Diplomacy and World Affairs; An essential set of skills to craft your future.

The world is changing faster than at any time in human history. The trajectory of globalization has suddenly taken a different turn with protectionism emerges over inclusion. The world is facing the greatest humanitarian crisis with one in every 122 humans is now either a refugee, internally displaced, or seeking asylum. We are going through a rapid lifestyle change. As a consequence, for the first time in two centuries, the current generation of children in some parts of the world is likely to have shorter life expectancies than their parents. Despite the advancements in science and technology, infectious diseases such as AIDS together with emerging resistance to antibiotics pose a significant public health threat with a potential of wiping out the entire younger generation of some countries in the African continent. Enduring wealth gap is one of the biggest threats to inclusive growth and development of the world. The gap between rich and poor is reaching new extremes and it is revealed that the richest 1% have now accumulated more wealth than the rest of the world put together.  

One has to critically consider this global phenomenon when crafting his or her future. Neglecting an opportunity of gaining a new set of skills on global affairs would therefore make the individual nothing but a victim of inevitable consequences of rapidly changing world. In contrary, acquiring a special set of skills on global affairs would help one to excel in their carrier progress despite all the odds around us.

More often, people pay less attention to gain knowledge on world affairs. Others follow the conventional approaches investing time on international news which hardly helps gain an analytical skill. The only way to accomplish such a task is to embark on a systematic learning process on diplomacy and world affairs.

Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute (BIDTI), established in 1994 under the guidance of the then Prime Minister, the Late Madam Sirimavo Bandaranaike is a gate way to study Diplomacy and World Affairs in a systematic way.

The training programmes offered by the institution are highly focused on providing professional skills and encouraging discussion on global affairs covering a wide range of fields such as Diplomatic Theory and Practice, International Law, International and Regional Organizations, Current Global Issues, and Sri Lankan studies.  The collaboration with the Department of International Relations of the University of Colombo provides a further opportunity for prospective candidates to enroll in postgraduate courses.

The BIDTI has a panel of eminent resource persons comprising of academics, professionals, Ambassadors (present and retired) of Sri Lanka as well as of other countries, visiting scholars and professionals from the public and private sector. Special guest lectures by Ambassadors and High Commissioners accredited to Sri Lanka have become a regular feature at the BIDTI, as it gives a good opportunity to disseminate information on foreign policy of their countries and other attributes.

Gaining knowledge and acquiring a skill on diplomacy and world affairs would certainly provide a competitive advantage for any professional to grasp best opportunities, excel their carrier progress and craft their own future the way they wanted. 

By Dr. Sanath Mahawithanage. 

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and not the institutional views of the BIDTI, nor do they necessarily reflect the position of any other institution or individual with which the author is affiliated.