Thousands of official and unofficial, formal and informal meetings take place at the United Nations and its related bodies and agencies. Representatives within the United Nations system as well as from governments and other bodies such as international and non-governmental organizations must be able to operate in a professional manner in such a multilateral environment. They need an in-depth understanding of the various layers of protocol and formal rules of this Organization as well as the multilateral system. In order to equip those professionals working with the necessary knowledge UNITAR’s Multilateral Diplomacy Programme (MDP) will relaunch its online course on UN Protocol. Statements made by former participants include: “The knowledge, skills and experience taught at this course are a must have for a modern day career diplomat in the protocol services” and “I believe all protocol officers must do this course”.   The next session of the course will take place from 14 March to 8 April. With the help of interactive online exercises, trainees will be able to identify the practices in international protocol, to define guidelines on diplomatic courtesy and order of precedence of UN senior officials, as well as organize social occasions or visits of UN dignitaries according to UN protocol practices.   The course will be conducted in English and moderated by Ms. Alice Hecht, former Chief of Protocol of the Executive Office of Secretary-General (2006-2009). In her career Ms. Hecht has often worked as the key interlocutor between Heads of States, Governments and Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Secretariat of the General Assembly and other UN conferences. Participants will have the opportunity to benefit from her expertise through interactive online forums.   The course primarily targets staff of the United Nations, mid to senior-level government officers in ministries, as well as staff of other intergovernmental/nongovernmental organizations who are in charge of Protocol issues. It also targets entry-level and midcareer diplomats working in a multilateral setting. Private sector specialists and students whose work or studies are related to this subject are also encouraged to register.   To register for the online course on UN Protocol click here. Should you wish to be sent further information regarding the course, please do not hesitate to contact the Multilateral Diplomacy Programme at mdp-elearning@unitar.org.