The UfM Secretariat promoted Economic Diplomacy for Young Diplomats in the Region and Beyond

• Within the framework of the 2024 Summer School for Young Diplomats held in Montenegro, the UfM Secretariat hosted a Workshop on Economic Diplomacy bringing together high-profile keynote speakers.
•  The Summer School saw a record participation with young diplomats from 46 countries from the UfM Region and beyond.

23-28 June 2024, Kolaši and Podgorica (Montenegro). Building on the first edition of the UfM Seminar: Economic Diplomacy as a lever for regional integration in the Euro-Mediterranean which was co-organised with the Policy Centre for the New South (PCNS) (Rabat, 20-21 July 2023), the UfM Secretariat is organizing a workshop titled “Advancing Common Interests on the Global Stage” within the framework of the 17th Summer School for Young Diplomats co-organised by Montenegro, the United Nations Developmetn Program (UNDP) and the UfM Secretariat from 23 to 28 June 2024.

The Summer School brought together young diplomats from the European Union and from non-EU UfM Member States, together with government officials, policy analysts, academics, researchers and senior diplomats from the region. This year’s edition saw a record in number of participating countries, amounting to 46 countries represented.

The Workshop on Economic Diplomacy tackled four interrelated questions, namely:

• How can economic diplomacy work around regional conflicts and disruptions to deliver economic value for the UfM region and enhance Job creation and ensure economic prosperity for our Countries?
• How can economic diplomacy help the UfM region face the US-China polarization of the Global Economy? What lessons we can learn from other sub-regions in this regard?
• What key skills are lacking among young diplomats in order to be equipped to engage fully in economic diplomacy?
• What are the best practices from economic diplomacy in the Maghreb region that can we build on and replicate in others UfM Countries?

Apart from the UfM Economic Diplomacy Panel, the Summer School comprised a series of lectures and workshops featuring senior diplomats and university professors from Georgetown University, Boston University and Cambridge, among others. The lectures addressed a broad array of topics that included Democracy in the Age of Cyber Threats, Negotiation and Mediation, Opportunities and Challenges in Digital Interconnectivity, Bridging the Gender Gap in Diplomatic Work, and the Impact of the Election Year on the World Order.

Multiple study visits were arranged to museums and galleries in Cetinje, Kotor and Podgorica, in addition to cultural visits to other sites famous for their intangible cultural and natural heritage (Vranjak Village and Biogradsko Lake). The School offered a space for dialogue amongst the diplomats participating in its activities, encouraging networking and informal thematic discussions.