Confessions of a Comms Officer visiting the UN

As the working day begins in midtown Manhattan, amidst the horns of yellow cabs, rising steam from the sidewalk, and overwhelming odours of Starbucks coffee, I report for my first day at the UK Mission to the UN.

Congo: on the edge

Donald Trump or Joseph Kabila? Which of these men will have the biggest impact on the world in the next year? Ok, so it’s probably Donald Trump. But Joseph Kabila could be close behind. He has the potential to prevent or create turmoil in the second biggest country in Africa and in the wider…

13 champions working to end the AIDS epidemic forever

It’s the second leading cause of death for adolescents around the world. It’s the epidemic that all epidemics are measured against.

AIDS is the silent killer that has taken the lives of more than 39 million…

Guilt, poison gas and Wilfred Owen revisited

Today the Security Council voted on a resolution seeking to hold accountable those who were responsible for the use of chemical weapons. The resolution failed because Russia and China vetoed it.

Are you still watching?

Aleppo, the UN, and the latest addition to my Netflix queue

Global mission to eradicate online child sexual exploitation

“When my time is up, have I done enough”?

On Saturday, I had the incredible privilege to see the penultimate performance of the original cast of ‘Hamilton’ in Manhattan…

Breaking the silence

Ending the stigma of sexual violence in conflict

The Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) is now in its fifth year. When the UK Government launched the Initiative, Sexual Violence in Conflict was rarely talked…

“We had a chance today to help those people, to stop the bombing, to let aid in. We have once again failed, but we must keep trying until we succeed.”

Statement by Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, UK Permanent…