Staff of different government ministries got first hand training on the basics of contemporary diplomatic practice at the Public Service Centre for Training and Development (CTD) in Suva today.
Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola opened the week-long training, which is a recommendation and a key component of the Foreign Affairs Decree.
He said the objective of the diplomatic course was to present realities of contemporary international relations and to explore the means available to States to pursue their national interests through effective international diplomacy.
“It is for this reason that training of diplomats has become important and trainers and participants of diplomatic training need to know the very important general conclusions about contemporary diplomatic training practice,” Ratu Inoke said.
“Diplomatic training can no longer be considered an optional extra. The world-wide norm is to see it as an indispensable professional education in order to equip national representatives with competitive skills in an increasingly globalized international environment where diplomacy has become a virtual growth industry.”
Ratu Inoke added the training required regardless of the seniority, expertise, experience and academic qualifications of foreign ministry recruits, as a professional equalizer and in recognition of the unique skills and knowledge required by the diplomatic profession.
In addition, the spouses of all government officials who will be posted to missions abroad need orientation too, as they will be contributing in countless ways to the success of our diplomatic endeavors.
“Diplomatic training can no longer be restricted to officials who embark on a diplomatic career through the Foreign Service. The primary carriage of Fiji’s Foreign Policy may lie with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but every other ministry in the government machinery has a role to play in Fiji’s international relations,” Ratu Inoke said.
The Public Service Commission organized the course on ‘Fiji’s Diplomacy: An Introduction to Policy and Practice’ in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Fiji’s Ambassador to Japan, Korea, Russia and the Philippines, Isikeli Mataitoga is the moderator for the course and Ratu Inoke said the wealth of knowledge of the former judge would become a prerequisite for grooming of Fiji’s future diplomats who will serve in overseas missions.
The minister said the training needed to be a continuous process so that diplomats who were trained would inevitably need retraining at some or other point in order to keep abreast of changes in the global arena.
Through the course, participants will explore in detail the changing world of international diplomacy, challenges for foreign services and the emergence of new power centers in world politics.
“Technological advancements in communication, transportation and economic interdependence of world economics have brought events far away from our national border closer to home, and emerging issues that do not respect borders mean that these events occurring far away can affect our security and well-being at home,” Ratu Inoke said.
“New and unforeseen items appear onto the agenda of international diplomacy such as terrorism, global financial crises and climate change.
“The gap between what used to be national and global interests is rapidly closing.”
