In October 2009, deep in the jungle in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, I visited a small village where 40 brave UN Peacekeepers from India were ‘protecting’ the villagers from the armed groups who were killing and looting across the region, and from their National Army who were, then, probably as guilty as the groups.…
Today in Tokyo I will deliver a speech to the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Business leaders here have questions about the future of the UK. And this matters. UK exports to Japan are just under £10 billion; Japanese investment in the UK is the highest in the EU; and 1300 Japanese firms employ…
Faith Shongwe is from Swaziland. She lives in a remote rural village and her life – and her family – have been fundamentally changed by the impact of HIV/Aids. But she is determined to build an independent income for herself and end the cycle of dependency that drives down her and her friends. She wants…
After arriving in the Philippines and a day of briefings with my hosts Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) Bahaginan and Beyond 2015, I will spend the weekend in Tacloban on the island of Leyte. This is where Typhoon Haiyan caused most damage in November 2013, killing over 6000 across the Eastern Philippines and displacing 400,000. I…
I attended a moving and powerful Holocaust Memorial Day Ceremony yesterday. This annual event provides a focal point around the world to remember the horrors of Auschwitz, Kristallnacht and the March of Death. Holocaust Memorial Day events also recall the genocides since: Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur. Survivors spoke of their losses, and of their…
