DIPLO Blog

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..

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 ..

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..