Global diplomacy vital for multilateral discourse: Secretary-General

Governments today face many challenges in engaging the global discourse that will contribute to the transformation of their countries. Global diplomacy is critical for all countries to address the changes in the balance of power across the world, said Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma.

He stated that a large number of states today, particularly small, developing states, are finding it harder to be represented in a global arena characterised by changing geopolitics and new challenges to security. The Secretary-General stressed the importance of partnership in diplomacy, to find solutions to global challenges that need to be tackled multilaterally.

He made these comments at the launch of a joint publication by the Commonwealth Secretariat and DiploFoundation on 1 June 2009 at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, UK.

The publication, Strengthening Voices of Small and Developing Countries – 10 Years of Diplomatic Training, profiles selected participants of the Commonwealth/DiploFoundation training courses in the past decade. The Secretariat had sponsored Commonwealth participants for the Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy conducted by DiploFoundation, mainly through online study.

The collaboration from 1999 to 2009 has helped to enable small and developing countries to better pursue their foreign policy objectives through diplomacy, and to participate more fully in the global community through international relations and enhanced global governance. In the past decade 360 participants from 28 Commonwealth countries benefited from DiploFoundation training, and among whom were 170 participants from 24 Commonwealth small states.

The Secretary-General commended the Government of Malta for its role in providing training opportunities for Commonwealth officials through the Commonwealth-Malta Third Country Training Programme, established by a Memorandum of Understanding between the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Government of Malta in 1995. He noted that Malta has a lot to offer in the sharing of its experiences as a member of the European Union through its multilateral negotiations. Mr Sharma said Malta demonstrates “the highest kind of partnership” with the Commonwealth in enhancing global diplomatic discourse.

Joseph Zammit Tabona, High Commissioner of Malta to the United Kingdom, pointed out that enhancing diplomacy can have a positive impact on co-operation and development, besides improving the personal and professional lives of the participants.

The Director of DiploFoundation, Jovan Kurbalija, said distance learning through online study via the internet has strengthened the participation of small and developing states in international relations. He added that the training programmes conducted by the institute that is based in Msida, Malta, are focused on capacity-building in addressing emerging issues such as climate change, food security, migration and the financial crisis.

Noting the heavy demands on the limited resources of small states which have small missions that require their diplomats to attend all meetings at the national and international levels, Mr Kurbalija said these diplomats have to be well-versed in a range of issues to ensure that their country’s interests are addressed at different negotiating tables.

“The aim of our training is to train experts in diplomatic skills. They learn how to negotiate, draft political documents, and present the interests of their countries in the best possible way. Faced with the need to deal with increasingly complex and technical issues in global affairs, diplomats have to rely on all possible resources. Online training is very often the only option for geographically dispersed staff in embassies worldwide,” explained Mr Kurbalija.

The training programmes at the DiploFoundation have benefited not only diplomats and government officials, but also individuals interested in diplomacy.

Alexis Lautenberg, Switzerland’s Ambassador to the UK, whose country is also a sponsor of the DiploFoundation, said diplomacy is “an indispensable tool, not only as a means of acquiring knowledge but also to develop competent skills to meet the challenges of a globalised world.”

Uchenna Okoli, a Nigerian graduate of DiploFoundation, felt that she had learned a great deal from the online training and hoped to use her skills in diplomacy to serve as a bridge in the building of ties with other countries. She had been prompted to take action and join the training by a burning desire to make her country and the world a better place.

Secretariat Links:

• Secretary-General

Related Websites:

• Diplo Foundation