International Forum on Diplomatic Training : 40th Meeting of Deans and Directors of Diplomatic Academies and School of International Affairs, Baku, Azerbaijan
The 40th Meeting of Deans and Directors of Diplomatic Academies and School of International Relations was successfully convened from 26 - 30 September 2012 at Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA), Baku, Azerbaijan.
The forum was jointly organised by the Vienna Diplomatic Academy, Austria and Georgetown University, United States of America together with Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA), Azerbaijan. The Forum was officiated by His Excellency Dr. Hafiz Pashayev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Azerbaijan and Rector of ADA and followed by brief remarks from Dr. Paula Newberg, Director of Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University.
The 40th Forum saw the participation of more than 90 directors and representatives of diplomatic academies of more than 60 countries covering all regions such as Afghanistan, Albania, Argentina, Austria, Canada, United Kingdom, United States of America, France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, Qatar, Russia, South Africa and Kenya. This year Forum has registered an increase number of participation as compared to the 39th Forum which was held in Boston, USA in 2011.
The Malaysian delegation was led by His Excellency Dato' Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari, Director General of the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia.
Themed at "Diplomatic Training in the 21st Century : Sharing Experiences and Meeting New Challenges", the 40th Forum discussed issues on diplomatic training, as well as global political issues and its impacts on the design of modules for diplomatic training. The Forum was conducted in several panel discussions themed at various topics namely, diplomacy of small states, energy diplomacy, landscape changes of world politics, evolution of regional organizations and environmental issues. There were also three (3) parallel optional thematic workshops namely, "eDiplomacy Training - Hype and Reality', "Content-Based Language Instruction for Diplomacy" and "Using Reality in Training for Diplomats in Negotiation". During the three-day forum, the participants were also taken for a tour to the Old City of Baku.
The forum was officially closed by His Excellency Dr. Samad Seyidov, Chairman of the Azerbaijan's Parliament Committee on Foreign Policy.
