02 February 2012

Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Q) held a reception welcoming diplomats from Cyprus, Lebanon, Japan and other U.N. member states to the SFS-Q building in Education City. High-school students from around the world participating in SFS-Q’s Model United Nations conference had the chance to network and learn from the diplomatic community in Qatar at this catered black tie event. The venue was the Atrium of the SFS-Q building, in which the flags of the many countries from which SFS-Q students originate line the walls.

The SFS-Q MUN Diplomatic Reception is an initiative designed to bring together young people studying the art of international politics for their model of the United Nations with professionals already heavily involved in politics in the global sense. As Qatar has become a prominent player on the international stage, many more countries are opening embassies in Qatar to attend to the needs of their nationals and to reach out to the new regional powerbroker.

Gilbert, of the Filipino embassy, noted that diplomats are increasingly specializing in areas of study within International Relations. For example, in the diplomatic service of the Philippines, many focus on Middle East affairs. With a high percentage of the Filipino population working abroad, especially within the GCC, the government moved to open an embassy in Qatar in the mid-nineties, creating a new space for regional experts like Gilbert.

Students had the opportunity to converse and take pictures with diplomats, and some were even invited to visit their country’s embassy during their stay in Doha. Language was no barrier, as a myriad of choices were instantaneously and naturally being made; some diplomats spoke to young people from their own country in their native tongue, while English and Arabic vied for status as the lingua franca of this multi-cultural function.

Students from Saint Joseph School in Lebanon spoke of the willingness of their diplomat in Doha to cover the details of the foreign service exam in Lebanon. She outlined the organizational structure within the service, from cultural attachés to first, second and third secretary. “There is no wasta,” she said. “Only 21 people passed the exam in my year, and they all entered the foreign service.” Students got a first-hand account of the inner workings of a functioning and highly professional mission in Qatar and a promise for a full tour of the newly built Lebanese embassy in Doha. “We are so ecstatic that we got to meet our diplomat here,” said one of the students from Saint Joseph.

This event allows the diplomatic community of Qatar to reach out to young and aspiring future members of the diplomatic class in a mentorship capacity. The access that these students acquire to high-level officials is unique, and the setting of SFS-Q allows them to contemplate next steps in attaining such a position. Many plan to study International Relations at SFS in Washington, D.C. or in Doha before sitting for their country’s foreign service exam.

The event capped an exciting week of MUN activities in which SFS-Q’s Dr. Mark Farha gave an inspiring keynote address to inspire the ambitious young students and Dean Gerd Nonneman welcomed them to take full advantage of this opportunity to learn everything that the weeklong MUN program had to offer.