Outstanding British food and drink in Vienna0

• DIPLO Blog
• 17th September 2019

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
17th September 2019 Vienna, Austria
Outstanding British food and drink in Vienna ‘You should try this English sparkling wine.’
‘Really? Is it any good?’
‘Try some. Make your own mind up.’
‘OK.’ (Long pause.) ‘Wow. Can I have a couple more glasses?’
Our annual Queen’s Birthday Party at the residence in Vienna is not only one of the city’s hottest tickets (apologies, again, to all those we are not able to invite) but also a great opportunity to showcase some of the best food and drink on the planet.

British food and drink exports are booming. In the first quarter of 2019 they were up 10.7% to £5.8 billion (EU: 9.9%, non-EU: 12.2%). Top products included whisky (up 19.2% by value); salmon (40.5%); chocolate (5.9%); cheese (15%); wine (19.7%) and gin (29.6%). Total food and drink exports in 2018 were £22.5 billion.
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Disarmament blog: the Conference on Disarmament in 20190

• DIPLO Blog
• 16th September 2019

Skip to content Aidan Liddle
UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament
Part of Conference on Disarmament
16th September 2019 Geneva, Switzerland
Disarmament blog: the Conference on Disarmament in 2019 The Conference on Disarmament (CD) adopted its Annual Report to the UN General Assembly last week. Thanks to the skilful work of the sixth and final President for the year, Zimbabwean Ambassador Taonga Mushayavanhu, this was a quicker and much less fractious process than many of us were expecting. With that, a week ahead of schedule, the 2019 session of the CD came to a close.
It’s difficult to feel anything other than disappointed with the CD’s work this year. As I wrote on this blog in March, the CD’s failure under our own Presidency to adopt a decision establishing Subsidiary Bodies and Special Coordinators meant that the momentum from the 2018 session was lost. And although the row over the legitimacy of the Venezuelan Presidency wasn’t as disruptive..

Sudan: A New Dawn0

• DIPLO Blog
• 4th September 2019

Skip to content Irfan Siddiq
British Ambassador to Sudan
4th September 2019 Khartoum, Sudan
Sudan: A New Dawn Protestors took to the streets of Sudan in December 2018 calling passionately for change. Their persistence led in April 2019 to the removal of former President Bashir. But what followed was not civilian rule but a tense period of political negotiations and sometimes confrontation with the Transitional Military Council that assumed power. This period saw many ups and downs, with the massacre of so many innocent protestors on 3 June the worst point.
But the vision and commitment of the Sudanese to building a new Sudan, civilian-led and based on the revolutionary slogan of “freedom, peace and justice” never wavered. Last month we eventually saw the conclusion of the transitional political agreement, the formation of a civilian majority Sovereign Council and the appointment of a civilian Prime Minister. These are momentous achievements. They will define the coming period in Sudan..

In praise of London’s parks0

• DIPLO Blog
• 3rd September 2019

Skip to content Paul Brummell
Head of Soft Power and External Affairs Department, Communication Directorate
3rd September 2019 London,UK
In praise of London’s parks Brasilia’s City Park, named after Sarah Kubitschek, the spouse of the President responsible for the founding of the city in the late 1950s, covers an area of more than 900 acres. It has some impressive features, including modernist toilet blocks decorated with ceramic tiles from Brazilian master Athos Bulcao. I was intrigued to see that, courtesy of an organisation called Seminovos, promoting running among the over 50s, it also boasts its own anthem, entitled “Liberty”. Refrain: “Liberty, where do you live? I’m here, I live in the park.”
While Brasilia’s City Park impresses for its size, I’ve found few urban parks around the world to rival the finest of London’s parks. Here’s my modest attempt at, if not quite a stirring anthem, at least a piece of poetry in their honour. It may perhaps be closer to McGonagall than Byron, ..

Disarmament blog: back to school0

• DIPLO Blog
• 2nd September 2019

Skip to content Aidan Liddle
UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament
Part of Conference on Disarmament
2nd September 2019 Geneva, Switzerland
Disarmament blog: back to school As August turns to September, the traffic jams return to Geneva and the evenings start drawing in. People start returning from the beaches or mountains. It’s ‘back to school’ time.
In fact, the disarmament community has been back at work since 29 July, when the CD resumed its 2019 session. So I feel like I’ve been back at school for a month already, not least because August is the time for two important sets of experts’ meetings. I’ve got a lot out of listening to and learning from the impressive array of expertise on offer.
The first was the Meetings of Experts (MX) of the Biological Weapons Convention, looking at various scientific, technological and institutional aspects of how the Convention operates. There were presentations from national experts, researchers and internati..