Renewing a long-term cooperation for diplomatic training: Mexico, Malta, and Switzerland

Yesterday, Mexico, Malta, and Switzerland renewed their memorandum of understanding on diplomatic training. This cooperation was initiated by the Instituto Matias Romero (Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and DiploFoundation (established by Malta and Switzerland) some 11 years ago. Since that time, more than 350 diplomats have been engaged in diplomatic training. The two institutions also developed and delivered a course on Migration and Development.

The renewal of the memorandum of understanding was signed by H.E. Jorge Lomónaco, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the UN, H.E. Alexandre Fasel, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN, and H.E. John-Paul Grech, Permanent Representative of Malta to the UN in a ceremony in Geneva on 9 December 2015.

Alina Bassegoda, former distance learning coordinator of the Instituto Matias Romero (IMR), explained how the cooperation started:

After an intensive search for providers of online courses specializing in diplomatic practice and international relations, the Mexican diplomatic academy, Instituto Matías Romero, found DiploFoundation in 2004. Diplo’s variety of online courses related to the diplomatic activity, the high quality of its tutors and experts, and its commitment to technology and education, have led to an increasingly fruitful relationship between our institutions.

The first Mexican diplomats enrolled in Diplo’s online courses in 2004. In 2009, the cooperation led to the signing of the memorandum of understanding on online diplomatic training between Mexico, Malta, and Switzerland; this was renewed in 2013 and again now, at the end of 2015.

Both institutions have enjoyed and benefitted from the cooperation in diplomatic training. Diplo course lecturers have remarked on the high level of understanding of the Mexican diplomats enrolled in their courses, reflected in their insightful contributions to discussions. The participants themselves review the courses highly.

This course has been a great experience and a good opportunity to share different perspectives of various colleagues around the world regarding their economic diplomacy views and strategies, also, it was very enriching and certainly this helped me to have a broader and better understanding of the relevance of the economic diplomacy actions.

Daniela Medrano Gonzalez, Institute of Mexicans Abroad, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mexico, December 2014

In 2011, the Diplo-IMR cooperation was presented at the Annual Meeting of Directors of Diplomatic Academies. In 2013, Diplo made a presentation on e-diplomacy at the Annual Meeting of Mexican Ambassadors. In Geneva, the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the UN in Geneva and Diplo have cooperated, together with the missions of Korea, Indonesia, Turkey, and Australia, to organise two events on MIKTA diplomacy (the first in August 2014, and the second in April 2015).

Both institutions look forward to future opportunities for cooperation.