Book launched at DiploFoundation conference

A new book on contemporary diplomacy - Multistakeholder diplomacy, Opportunities and Challenges - was launched Thursday by Foreign Minister Michael Frendo in the presence of DiploFoundation president, Professor Dietrich Kappeler and director Jovan Kurbalija.

The book, co-edited by Dr Kurbalija and Valentin Katrandjiev, is a collection of papers presented at Diplo's February 2005 conference in Malta. The authors share their perspectives based on their varying professional expertise, practical and research experiences.

The volume analyses the characteristics and mechanisms of the multistakeholder model and its applicability to modern diplomacy, international negotiations, development of the Information Society, and the Internet governance system.

Among the guests present were Dr Alex Sceberras Trigona and Ambassadors Alfred Zarb and Kishan Rana and other foreign dignitaries.

Dr Frendo said that multi-stakeholder diplomacy is an innovative method of diplomacy aimed at facilitating the equitable participation of all parties concerned in discussions on and debate over the particular issue or issues at stake. It is based on the principles of mutual recognition and trust and on shared expertise and information.

"In this respect, one needs also to acknowledge that the diffusion of Internet technologies is substantially facilitating the creation of non-hierarchical, bottom up arrangements for networking and the pooling of resources between traditional diplomatic and non-state actors," Dr Frendo said.

"This setting is increasingly facilitating network diplomacy which often develops into multi-stakeholder partnerships between governments, civil society and the private sector. The multi-stakeholder approach to diplomacy is not new to Malta. As a country with limited resources, Malta has made and continues to make the most of academic, business, and civil expertise to the greatest extent possible," he added.

This ability was clearly demonstrated when Malta began EU accession negotiations. These negotiations, which were demanding for even the larger countries, were comparatively more so for Malta. Moreover, the EU accession negotiations required more than the typical diplomatic negotiations as they affected all strata of society.

"From the offset, it was evident that Malta required a multistakeholder approach to the negotiations. A very complex exercise followed in which consultations were carried out on a national level, involving all those who had an interest at stake. The successful outcome of the EU accession negotiations also made a success of multistakeholder diplomacy," Dr Frendo went on to say.

The publication provides decision-makers in the diplomacy, ICT, corporate business, and international organisation fields with useful tools and skills to operate, both at national and international levels, in a highly diverse and dynamic environment involving not only governmental officials, but a wide range of non-state representatives.

The book will be of interest to practising diplomats and students of diplomacy and international relations, and also to people working in co-operation with ministries of foreign affairs, staff of non-governmental organisations, the business sector and academia.