The Diplomacy of Administration: My Journey with the BIDTI
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Administration, as diplomacy, is usually defined as systems and procedures, but anyone who has worked in administration understands that the key pillars of effective administration are, people, context, and communication. As an Officer of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS), I see on a daily basis that policies don’t operate on paper, but reverberate in larger frameworks of history, culture, economy, politics, societal expectation and international commitments. It was through the Diploma in Diplomacy and World Affairs I followed at the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute (BIDTI), I learned to develop a broader perspective to see beyond the tangible boundaries of administration, and recognise our system as a thread woven into the larger fabric of global affairs.
The course is intellectually challenging, but its value lies in its application. Thematic and holistic in its coverage of international relations, negotiation, protocol, global politics, and cross-cultural communication, the course inspires participants to look beyond the world as they know it. What initially seemed to be the jargon of foreign affairs turned out to be highly relevant to domestic administration. Through this course I also learned about the power of language when it comes to global relations; I saw that a word can either make or break a relationship. This lesson was humbling, and also one that could not be avoided, because language, both written and spoken, is highly layered, and has consequences.
This course also shaped the writer in me. I found diplomacy to essentially be a kind of storytelling. It made me delighted to learn about soft power and cultural diplomacy that come into play through manifestations familiar to me such as translated literature and I took it upon myself to do further research on this subject. Since I found the historical relations Sri Lanka has with other countries to be extremely intriguing, I took that approach in writing my recently released travelogue ‘Gallivanting’ which explores my travels to six countries.
The Director General Ambassador Pamela J. Deen and her excellent administrative staff ensure that the course is delivered by a group of highly qualified and experienced academics and practitioners, maintaining an even balance between theory and practice. I am deeply honoured and profoundly delighted to have been awarded the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Award for Academic Excellence, in recognition of my performance in a course of such high standards.
The lasting legacy of the BIDTI programme, then, is more than the learning it teaches. Its greater gift is in cultivating habits of clarity, complexity, and insight. For the administrator in me, they are part of the toolkit essential for the diplomacy of administration. And for the writer in me, they are part of the toolkit of craft. For me, the Diploma has been a navigation guide, gently reminding me that diplomacy is everywhere, and that it is boundless. It applies to all walks of life, which is why I invite not only administrators, but all professionals, academics, artists, students, and anyone interested in global affairs, to follow this course and expand your worldview. It would be one of the best decisions you make in life.
- Ciara Mandulee Mendis
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