Islamabad, 24 October 2021 (TDI): It is the 5th year in a row that the world is celebrating the contributions of diplomats in maintaining global peace. In 2017, the International Day of Diplomats was celebrated for the first time in Brazil.
Since 2017, International Diplomats Day is celebrated on 24 October every year. On the same day, the United Nations celebrates the anniversary of the UN Charter’s enforcement after the end of World War II.
Views of Diplomats on 5th International Diplomats Day
On the 5th International Day of Diplomats, Mexico’s Ambassador to the Republic of Korea tweeted, “Diplomats bridge the differences among the peoples of the world and privilege dialogue over coercion. More diplomats and less military forces!”
#diplomats bridge the differences among the peoples of the world and privilege dialogue over coercion. More diplomats and less military forces!
Los diplomáticos tienden un puente entre los pueblos y privilegian el diálogo sobre la coerción. Más diplomáticos y menos militares! pic.twitter.com/GkNigpQjvM
— Bruno Figueroa (@BrunoBFigueroa) October 24, 2021
Qamar Abbas Khokhar, a Pakistani diplomat in Bangladesh, shared that he is celebrating diplomats day. He also appreciated the role of diplomats in “ensuring peace and minimising conflict”.
Celebrating #InternationalDiplomatsDay! Salute to all diplomats working across the world for ensuring peace and minimising conflict! pic.twitter.com/uNxzN3lSlG
— Qamar Abbas Khokhar (@mqakhokhar) October 24, 2021
While wishing a good day to his Irish colleagues, Daniel Mulhall, Ireland’s Ambassador to the USA, shared on Twitter that he did not know about the International Day of Diplomats.
Who knew that there was an #InternationalDiplomatsDay? I did not. To all my @dfatirl colleagues around the world, have a great day tomorrow. https://t.co/uX4gAWR6wa
— Daniel Mulhall (@DanMulhall) October 23, 2021
Moreover, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Brunei, Shumona Iqbal wished a happy International Diplomats day worldwide.
Happy International Diplomats Day to all the diplomats out there. #Diplomacy #diplomats https://t.co/w9OWJbmBsz
— Shumona Iqbal (@ShumonaIqbal) October 24, 2021
5 years of Celebrating International Diplomats Day
The first International Day of Diplomats was attended by the diplomats of Bangladesh, France, Ghana, India, Israel, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey in Brazil. It was also celebrated by diplomats outside Brazil.
The second International Day of Diplomats was celebrated in 2018. Diplomats from many countries participated in the celebrations in Brazil, including envoys from Austria, Brazil, Egypt, Netherlands, and Zimbabwe. The celebrations also took place in other countries.
In Madagascar, celebrations of the third International Diplomats Day were attended by diplomats from all across the world, including ambassadors from the African Union, European Union, the United States.
In some countries, Diplomats Day is celebrated according to their calendar. In other states, there is no day dedicated to diplomats. This is the reason that the fourth and fifth International Day of Diplomats is celebrated at the global level.
The idea of International Diplomats Day
The concept of fixing a day for recognizing the contributions of Diplomats was first given by an Indian diplomat. Abhay K. proposed this idea to commemorate the work of diplomats in maintaining global peace. He also has a role in arranging the first International Diplomats Day.