Security is a fact of life in El Salvador. By which I mean that most people, most of the time, are either experiencing crime and violence directly; or the fear of crime and violence; or measures to protect themselves against crime and violence. There are around 21,000 in the national police service (PNC), which represents 3 police officers per 1,000 Salvadorians. The private security industry is thriving, and the army is also being called in to help the police.
Every day the Salvadorian newspapers carry stories of homicides and other crimes. Sadly, the newspapers and news websites back in the UK also focus much of their very limited coverage of El Salvador on stories about violence and insecurity.
So making sure that the right security measures are in place is an essential part of preparing the new British Embassy in El Salvador for its launch in May. But security measures like bodyguards, panic alarms and secure vehicles all come at a high cost – a cost that is also borne by new international businesses opening in El Salvador. Real and feared crime and violence are damaging prospects for greater international investment and economic growth here, as well as damaging people’s lives.
But there are also many in El Salvador, including politicians of all parties, who are working hard to make El Salvador a safer and more secure place to live and invest. The new British Embassy in El Salvador will also focus on security, both in El Salvador and from a regional perspective.
The British Government is already supporting several training programmes for Salvadorian police, including a community policing training programme in Cuscatlán, and a course for senior police directors that will take place in the UK in March. Each country from Central America, including El Salvador, will send two delegates to participate in the course, which will include sessions on human rights; community policing methods; counter-narcotics; and organisational management.
Scotland Yard and the Metropolitan Police in London are known worldwide for their expertise and excellence. The new British Embassy in San Salvador will continue sharing UK specialist expertise with El Salvador and SICA (Central American Integration System) in the coming months, to support their efforts in effectively tackling crime and violence throughout the region.

It was with great pleasure that I was able to participate at the unveiling of a revolutionary and truly game changing technology on Tuesday, with the Pentagon as the backdrop. On show was the “Phibian,” the newest high-speed amphibious vehicle from Gibbs Technologies. Gibbs has been on the cutting edge of high-speed amphibious vehicles for years now: you might remember Richard Branson, Founder and Chairman of Virgin Group, setting a new cross-Channel amphibious vehicle speed record in a Gibbs Aquada back in 2004.

The Phibian may not have quite the sleek lines of the Aquada—its convertible cousin—or all the gadgets of a Bond car (ejection seat and rocket launchers sold separately), but it is every bit as impressive. I don’t know whether it’s more accurate to describe it as a high performance truck that jets through the water or as a high-speed boat that can take on the highway. I saw the vehicle go from land to water with the push of a button and without missing a beat, then literally speed away from the shore. Besides being quick in the water, the real magic is that it can go up to 80 miles an hour on land. The secret behind the vehicle is having powerful jets and special wheels that are lifted back into the side of the boat once in the water—think something from Q’s 007 lab, or perhaps even the Batmobile.

Gibbs chairman Neil Jenkins touted the Phibian as purpose built for multi-mission first responders and the military. “Natural disasters in recent memory,” he said, “such as the earthquake and tsunamis in Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka and elsewhere in Asia—as well as the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans—illustrate the need for amphibians as capable, versatile and efficient as the Phibian.”

The story behind these awesome machines might be my favourite part. The founder of Gibbs Technologies, Alan Gibbs, studied at a New Zealand university founded by scholars from Oxford; went on to serve as a diplomat in London; and is now manufacturing his newest project in Detroit, along with other vehicles in the UK. It’s a shining example of the benefits we get from investing in education and skills training. Making Phibians and the other vehicles —advanced manufacturing if ever there were any—is the kind of high-paying, long-lasting job that will kick both our economies into top gear and get our heads back above water.

Last year, I hosted a reception for all Romanian graduates of Oxford and Cambridge universities. Mihai Razvan Ungureanu was the guest of honour. The other sixty or seventy guests were drawn from all quarters of Romanian life – business, academia, finance, civil service. When I graduated from Cambridge in 1991, there were no Romanians at my university. Now there is a thriving and growing association of students at both universities and of Oxbridge alumni. A testament to how far Romania has come, and to the reach of Oxford and Cambridge Universities. The motto of Mihai Razvan’s college in Oxford puts it very well – ‘Ad quattuor cardines mundi’ (“to the four corners of the earth”). Now including Romania.

I’ve been British Ambassador in Syria since 2008. But I first visited the country more that 30 years ago. Syria, I know well and like very much. That makes what has happened since March last year all the more horrifying and sad for me personally.

The UN says over 5,400 people have died in the last ten months, some of them under torture in prison.  Other groups – particularly those opposed to President Assad and his regime – claim the figure is much higher.  The Syrian regime tells us that these claims are exaggerated and that the world should look instead at the deaths of soldiers and regime forces.

Who’s right? People say that it’s no longer possible to hide the truth. Anyone can post a video on YouTube or a link on Twitter for the world to see. But sometimes this abundance of information can lead to confusion over detail, instead of informed debate and rational arguments over the facts.

Sometimes we focus too much on the abstract and not enough on what we see with our own eyes.

Over the long period of time that I have known Syria, I have seen the regime of Hafez Assad and his son Bashar in action.  The Assad dynasty was never a pleasant one to its people. I have seen the wounds of people released from prison. I have spoken to the families whose relatives have simply disappeared. I have heard from those who got a knock at 2am from the Mukhabarat (intelligence services) and were taken away for a still unknown affront to the Syrian authorities.

But even having witnessed Syria’s dark side, the violence and brutality I have witnessed over the last ten months shocks me.

From the very start of this unrest, the regime’s tactics were laid bare. On 15 March 2011 we watched as 40 Syrians lined up outside the Ministry of Interior on Merjeh Square in central Damascus to protest silently the arbitrary detention of their friends and family. They made no provocative chants and advocated no violence. They simply held up pictures of their friends and family members that had been held in detention for months or years without trial. It was a scene of dignified and peaceful protest.

After 10 minutes, the regime had had enough. Plain clothed security forces moved in en masse. We stood and watched as they beat innocent civilians with sticks and batons. No care was taken for the elderly, for women, for the young children.  All were treated with equal brutality.

This scene has been repeated time and again. In the main Umayad Mosque in central Damascus, I witnessed a small group of Syrians chant for their freedom – only to be beaten by regime thugs.

I have seen myself what this regime can do – and is doing relentlessly, and on a daily basis.

I tell the Syrian opposition at every opportunity to avoid the path of an armed resistance. But the sad truth is that violence begets violence. That is why it is important that all sides refrain from violence and that the regime allows a political transition instead of repeating its hollow promises of reform.

Without context, it can be hard to make sense of YouTube images shot on a mobile phone. It can be hard to understand why a man with a family in a town in Syria would decide to take up arms against his government. It can be hard to believe that over 5,000 people have been killed in ten months, or that torture is a regular occurrence in prisons, children brutalised and tanks and mortars used by the army against its own citizens. If I hadn’t seen for myself what the Syrian regime has done I would be asking these questions too.

But I have. And it is too shocking to ignore. That is why I am so appalled by the vetoing of the draft resolution, tabled by Morocco, which supported the Arab League efforts to resolve the crisis. The resolution did not impose any sanctions. It did not authorise military action. And at every stage we worked to accommodate the concerns of others. There was nothing in the draft to warrant opposition. Those opposed to it will have to account to the Syrian people for their actions and the horror of the unfolding tragedy.

It is time for the world to speak with one voice to condemn the violations of the Assad regime and support the Arab League’s efforts to bring a peaceful, Syrian-led solution to the terrible crisis that is unfolding before us.

Good manners in the UK dictate that ladies should go first, so the first post was by Ana Cecília Nunes, who won the journalism category writing with her essay on social media and democracy. Thiago Oliveira, winner of the foreign policy category,  is our second guest blogger. He wrote about the Arab Spring and democracy in the Middle East.

Foreign Secretary awarding Thiago Oliveira

As a conclusion to the Essay Contest on the theme of the Arab Spring, promoted by the British Embassy, I had the honour of receiving the award in the Foreign Policy category in a ceremony in Brasilia, on the 18^th of January.

The award winner in the Journalism category and I were chatting leisurely in a beautiful room at the official Residence, when the Foreign Secretary William Hague came to meet us. People surrounded us and watched our conversation while he asked us to summarize the content of our essays. Mine defended that the Arab world would be more stable if the Arab Spring could allow for the flourishing of democracies in that region, Secretary Hague pointed out that their relation with Israel is a special challenge, and we both agreed that stability would inevitably come in the long term.

After being encouraged to research and to write about a current international situation, having my article read and evaluated by highly regarded people, wining a trip to ever-vibrant London – all of this already constituted a unique experience. This shows a lot about British values and shows people’s openness to ideas. I would like to thank Ambassador Charlton and the whole Embassy team for their initiative, for the well organized and agile process and for the marvelous prize.

All this could have ended there and been a formidable moment. But, by the end of our interview, Secretary Hague absolutely surprised me by asking what I would do regarding Syria if I were the Foreign Secretary. I probably looked like panicking.  All of a sudden I was discussing, however briefly, themes on the Security Council agenda with the British Foreign Secretary! Writing the essay and winning the contest were special moments. Ending the process with this unexpected conversation just inscribed the whole experience in my mind for good.

I‘ve always been involved in sports, either participating or watching. Although originally from the Lebanon, I came to the Netherlands in 2002 and this is when I came into contact with a lot of people involved in sports and it made me think ‘why not me’.

After I watched the Paralympics in Athens in 2004 I said to myself ‘in four years time I want to be competing in Beijing’. I got into contact with some Dutch and German coaches and starting training with other athletes. As a hand biker I started to learn more techniques to move faster and more efficiently and saw progress – literally every week I got better.

During this very busy time in the 2-3 month run up to the Games I was working part time as well as combing this with a very heavy training schedule. But all that hard work paid off when I came away from the Games with two bronze medals – but I was a bit disappointed as due to illness and injury I felt I had not quite been able to perform at the top of my game. I was not deterred though and resolved to be better next time.

Being handicapped, it is most important to do a lot of sports and I hope my story will help to motivate others to be the position I am now. I am really looking forward to competing in London and I am feeling very excited about the prospect. It will be my 2nd Paralympics and I know it is my time to really give my all. For me it’s really the moment of truth to get the most out of my training. I have plans to see the course in London so I know what to expect.

In London 2012 hopefully my children will be there to see me. Thinking back to the time when I had my fall, I felt my world had been destroyed but through sport I saw a way out, I rebuilt my life and now I am in the privileged position of ‘Going for Gold’ and my message to you all is ‘life is too short, get involved , go for your ambitions 100%’.

One message I would like to convey is get individuals involved in sport. Elite sport is a serious business but “life is short so you have to make the most of it everyday”

The Olympic Games are steeped in history and symbolism, based on their origins in Ancient Greece.  This week the London 2012 organisers announced details of the Olympic Torch Relay in the UK.   Of course, the Torch will start its journey here in Greece, at Ancient Olympia, where the Olympic Flame will be lit on 10 May,  in a traditional ceremony which uses sun’s rays at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, among the atmospheric ruins of the home of the ancient Games.  Fortunately, this being Greece, you are almost certainly guaranteed sun!

Once lit Greeks will then take the Olympic Torch on their own relay across its mainland and the many beautiful islands familiar to UK visitors.  Though a Greek relay, there will be a UK flavour to this too, with both the second Torchbearer on the first day and penultimate Torchbearer on the last day chosen by London 2012.   The names have not yet been released and will  be a surprise to us too, but we’re told they will be “inspirational people” from the UK.  

Symbolically the Olympic Flame will then arrive at the site of the first Modern Olympics in 1896,  the Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens on 17 May.  During an evening ceremony the Olympic Flame will the be handed for safe-keeping to a representative of London 2012, ready for its onward journey to the UK.  I’m told that the flame has a special ceremonial lantern to travel in, and even has its own seat on the BA2012 flight that will carry it to an excited UK public.

The Minister for Europe was able to visit the impressive marble stadium in Athens and hear firsthand about the Handover ceremony from the Deputy Mayor of Athens, Eva Kontostathakou, and Denise Panagopoulou, of the Hellenic Olympic Committee.   His hosts even took him to the space on the museum wall, which is ready and waiting for one of the London 2012 torches.  The Minister’s visit took him through the tunnel where the first Modern Olympians (and ancient athletes) no doubt nervously gathered before competing on the stadium track.  Impressively the Stadium still allows early morning joggers to run around the track, and I’m hoping to persuade a British team out on the track to limber up for Sport Relief’s ‘Run a Mile’ in March.  The 70,000 stadium will be an impressive and emotive venue for the Torch Hanodver and we’re hoping that there will be may British people and those with an strong tie to the UK amongst the spectators for the ceremony.  

Check out the photos of the Minister’s visit on UK in Greece Flickr Album.

VSO Ethiopia operations began in 1997, with just 4 volunteers taking part in teacher-training colleges outside Addis. Since then, over 500 professional volunteers in total have spent between 1 and 4 years in Ethiopia. They’ve come not only from UK but from places such as Ireland, the Netherlands, Kenya, the Philippines, Canada and India. The diaspora are also getting more involved. VSO volunteers now work in almost every region of Ethiopia, in some very far flung places.

The volunteers mostly work in Ethiopia’s education sector, helping achieve lasting improvements in education management and teacher training. But there’s increasing VSO engagement in the health sector and soon in livelihoods work too. This is now the biggest national VSO programme in the world, just as Ethiopia is the British government’s biggest bilateral development programme.

 The Ethiopian government has made clear that it is highly impressed by the calibre of VSO volunteers. Their professionalism and commitment is impressive and their work is a key component of Ethiopia’s fight against poverty. And the volunteers have made real sacrifices to be here – agreeing to work unpaid; moving away from homes, families and friends; and living in challenging and different conditions. So I am happy to pay tribute to their valuable work.

One of the clear lessons of 2011 was that social media and the internet were no longer tools limited to changing the lives of people in the developed, democratic world. Tools that had radically altered the retail industry, changed the way people interacted with each other socially and challenged conventional news gathering took on new importance in the Arab Spring, as they become tools for democratisation and radical social change. They were tools for people to change their own lives, their countries, and history in the process.

A friend of mine, a journalist who has been reporting on the Middle East and broader Muslim world for a while now, recently blogged on how the debate on how communities and governments interact is changing. That got me thinking about the nature of this interaction. It’s something this Embassy, and the Foreign Office more broadly, is giving considerable thought to.

You could argue persuasively that the Arab Spring was an extension of the existing uses of the internet, not a radical departure. Even in the developed, democratic, world society has changed as a result of the internet. The proliferation of citizen journalism, with individual blogs, websites and internet campaigns, has challenged the dominance of the traditional media. It has also given governments round the world a new way to connect with the voters who give them their mandate.

We can communicate directly with, and be part of, the blogosphere, interacting with an audience in a way we couldn’t before. We do not have to rely on the traditional media to deliver our messages and we can bridge the democratic deficit between distant governments and discontented voters. This is of course an opportunity, in delivering services to British nationals (communicating in a consular crisis like the earthquake last year, from which we learned a lot of lessons), or connecting with foreign nationals to promote the UK, promote democratic change, or simply improve understanding (in other words – classic diplomacy).

Or, at least, that’s the conventional wisdom. What I think is interesting about the Arab Spring and the broader impact of change driven online across the world, is the potential it has not only for changing the relationship between citizens and government, but also for changing government itself. A government that simply changes how it delivers its messages might be missing the point. Might online society also change government itself?

As the online environment is not simply a different method of communication, but also a change in the way society functions, governments will have to redefine what they are, what they deliver for their citizens and how they operate. Can existing structures govern people in the digital age? Governments need to look at how we define our role and listen to voices online (and off) before deciding how to do so. This was in some ways the motivation for the Cyber Conference held in London last year – what role can we play in ensuring the right digital world for our citizens to live in?

We cannot just go on governing in the same way, but communicating digitally. We also have to think about how to govern digitally. The government’s work to make as many of its services available online as possible is part of that, and why we prioritise dispersing information through our website.

What do you think? Where does the future like for the relationship between people and their governments? Will the internet change the fundamental nature of government? Or do the services a government delivers change little, with only the way those services are delivered changing?

It astounds me to see that there are still some European households who today either do not have access to the internet or have access to very slow connection speeds. For example, in Spain and Italy more than 30% of the population have never used the internet before. Whilst in Poland only 40% of the population have access to an internet connection speed above 2 megabit per second – at which speed it takes almost an hour to download a film.

The UK Government is working with others to do something about this. We want the EU to complete its Digital Single Market. This involves simplifying the rules governing businesses and consumers who engage in online transactions, improving internet infrastructure to make surfing quicker as well as increasing online security to protect consumers.

The economic benefits accrued across the EU, once all these measures have been implemented will be significant. Consumers will have more choice, competition will increase and prices will fall. Businesses will have a larger consumer base to target, sell more and increase revenue. Completing the Digital Single Market will add on average about £3,500 to each EU household and boost economic activity across the region.

Robin Rickard, British Council Director, put it like this: “If it was a mistake, it was a very good mistake.” (That’s a talent I wish I had too.)

The Olympic Games should indeed be a Big Bang for London: an opportunity for Britain to be more visible, not only in sport, but also in urban development, architecture, environmental design, art and creative industries.

In January, Deputy Minister of Culture Ho Anh Tuan and I raised the Games Flag for the first time in Vietnam, at my Residence. You can see some pictures of this on the UK in Vietnam Flickr website.

The flag will be raised again on Saturday 11 February, this time in HCMC by Britain’s new Consul General, Douglas Barnes. This marks 200 days before the Paralympic Games, the origin of which lies at the famous Stoke Mandeville Spinal Injuries Centre, just 40km from London.

But an even bigger Bang is right here in Vietnam. Any foreigner can see how society and the economy are changing radically in a single generation. And Vietnam can begin to establish a major presence on the world stage.

Could the two athletes on the winners’ podium in Anh’s picture be Vietnamese?

Vietnam has won only two medals since first participating in the Olympic Games. But both medals were truly remarkable, given the modest level of financial resource Vietnam has at its disposal.

We can see just how remarkable, by calculating an index of “medals per GDP dollar” for each competing country. Thanks to Hoang Anh Tuan’s silver medal, Vietnam’s index was the second highest in South-East Asia at the 2008 Games in Beijing (after Thailand), and higher than many other countries including Japan and the US.

And who would not bet that Vietnam’s success and influence will increase as its economy grows? I hope Vietnamese Olympic and Paralympic athletes make a Big Bang in London too.

District Delivery Programme signing ceremony

On Thursday I joined Gov Mangal, Ministry Directors, District Governors and Councillors and 300 other local leaders to mark the growing success of the District Delivery Programme – a major initiative to connect national, provincial and district authorities to plan, budget and deliver services for ordinary people.  Mangal signed 40 DDP-funded contracts that day for health, education, agriculture and irrigation projects in Nahr-e-Saraj, Nawa and Garmsir.

The day before Mangal greeted the latest set of 2,000 graduates at Lashkar’s Gah vocational training centre – double the number of the inaugural class whose graduation I attended last September.  2,000 new students now take their place.  The same day Mangal opened a centre with places for 700 women.  Meanwhile 500 young people completed training in Gereshk.

2000 graduates at the Lashkar Gah vocational training centre

These are the building blocks for successful Transition:  effective systems of government to serve people’s needs, and access to education and jobs.  These two events also reflected the changing partnership between Afghanistan and its partners – Afghan systems and institutions, drawing on international donor assistance, but with foreigners increasingly in the background.

Transition requires capable Afghan security forces too – threats have fallen sharply since I arrived in 2010, but haven’t disappeared.  Last week illustrated that point as well, when an insurgent suicide bomb killed and injured several dozen innocent people – including three PRT staff.  The incident also showed the professionalism of Afghan security services.  It was Afghan police who swiftly cordoned off the area and evacuated casualties to a local hospital.  Thanks to their efforts, that was the first effective attack in Lashkar Gah in four months.

At the end of the week Ambassador William Patey came down to see the team and thank our security guards for their good work to evacuate staff caught in the attack.  He also discussed prospects for Transition with Maj Gen Toolan, and saw for himself in Sangin and the Upper Gereshk Valley the extent of change unfolding even in the most difficult areas of Helmand.

First, I attended the opening of the new global HQ of Australian company SAE Institute which runs 54 creative media training institutions in 26 countries around the world. The opening ceremony was performed by HRH The Duke of York, to the delight of staff and students. It was fascinating to chat to the group’s founder Tom Misner, who started as a session musician before building up this global business.    

I visited the University’s Pitt Rivers Museum of archaeology and anthropology, which has a world renowned collection of Australian indigenous artefacts. I met Christian Thompson one of the first two Aboriginal students to study at Oxford. He is working on his doctorate, with the support of a Charlie Perkins scholarship to which the British Foreign Office is contributing. He was a really impressive individual, already an acclaimed artist as well as an academic.

I also met the University Librarian Sarah Thomas, at the breathtakingly beautiful Bodleian Library to discuss an exhibition of rare Persian manuscripts which they will be mounting at the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne in March.

I spent the evening at Rhodes House, as guest of its dynamic Warden, Dr Don Markwell, who had invited 20 or so Australian Rhodes Scholars around for dinner. There are nine in each year, one from each state and three from an Australia-wide selection. It is an extraordinarily distinguished scholarship, and their predecessors include former PM Bob Hawke and current Opposition leader Tony Abbott. I really enjoyed chatting to the students, who combine high academic ability with wide-ranging extra-curricular interests. I was pleased to hear that they are having a fantastic time at Oxford, which will have a huge impact on their professional lives. I’m sure it will also leave them with an abiding affection for the UK.

http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/home/item/255440.html

Fiscal discipline is necessary. That much is clear from the Greek experience, and troubles elsewhere in the Eurozone.  But while the British and Bulgarian governments take tough decisions about public spending, they also need to promote growth.  How to do that with little money to spend?

The British Minister for Europe, David Lidington, raised this theme in Sofia yesterday.  He discussed it with President Plevneliev and Foreign Minister Mladenov, and suggested some ideas for boosting European growth at affordable cost:

1. Strengthening the Single Market.  Making it easier to buy goods and services in the EU – particularly online – could make the average European household €4,000 better off each year.

2. Opening Europe to trade. As well as finishing the Doha WTO round, Europe could conclude Free Trade Agreements with India, Canada and Singapore this year.

3. Reducing the burdens on business – especially small and medium enterprises. Microenterprises should be exempt from new EU regulations unless there is a strong reason to include them.

4. Boosting innovation.  President Plevneliev agreed and said that it cost nearly twenty times more to register a patent in the EU than the US.

These ideas, explained in more detail in the UK’s “Let’s choose growth” pamphlet, wouldn’t require government spending – but they would increase growth.

I spent my stroppy teenage years in Broadstairs and my mother still lives there. It’s a small coastal seaside town (where you are as likely to find yourself on a French mobile phone/cellphone server as a British one) on the tip of the Kent coast (a county Dickens’ described as place of “apples, cherries, hops and women”).

Dickens, like Anthony Trollope (also a Victorian novelist), is one of those figures who make me feel inadequate – having, for a time at least, managed to combine doing government type work with a genius for lengthy novel writing. I find being a civil servant more than sufficient to occupy me!

But it also strikes me how some of the issues that really worried Dickens remain key issues of the moment. He is of course best known for his concern about social inequality, and there is a critical discourse about this going on at the moment on both sides of the Atlantic.

He is less well known, perhaps, for his vehement arguments in favour of an international copyright (which really hit the zeitgeist on his trip to the US 170 years ago). His position at that time was that literature, like all imaginative creations, should not be regulated by law and commerce, and that the free availability of an author’s works would do more to enhance his reputation in the long term than the restricted circulation that copyright would create.

Of course, in the 21st century the parameters of the argument have changed a little, given how different the publishing world looks today. And yet, Dickens’ arguments are really what has been at the heart of the recent discussions about the recently defeated proposed US legislation – the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA). Both of these sought to expand the ability of US enforcement to fight online trafficking in intellectual property and counterfeit goods, but opponents successfully argued that the proposed legislation would threaten free speech and innovation.

Returning to Alec Ross’s arguments which I wrote about recently about the societal change brought about by social media and the internet, at the heart of this debate is how to balance protection of intellectual property (which is necessary for encouraging growth) versus innovation on the internet and preserving dynamic business models.

Danny Weitzner, the White House’s deputy Chief Technology Officer, told me and my EU counterparts that SOPA and PIPA would have damaged the internet ecosystem by creating uncertainty that could harm these innovative online businesses, and that the laws could adversely affect free speech. They are now looking at more specific, tailored legislation. Dickens would have been pleased.

It was also the worst of times to go to the UK. It was well below zero – considerably colder than Washington. I stepped off the plane, and shivered, finding, ironically, my DC clothes far too lightweight for the British climate. And I awoke on Sunday to find an attractive, if inconvenient, layer of snow covering the ground. And I return to my second city, DC, tomorrow, snow permitting.

Sixty years ago our countries were very different places.  We had emerged from the dark years of the Second World War. In our case of the United Kingdom this was an era of optimism.  A major Festival of Britain had celebrated economic recovery and hope for the future.  But in Central Europe, many countries including this one, had escaped one repressive regime only to come under the shadow of another ideology that would depress the human spirit and punish freedom of thought for several decades more.

Much has happened over those sixty years. Diseases have been conquered.  Man has climbed to the peak of Mount Everest and walked on the moon. Computers have become an indispensable part of everyday life.

Only the Queen’s great-great grandmother Queen Victoria has reigned over the United Kingdom for longer.  It is sobering to reflect upon the momentous events that have shaped history over the past sixty years. For my country those events included the rightful independence of many former colonies of a global British Empire and the growth of the 54 member Commonwealth. In Central Europe changes included the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Velvet Revolution and the events that swept former Warsaw Pact countries back into the family of democratic European nations.

People around the world recognise the pageantry and tradition associated with the British Royal Family. But throughout this time the Queen has also been a reassuring figure of continuity, wisdom and commitment to duty. As Head of State not only of the United Kingdom but also Canada and 14 other Commonwealth nations, she wrote in a message today “I dedicate myself anew to your service”. The BBC this morning quoted a friend of the Queen describing her in the words of a much loved hymn as a “still small voice of calm”.

The UK will celebrate the Diamond Jubilee formally over the first weekend in June, the anniversary of The Queen’s 1953 Coronation.  The weather should be warmer by then.

6 February saw the start of the celebrations of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, which will culminate this summer in a spectacular pageant on the River Thames in June. We can expect parties and fireworks, ceremonial and reflection on an extraordinary life devoted to public service. The Olympic and Paralympic Games in July and August will serve further to place Her Majesty and the United Kingdom in the spotlight. As Head of the Anglican Church, Head of the 54 member state Commonwealth of Nations, and Head of State of 15 countries across the globe, the celebrations in 2012 will be truly international.

Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh received in Audience by Pope John XXIII on 5 May 1961. ©Fotografia Felici, all rights reserved

Inevitably, though, the celebrations began with a moment of solemn commemoration. The time–honoured formula is: “The King is Dead, Long Live The King” , and Her Majesty must mark each anniversary of her own accession on a day that can only bring painful memories, that of the death of her father, King George VI.

I had the opportunity to reflect on the significance of 6 February in a brief article I wrote for the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, and in a separate interview for Vatican Radio. In the article, I cite Winston Churchill, writing to a friend a few days after the King’s death. He wrote: “We have sustained a terrible loss in the death of King George VI, who was a devoted and tireless servant of this country, and these are sad days indeed. But I am sure that in his daughter we have one who is in every way able to bear the heavy burden she must now carry.” History has borne this prophecy out.

 The Communications Officer of the British Embassy Hanoi, who is administering this new blog, told me that those born in the Year of the Dragon are “powerful, energetic and attractive”. As a dragon myself, this convinces me of her diplomatic skills.

I got a second opinion from the website viethoroscope.com, which claims to be “your number one source for Vietnamese horoscopes and zodiac signs”.  I was a bit taken aback to find dragons described not only as “synonymous with magnificence” and “intellectually phenomenal”, but also as “ambitious and quite egotistical”, with “a tendency to become megalomaniacs”.

Nevertheless there is something magical in being posted to a city named after a dragon, in a country whose people are said to be descended from a dragon.  Dragons are everywhere, from the roofs of the glorious royal tombs in Hue to the wonderful performances of the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre (above).

This dragon year will be particularly special for Britain. We will celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee (the sixtieth anniversary of her reign), and stage the London Olympic and Paralympic Games

And we hope to sign withVietnam, in London, an Action Plan for 2012.  This will help us to raise our Strategic Partnership to a new level.

I also read that a dragon is inclined to “make his or her opinion known and disregard any input from other people”. But that is not the intention of this blog, which I hope will not only give you some insight into the work of Britain in Vietnam and the role of the ambassador, but also allow us to benefit from your views. So do add your comments.

May this be a year of prosperity, security and love for you and your family.

This week I had the pleasure of both attending the inaugural global Cities Summit in Vancouver and hosting Gordon Innes, CEO of London’s promotional organization London & Partners. At the Summit’s Gala Reception, which I co-hosted along with the Mayor of Vancouver Gregor Robertson, we were able to pull together the interlinked and supportive themes of cities as centres of innovation, the strength of the Olympics as an economic and social catalyst and celebrate GREAT Britain.

Being in Vancouver when they hosted the 2010 Winter Games was an amazing experience. I saw firsthand the power the Games have on a city and on a nation. As we count down to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games, the UK is looking forward to showcasing the best of Britain not only in terms of sportsmanship but also in terms of the business opportunities that it presents.

It has been a remarkable journey since London won the bid to host the Games in Singapore six years ago.  Along this journey has come the ability to use the power of the Games to inspire lasting change for the UK and many of its cities and citizens. From the building of the Olympic Park (one of the largest urban regeneration projects in Europe), to ensuring the Games are the most sustainable yet and using the Paralympics to change attitudes and behaviours around disabilities. It truly is about harnessing all the opportunities that come with hosting the Games

Gordon was in town to speak on a panel on how London is approaching these opportunities.  During the summit he also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between London & Partners and the Vancouver Economic Commission. The MOU will further encourage and facilitate the two Olympic Host Cities to share lessons and knowledge about hosting the Games with an emphasis on future business and economic opportunities.

We know that 2012 will be a great year for London and a great year for Britain. Hosting an Olympic and Paralympics Games is an honour.  The signing of the Memorandum signifies the willingness of the two cities to work together for future benefit and share the challenges and opportunities that come with hosting the world’s most impressive global celebration of sport and culture!