HONORARY CONSULS
IMPLEMENTING A STRONG DIPLOMATIC NETWORK
OF INFLUENCE AT NO-COST !
The IUHEI Crans Montana Institute has launched a series of
Programs in association with the United Nations Institute for
Training and Research UNITAR dedicated to various aspects of
international and diplomatic relations between States.
A professional study of consular instruments offers potentially new
perspectives on the subject of diplomatic representation and the exercise of state
sovereignty.
In this vein, the use of honorary consuls for selected bilateral relationships
provides fresh insights into the study of international relations and diplomacy,
particularly for
(1) micro states
(2) small and middle size states
(3) states not enjoying sufficient financial or human resources to
maintain a real diplomatic network.
Notwithstanding the differences between them, these three categories are
named “states” below.
The IUHEI Crans Montana Institute explains here how a country can
strategically use honorary consulates to extend its limited bilateral diplomatic
relations given constrained resources, while enhancing both its brand, its reputation
and international relevance, strengthening its international economic relations and
boosting foreign direct investment.
Unlike countries who use the honorary consuls only for traditional consular
duties like visa issuance and citizen services, these agents can have a far-reaching
public diplomacy, brand development, and educational role designed to increase
knowledge about their own country in their respective countries. They can enhance its
image as a foreign investment destination, create a more positive picture of its
political, social and economic situation and serve as a sensitive foreign policy listening
post.
IMPLEMENTING A STRONG DIPLOMATIC NETWORK
OF INFLUENCE AT NO-COST !
Indeed Diplomacy is a costly undertaking for a state. As an example, just
staffing embassies in twenty countries (really a minimum!) could make a serious dent
in a population, not to mention the costs !
At the global level, the national constraints on most states have been so severe
that many are unable to represent their own interests directly at all. In addition some
of them have started since 2020 to close their diplomatic missions just to save money!
THEREFORE, THE LOGICAL GOAL IS TO FIND AN ECONOMIC METHOD TO
EXTEND DIPLOMATIC CAPABILITIES TO THE BILATERAL REALM. The IUHEI Crans
Montana Institute has identified the various options which may be relevant.
1. The resident mission is obviously the first and foremost customary channel for
conducting relations between states. Although this may be true to a large
extent in relations between the larger countries, it is not when diplomatic
relations involve the states which are considered here
2. While resident embassies are irreplaceable in their core functions and while a
limited, but selective placement of resident missions remains invaluable to our
states, they may have to look for alternatives given their constrained resources
3. One method is simultaneous multiple representation. This is also called
concurrent or cross-accreditation. When a government employs this
technique, it accredits a single embassy or ambassador to two or more
countries.
This is a common technique for maintaining a number of bilateral relationships without
opening separate embassies for each relationship. This option has three variants:
1. an ambassador is simultaneously accredited in two or more countries in
which the sending state maintains physical diplomatic missions.
2. both the ambassador and the embassy in a country are simultaneously
accredited to two or more countries, where the sending state does not
maintain a mission.
3. an ambassador, but not an embassy, is accredited to two or more countries.
In such cases, the ambassador might head an embassy in a third country or
might be in the foreign ministry of the home country. This is the ‘roving
ambassador’ or special envoy concept. Here the mission head is resident in
the home country but accredited to a number of states abroad.
FINALLY, A NUMBER OF GOVERNMENTS CONSIDER CONSULS, SPECIFICALLY
HONORARY ONES, AS AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION TO THEIR REPRESENTATION. The
use of honorary consuls is an outgrowth of the limitations faced by small states in
international relations and foreign policy.
Appointing Honorary Consuls is not enough to get a return: every nomination
must take place in a pre-shaped global strategy with clear objectives for each of
them. The process of nomination must be clearly conceptualized and an efficient
monitoring of their activities must be organized. Every nomination must be time-
limited in order to keep control on the activities and obtain, on a regular base,
detailed reports of activity.
IMPLEMENTING A STRONG DIPLOMATIC NETWORK
OF INFLUENCE AT NO-COST !
THIS APPROACH IS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY IN WHICH STATES CAN EXTEND
THEIR INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT AT NO COST AND WITH A VALUABLE RETURN.
BUT MOST OF GOVERNMENTS, UP TO NOW, DID NOT DEDICATE ENOUGH TIME
AND/OR ENERGY TO WELL ORGANIZING THEIR HONORARY CONSULATE NETWORK.
It is often difficult to separate the purely commercial interests of a state from
political or even strategic considerations. The consul’s responsibility for promoting
friendly relations between the peoples of the two states through various cultural
activities thus also bears certain political implications since the consul is acting as
spokesman and interpreter for his state’s point of view.
These political and diplomatic dimensions of consular representation can be
all the more important if there is no resident diplomatic mission and the consul is the
lone state representative. In some cases, this larger responsibility has been recognized
and consuls with the rank of consul-general are allowed to be established in the capital
itself
Appointing honorary consuls efficiently expands the diplomatic network,
broadens public diplomacy opportunities, increases presence at a no cost and with low
risk, while providing a real return thanks the carefully selected honorary consuls.
Article 5 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations does not present a
final and complete functional description of consular duties, and this allows states to
include further consular tasks beyond the classical ones of visa issuance and citizen
services. A model can be shaped as an important mechanism within an overall public
diplomacy, reputation management and branding strategy.
Nation-branding and public diplomacy differ in scope. Branding particularly
attracts countries with a weak international image. It is looked upon favorably in a
number of transition countries and also among the small and ‘invisible’ nations.
The establishment of honorary consulates is the best and less expensive
phase in a country’s overall image and branding campaign.
One can also go beyond pure brand-building by using honorary consuls for
conducting public diplomacy. It involves activities in the fields of information,
education, and culture with the aim of influencing a foreign government international
relations.
In addition, consular outposts in strategic areas can facilitate international
business interests. As an example, many European countries are expanding their
consular presence due to trade opportunities.
Clearly by creating smaller, but more numerous consulates, any country can
decentralize representation, while strengthening its presence and influence in
important localities throughout the world by creating a direct honorary consular link
into indigenous districts.
Honorary
consuls
regionally
focused
become
indeed
sub-national
‘ambassadors’.
Besides being innovative, such a model creates a potential tangent line with
the study of para-diplomacy, since sub-state regions could also consider an honorary
consul equivalent for their own representations with states or other regions.
IMPLEMENTING A STRONG DIPLOMATIC NETWORK
OF INFLUENCE AT NO-COST !
This model presents only strengths :
•
it expands coverage at no cost, offers greater penetration of regions within
large and critical bilateral diplomatic relationships, and leverages local and
regional networks with the right personnel selection
•
it allows to embark VIP Businesses in every key region who will enjoy an official
status and a prestigious visibility in their local social and professional
framework
•
the lack of management capacity inside the Foreign ministry for overseeing
large numbers of honorary consuls is easily compensated by existing
Ambassadors, mainly multilateral, who will share between them the
monitoring of the honorary consuls.
METHODOLOGY
The IUHEI Crans Montana Institute and its renowned Experts, rooted in
the 35 years experience of the Crans Montana Forum, will assist governments
in
1. assessing the current situation of the existing Honorary Consuls’
network
2. interviewing the already appointed Honorary Consuls in order to
evaluate their personal commitment, their strategies for the future and
achievements for the past
3. shaping a global strategy for the development of honorary consulates
in the most interesting countries and regions
4. drawing a strategic map of honorary consular districts to be organized
in accordance with the country’s priorities
5. identifying in the circles of business or political influence, the
personalities to be proposed for a nomination
6. interviewing and screening the candidates to be appointed
7. avoiding any abuse linked to the selection and/or appointment of
honorary consuls as it may happen from time to time
8. shaping regional frameworks for organizing the work and monitoring
the activities of the Honorary Consuls
9. assisting the professional ambassadors, region by region, in organizing
the monitoring of the Honorary Consuls under their supervision and
providing them with regular updates on the national events and the
evolution of the investment climate
info@iuhei.org