New Tools for a New Global Order The international environment is changing rapidly as new technologies shape and enhance the engagement of both state and non-state actors. At the same time, the relative decline of US hegemony has driven instability and conflict, from which old geopolitical agendas have re-emerged.  Diplomats and Diplomatic Services, under ever […]

What Lies Ahead for Public Services: Public Service Excellence and Post-2015 Development Agenda In keeping with our focus this weekend on the Post-2015 agenda, another event worth reflecting on was the workshop ‘Public Service Excellence for the Post-2015 Development Agenda’ which brought together over 80 participants from 33 countries. Co-sponsored by the UNDP Global Centre […]

  Over the next two days FromOverHere are present at the King’s College London conference Post-2015 Development Challenges in Conflict Zones. The Post-2015 agenda is an area of particular interest for Cat, and she has been making notable contributions to the debate surrounding the advent of the new sustainability goals. In September 2014, Cat participated […]

    Reflections on the UNDP Public Service Excellence and the Post-2015 Development Agenda workshop in Singapore, 17-19 November 2014.   I’m keen to share some insights from an event I recently attended. I was invited to the UNDP Global Centre’s three day ‘Public Service Excellence and the Post-2015 Development Agenda’ workshop in Singapore to facilitate […]

On November 12-13 Cat participated in a round-table discussion in the lead up for the World Humanitarian Summit of 2016 in Geneva. The World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) is an initiative by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to improve humanitarian action. Through the two-year consultation process, the aim is to build a more inclusive and diverse humanitarian […]

Earlier this year, Wikistrat ran a three-week long crowdsourced simulation to map the opportunities available to an independent Scotland, risks it might face and the likely trajectories it could take as a new state. Cat was the supporting lead analyst for this project.

There will be few people reading this blog that will not have heard the expression ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me’. A truism perhaps in a family setting but not a maxim that international diplomats necessarily subscribe to. Therefore, there was some irritation when at the G20 meeting […]

On Thursday 29th August 2013 at around 2230 hours the British Prime Minister (PM) lost a vote in the British parliament. Not for the first or last time to be sure but in this case the government motion being debated concerned the PM’s ability to conduct foreign policy – for the United Kingdom to join […]