Training Programme 2010

Multilateral Diplomacy Programme

Background

An effective United Nations requires the full and meaningful participation of all Member States to respond to the wide range of concerns and challenges before it. The World Summit Outcome recognizes the valuable role of the major United Nations conferences and summits in economic, social and related fields, and reaffirms the “vital importance for an effective multilateral system….” It is against this backdrop that the Institute has been working closely with Member States and a number of other partners to strengthen the capacities of diplomats and other government officers in multilateral diplomacy, particularly in view of increasing performance in conferences and meetings of the United Nations and regional organizations.     

Objectives

The Multilateral Diplomacy Programme aims to: 

  • Develop knowledge, awareness and core skills of diplomats based at the United Nations Headquarters and Offices (New York, Geneva, Nairobi and Vienna) and in selected cities hosting the regional commissions, and foreign affairs and other government officers engaged in diplomacy and UN-related matters at the country level; 
  • Contribute to the development of multilateral diplomacy training and training capacities of foreign service institutes and academies worldwide; 
  • Develop and disseminate training-related tools to support the work of diplomats in the multilateral working environment.

Activities 

Together with the UNITAR New York Office, the Programme designs and delivers the Institute’s core diplomacy training (CDT), consisting primarily of orientation briefings and short, intensive skills development workshops, which benefit cumulatively some 2,500 diplomats yearly at the United Nations Headquarters and other venues where the Organization maintains a significant presence.

Parallel to CDT, the Programme develops and delivers customized training activities country and regional levels in close partnership with national training institutes, universities and selected international organizations. In 2005-2006, the Institute expanded the Programme’s activities to include e-Learning; advisory services related to the curriculum development of diplomatic academies; and the development of other training tools, including the much acclaimed Glossary of Terms for UN Delegates and a CD-ROM training package on accessing and disseminating UN documentation.   
 
The Programme actively tracks new policy trends and processes, and creates innovative capacity development opportunities in close collaboration with strategic partners.  
 

Content and Methodology

The content of the Programme’s training includes delegate briefings on the Geneva and Vienna multilateral working environments and the structure and functioning of UN organs and other bodies (e.g. Security Council, Main Committees of the General Assembly, ECOSOC, Human Rights Council, Peacebuilding Commission); skills-strengthening workshops (e.g. conference diplomacy, effective negotiation at the UN, drafting resolutions, effective chairing of international conferences, intervening and public speeches, report writing); and awareness-raising events (e.g. access and retrieving UN documentation, rules of procedure of UN conferences and bodies).

In developing and delivering its training, the Institute employs a variety of methods, including
 
  • concept learning (presentations, visual aides, short lectures);
  • role-playing (simulations and gaming exercises);
  • real-world exposure (case-studies, videos, internet broadcasts); experience-sharing (discussion group assignments, practitioner panels);
  • and personalized feedback, including video performance assessments.

The combination of these methods enables the Institute’s beneficiaries—many of whom have not had prior training exposure—see experience hands-on and practical solutions to challenges facing today’s conference delegates.  

Targeted Audience

The Programme’s projects and activities reach out primarily to: 

  • Junior to senior-ranking diplomats;
  • Government officials from specialized ministries who are engaged in various facets of multilateral conferences and UN affairs; and
  • Staff and trainers of diplomatic academies and foreign service training institutes.