On my return to Leyte, I was unsure what to expect. The island was the most affected by Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013 and on my last visit in February 2014, the population were still in shock. Beyond the main streets debris still covered land and buildings; huge shops thrown onto the…
For 45 years, the UK has debated achieving the ODA target of 0.7% of GDP/GNI set out in UN General Assembly Resolution 2626 in 1970. In 2013, with cross-party agreement at last, the UK became the first of the G8 states to achieve that 0.7% target. And on Friday 12 September 2014 164 MP’s across…
Today is a big day in a big year. In 2015 the UN will celebrate the significant if incomplete success of the Millennium Development Goals and agree a new set of goals – the Sustainable Development Goals – as the engine for development over the next fifteen years. And today action2015 has been launched around the world to mobilise groups…
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…
Listening diplomatically while asking tough questions that must be answered is never easy. So, confronting Congolese rebels with accusations of recent sexual violence during a dialogue about long term solutions and peace was a test for me on Saturday. But the opportunity to hear up close the grievances of some of the M23 rebels, and…
