the EU are protected for life. Our embassies are working with EU countries to ensure that you continue to get the support and advice you need. If you live in Ireland, your rights are already protected under the Common Travel Area agreement and you do not need to take any further action. What happens nextYou can continue to live and work in the EU as you do now because the Withdrawal Agreement (the ‘divorce deal’ between the UK and EU) protects the rights of UK Nationals already living in the EU, and those moving there before 31 December 2020. O..

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 16th January 2020 Vienna, Austria Great theatres: in London and Vienna Where in Vienna can you find a portrait of Elizabeth the First, which features also Romeo; Juliet; and the only known self-portrait of Gustav Klimt? A wise person has brought to my attention the depiction by Gustav Klimt on the ceiling of the Burgtheater, Vienna’s sumptuous theatre, of Shakespeare’s “Globe” Theatre. A painting of a theatre, on the ceiling of a theatre. Meta. When you look at the detail, it gets even better. You can examine the detail in cool and stupendous close-up at this co-operation between Google and the Burgtheater, (click 19 times to the right). Thanks to this digital technology, you see the painting at the link in far more detail than would be possible with the naked eye, from the steps below (I know, I’ve tried). You c..