In the spirit of looking back at the end of another year, here’s my selection of the best images I’ve been fortunate enough to see, take or select in the course of my work for DFID this year.
2013 has been an extraordinary year, in which I’ve been lucky enough (if that’s the right phrase) to travel to India, Jordan, Lebanon and the Philippines in the course of my work. I’ve met some extraordinary people in those places, living in some extraordinary conditions, from the baking heat of the deserts of Zaatari and Madhya Pradesh, to the exposed plateau of the Bekaa Valley and the humid devastation of Tacloban. I haven’t written about this as much as I might have liked – as evidenced by the only sporadic posts on this blog. And I might not have have published as many of the pictures I’ve taken as I’d have liked either. Hopefully some of them will come out in 2014 instead.
But these are some of the pictures taken by others that we’ve published on DFID’s Flickr stream and that have stood out for me – some of them taken by colleagues, some of them by NGOs or UN agency staff, and some of them by fantastic photojournalists. Oh, and one of my own (is that allowed!?)
All of them illustrate an aspect of the many people, countries and global issues that British aid plays a part in, and that helps to improve lives around the world. I hope you agree that they’re worth sharing. Please take a look at my development photos of the year 2013, a gallery on Flickr.
And happy new year – here’s to more fantastic photos in 2014!
Developing Pictures: Russell Watkins 