The development of communication systems and the globalisation of markets and information have deeply changed the foundations upon which relations between States and peoples are built. Complex economic and commercial interconnections have complemented more traditional political ties, thus amplifying the impact of events taking place in distant areas.<\/p>\n
The 21st-century diplomats have adapted their role to this new context. The watchwords today are interdisciplinarity, professionalism, expertise and communication.<\/p>\n
The diplomats\u2019 tasks and functions, however, remain the same: the first is, traditionally, to manage the country\u2019s international relations; the second, which is constantly growing, is to provide services to Italian and foreign citizens abroad.<\/p>\n
While managing international relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs helps to identify and define the national interest \u2013 be it political, economic, cultural or social \u2013 and, through its various structures, it acts as its advocate and implementer. At Missions abroad, officials gather information relevant to the national interest and report it to the government authorities, thus providing essential analytical tools for understanding the reality of the host country. At times, they also propose possible courses of action and promote the development of friendly relations. Today, these tasks require an ever-wider scope of action, increasingly deep-rooted contacts and, above all, ever-faster response times.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s diplomats need to interpret the ever-changing world around them and grasp the significance of events. They need to address political and economic issues, socio-cultural phenomena and strategic priorities with equal expertise, through a continuous process of analysis, careful and informed observation and reflection, as well as interpretation of reality. They need to be excellent negotiators, but also promoters of peace and understanding among peoples.<\/p>\n
Another particularly significant aspect is the growing importance of diplomacy in the service of citizens. The increasing mobility of Italians, whether as tourists or expatriates, the growth in trade and foreign investment, as well as the interest shown by foreigners in our country, are having an impact on the structure and remit of the diplomatic and consular network. Missions abroad are increasingly acting as service providers for a growing number of users: protecting Italian nationals abroad, facilitating voting abroad, assisting companies and issuing visas are just some of their key activities.<\/p>\n
Embassies and Consulates have now become hubs around which the Italian national system coalesces; they are the vanguard of Italy, showcasing the products of its companies, the ingenuity of its citizens and the beauty of its landscapes. They also represent the values of freedom, equality and respect for fundamental rights and the rule of law that underpin our Constitution and, at the same time, provide services to citizens, foreigners and companies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The development of communication systems and the globalisation of markets and information have deeply changed the foundations upon which relations between States and peoples are built. Complex economic and commercial interconnections have complemented more traditional political ties, thus amplifying the impact of events taking place in distant areas. The 21st-century diplomats have adapted their role […]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":30886,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-30890","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/30890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30890"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/30890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":186259,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/30890\/revisions\/186259"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/30886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}