DI receives 13 MoFA diplomats for newly launched Executive Master’s programme

THE Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI), which has launched the Executive Master of Diplomatic Studies and International Cooperation Program for the academic year 2020-2021, received the first batch of 13 diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in Qatar, under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the institute.

As part of the School of Public Administration and Development Economics (SPADE), the new programme aims to provide the opportunity for employees working in the diplomatic corps and international cooperation, official representations in regional and international organisations.

It also seeks to integrate official envoys and international mediators from Qatar into the world of international and diplomatic relations, in addition to providing them with the tools of written diplomatic work (international law and treaties), and unwritten international norms towards serving the national interest of Qatar in its bilateral and multilateral relations.

In her remarks, Dr Hend Al Muftah, vice president of Administration and Finance at the institute, stated: “The programme is one of its kind in Qatar and the Gulf characterised by academic and global partnerships, which will contribute to creating a generation of Qatari diplomats who are fully conscious of their country’s future and aspirations.”

Al Muftah urged students to take advantage of the benefits the institute offers them, whether at the level of relations and visits, or at the level of scientific and academic research, through cooperation and coordination with experts in the diplomatic research field.

Dr Hamid Ali, dean of the School of Public Administration and Development Economics (SPADE), said that the programme is based on a combination between a theoretical track that comprises three main areas: foreign policy, diplomacy and international law. Whereas the practical track aims to activate what is at the core of the theoretical course through mechanisms that move the learner from the horizon of reception to the space of self-learning and peer learning. Furthermore, to identify the work of international organisations through field visits, and networking with distinguished expertise in diplomatic and policy-making professionals, who will join the programme as visiting lecturers to enrich students’ knowledge and refine their experiences.

“The students will study in-kind cases to deepen understanding of foreign policy tracks, its implications and analyse the lesson learned, as well as pay field visits to give a practical dimension to the theoretical perspectives that establish international cooperation and conflict resolutions”, he added.

Dr Marwan Kablan, academic supervisor and head of Policy Analysis Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, said: “The programme stems from a broad understanding of diplomatic practice as one of the tools that states resort to in managing relations and serving interests outside national borders in times of peace, crises and wars alike.