UNITAR and UNIDO host a Training Workshop on External Relations
19-20 January 2016, Vienna, Austria - In a joint United Nations interagency collaboration, UNITAR and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) hosted a training workshop on External Relations in Vienna on the 19th and 20th January 2016; equipping UNIDO Staff with the knowledge and tools required to successfully navigate the various aspects of external relations, which encompasses public diplomacy, media relations and communications.
Over the course of the two-day workshop, the 30 participants from UNIDO – of which 11 were women and 19 were men – drew on the extensive experience of two experts: Mr. Alan Hunt, former British Ambassador and Director of the University of Oxford Foreign Service Programme, and Mr. Ramin Kaweh, Managing Director of Nexus Consulting, a specialised consulting firm in Facilitation, Training and Strategy.
The two experts preferred a balanced and interactive approach to learning; utilising a number of case studies and simulation exercises to achieve the desired learning objectives. Some of the topics covered were the crafting of public diplomacy campaigns and the delivery of a coherent agency message, but the experts also dealt with a number of latest developments in the world of external relations, such as the impact of social media in getting an impactful message across.
Participants greatly appreciated this briefing, with one commenting: “the two trainings on public diplomacy and media relations were very effective and complimentary. I look forward to using the acquired skills to successfully implement goal 9 of the SDGs on industry, innovation and infrastructure with UNIDO.“
This training will be followed later in 2016 by a one-day workshop on diplomatic protocol, and UNITAR looks forward to collaborating with UNIDO in upcoming projects, including a potential upcoming webinar series on Diplomatic Protocol, Public Diplomacy and Media Relations for UNIDO staff in the field.
Photo: Participants during the UNITAR-UNIDO Workshop