Breaking News:
Who can be a diplomat?
Our Response: everyone!
The challenge of addressing complex sustainable development issues - including climate change, forest degradation, and food security - have led to the emergence of a new type of diplomacy, known as Sustainable Development Diplomacy (SDD).
The Institute has developed the SDD model to spur stakeholder engagement in intergovernmental processes. This model offers an innovative approach to non-state actor participation in international policymaking processes, allowing previously ad-hoc mechanisms for stakeholder engagement in policy development and decision-making to become an accepted method of solutions to key global issues.
This model:
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offers a unique way for various stakeholders, in particular, under-represented communities and minority groups to work alongside current SDG intergovernmental initiatives,
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guides non-state actors in aligning their strategies with the SDGs and enhancing their contribution to sustainable development through public diplomacy activities,
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increases the ability of Sustainable Development Diplomacy practitioners to encourage real and lasting change in their areas of expertise and interest,
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demonstrates that innovative approaches to stakeholder interaction can be developed, tested, refined and for the public good, without risking the structures and processes of governments.
Whether you’re a public diplomacy practitioner or student, at the start of your sustainability journey or developing your next set of commitments, we’ve got useful resources to support your contribution to the Global Goals through public diplomacy.
You will receive a certificate in recognition of your contribution.
Everyone is encouraged to take part, as every contribution counts.
Unleash the potential of diplomacy in SDGs!
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 Diaspora and Food: Open Call for Contributors |  Gastrodiplomacy: Diaspora and Culinary Legacies. Case study of African / Nigerian culinary dishes. |
Looking to the Future: How Shifting External Environments Will Shape Civil Society Opportunities to Achieve Impact
Transformation of International Relations
The nature of international relations has undergone a significant change with the emergence of non-state actors and new processes that are shaping diplomatic practices and international affairs. In addition to the traditional international legal system, civil society stakeholders has become important participants of international law, with procedural rights, and specific roles in the implementation of international law. However, the perspectives of vulnerable populations, under-represented communities and minority groups in the international relations field are often disrespected, especially in tackling issues like poverty and inequality. The Institute is committed to ensuring meaningful, effective and informed participation of these groups as key stakeholders in issues that transcend national boundaries and cannot be resolved by any one country acting alone. Given the focus on new multistakeholder partnerships (SDG 17), the Institute is positioned as an affirmative alternative to state-directed or government-sponsored public diplomacy models. At the Institute, we created a unique model where public diplomacy does not compete with traditional diplomatic and international law approaches – it complements and strengthens it.
Future Role of Civil Society in IR
Civil society representatives play critical and diverse roles in societal development. These roles are evolving as the external environment for civil society continues to change. At the Institute, particular emphasis is placed on the contribution of civil society to building a resilient global system. It is therefore timely to examine the future roles of civil society and their implications for all sectors of society.
Public diplomacy practitioners seeking to understand the evolving functions of civil society amid ongoing economic, political, social, technological, and environmental transformations should recognize both the challenges and the emerging opportunities these shifts present. A deeper appreciation of these dynamics will be essential for public diplomacy practitioners to engage effectively with civil society actors and to harness their potential in shaping a more sustainable global future.
As nation-states re-emerge as central actors in diplomacy and world politics in light of increasingly existential threats, the future role and value of public diplomacy—both its limits and its potential—for civil society stakeholders must be made clear by foreign ministries.
Future Role of Public Diplomacy
As public diplomacy becomes more collaborative and increasingly focused on global issues, communication aimed at influencing outcomes on matters that extend beyond national borders will become an increasingly important aspect of public diplomacy.
Support to multi-stakeholder dialogues, including through services provided by public diplomacy practitioners, helps to combine and leverage the diverse roles and capabilities of a broad range of cross-sector, civil society, and other stakeholders, promoting their inclusive, meaningful, and effective participation in addressing SDG challenges.
The objectives of stakeholder engagement through multistakeholder diplomacy fall into the following:
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Engaging under-represented civil society actors in dialogue around key global issues through conferences and roundtable discussions ,
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Facilitating meetings of experts from the above-mentioned groups for stakeholder consultations to debate ideas, exchange knowledge and forge connections,
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Widening the engagement of diverse non-state stakeholders in international relations