The articulate diplomat’s best friends: book donations to the Myanmar MFA

DiploFoundation recently was honored to contribute tangibly to the growth and development of diplomacy in Myanmar through a donation of multiple copies of 16 titles (in both print and e-book format). The books were handed over to the Myanmar Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. U Wunna Maung Lwin by Swiss ambassador Mr Christoph Burgener at a ceremony in the Union Minister’s office in Nay Pyi Taw on 21 March 2014.

The gift was warmly received by the Minister, who, in his letter thanking the Swiss government and DiploFoundation, expressed his assurance that this gift would be used especially for the ‘young generation of diplomats who can benefit from reading such updated literature’ while noting his satisfaction with 57 years of bilateral relations between the Swiss government and his country. His Excellency also remarked that the book donation coincided with this anniversary and was thus a hallmark event.

In an accompanying message, DiploFoundation Director Jovan Kurbalija stated: ‘Books cover various facets aimed to help diplomats to adjust to the fast-changing world in negotiations and the use of technology, among other areas.’ This project will be followed by another cooperation involving Myanmar diplomats in the Asia-Europe Public Diplomacy Training Initiative. This joint effort, through the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), DiploFoundation, and the National Centre for Research on Europe (NRCE) at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand is a practical training aimed at strengthening diplomatic relations between Europe and Asia. The focus of the course is on public diplomacy; it provides skills-oriented training using toolkits developed by expert public diplomacy practitioners and senior diplomats.

DiploFoundation is looking forward to future capacity development and training activities with Myanmar.