Imagine participating in a United Nations Third Committee assembly where the topics of discussion address important human rights: access to healthcare for the advancement of women. Since there are so many countries present that hold conflicting interests, tense disagreements are inevitable. However it might be surprising to hear that despite the serious tone of the content discussed over an eight week period, it ends on a much lighter note. It’s been a tradition for decades that once the session finally closes, the delegates from Egypt and the United Kingdom take the floor and recite poems about the year’s session. It’s a moment that brings laughter after weeks of heavy discussion.

This amusing anecdote was shared during Saturday morning’s UNITAR Roundtable where Sweden’s ambassador to Bangladesh, Charlotta Schytler, was the guest speaker. Charlotta joined the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1997 and has worked in embassies in New Delhi, Bangkok, and the United Nations headquarters in New York. Charlotta shared some advice for delegates who wish to be more successful in their diplomatic interactions with other delegates. One piece of advice that Charlotta offered is for delegates to remain respectful to other delegates and leave any temper at home. She stressed the importance of being courteous because getting upset with others can potentially backfire if you need their support later on. Charlotta also offered advice to any delegates who are interested in exploring a career in diplomacy and how she prepared for it. She shared a few opportunities that are available to young adults with an educational background in political science like the International Labor Organization or posts for young graduates in the Junior Professional Officer Programme at the UN. She says that public speaking is an essential skill to have and recommends developing public speaking skills by offering to speak in front of small groups or family gatherings. 

Blake Maese
World Press Reporter
Latvia