During the year 2003, Czech diplomacy engaged in some multistakeholder practices. These arrangements took place during international conferences and through different features: consultations with non-governmental organisations and associations of others domestic actors in the Czech MFA’s delegation to international meetings.

To illustrate these multistakeholder arrangements within the Czech MFA’s activities, on the occasion of the Implementation Session of the Human Dimension of the OSCE, held in Warsaw (Poland) on 6-17 October in 2003, the Czech delegation had several consultations with non-governmental organisations (e.g. the European Roma Rights Centre, the Belarus Human Rights Education Centre).

In the same vein, during the OSCE Conference on Anti-Semitism (Vienna, 19-20 June 2003), “besides Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff, the Czech delegation also included experts from key institutions and associations dealing with the Anti-Semitism issue.”

The Czech MFA also works with non-governmental organisations within the framework of its humanitarian activities, providing financial and material humanitarian aid via non-governmental organisations.

The Czech MFA’s “cooperation with non-governmental organisations has been developed since the early 1990s” and is managed by the Department for Cultural Relations and Czechs Living Abroad, which “promotes the activities of non-governmental organisations and societies of friends with foreign countries, developing activities in the Czech Republic aimed at cooperation with foreign countries or the promotion of Czech culture abroad.” The Department for Cultural Relations also supports non-governmental organisations through financial resources. In addition and “in cooperation with the diplomatic missions, the Department also provides for contacts between representatives of nongovernmental organisations and foreign partners.”

Source: 2003 Report of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Summarised by Davidson William Assanvo, DiploFoundation intern, 2004.

Foreign affairs today are no longer only the concern of diplomats, analysts, or individuals involved in international relations. Thanks to the technological revolution and to the development of the media, public opinion worldwide is more informed and concerned about international issues. This reality is reinforced by the blurred frontier between foreign and domestic affairs. Indeed, Foreign Affairs influence the lives of domestic citizens.

The purpose of the FCO Public Diplomacy Strategy is “to inform activity by public diplomacy partners and identify a common agenda around which they can focus their collective efforts." The core objective of this strategy is to “understand and improve foreign perceptions of the UK.”

The target of this strategy includes specific actors in three main areas: major transitional countries (e.g. China, Brazil, India, Russia, South Africa), EU accession states (in Central and Eastern Europe), key Islamic countries (e.g. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia), major developed countries (e.g. Japan, France, Germany), and the USA.

To meet its objective, the strategy relies. among other operating principles. on a multistakeholder approach consisting of "working with others, including the business and diaspora communities and NGOs." In this context, the strategy is a platform on which all the disciplines and sectors of the UK have a role to play. Influencing the perception of the UK abroad is a collective effort.

The FCO Public Diplomacy Strategy is supported by an advisory Committee: the Public Diplomacy Strategy Board. The board is “responsible for formulating a national public diplomacy strategy to support the UK's key overseas interests and objectives." The board “includes the FCO Minister with responsibility for public diplomacy and senior officials from other Departments and organisations concerned with public diplomacy (British Council, British Trade International, BBC World Service, British Tourist Authority, Department for International Development and the administrations of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) together with external non-civil servant members."

Summarised by Davidson William Assanvo, DiploFoundation intern, 2004.

"The cooperation with NGOs is essential for Germany's foreign policy. While the delegations to the United Nations are representing their respective governments, information provided by NGOs is often welcome to assist in shaping a sound opinion on a variety of topics.

Therefore, Germany has attempted successfully to be elected to the NGO Committee of the United Nations' ECOSOC. As one of 19 members, Germany has been serving in the committee since 2000."

Source: German Foreign Office

The Institute of Civic Diplomacy is a Slovak organisation established with the aim to help and encourage progressive civic movements in target countries (for the year 2004 the target countries were Serbia, Belorussia, Cuba, and Uzbekistan). The Institute involves NGOs in the public policies of their respective countries. The domestic goal of the Institute is to strengthen the civic dimension of Slovak foreign policy.

MS Arrangements within the Slovak MFA

The Department of Analyses and Planning of the Slovak MFA can be looked at as an internal think tank, as the brain of the Ministry. In fact, under the direct authority of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, its overall objective is to elaborate analytical and conceptual documents, focussing on the priorities of Slovakia’s foreign policy. “The department also prepares support materials for domestic and foreign public presentations of a number of constitutional authorities in the field of foreign policy."

The Department is also responsible for “coordinating the cooperation between the Ministry and non-governmental organisations.” This role lets us suppose that there are probably relations or consultations between the ministry and the NGOs.

The Directorate-General for Multilateral Relations and Global Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Morocco is in charge of the country's relations with the United Nations, UN agencies, as well as Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations and Conferences. The Directorate is also responsible for the implementation of Moroccan diplomatic action within the framework of its relations with those organisations.

The Directorate-General is composed of two departments: the Department of the United Nations and of International Organisations and the Department for Multilateral Cooperation, and of one service: the Service of Candidatures and Contributions.