October 30, AD Haagsche Courant – By Leo van Der Velde.
With Diplomat Magazine, an English-language print and online magazine written by and for diplomats in the European Union, Dr. Mayelinne de Lara reaches the diplomatic corps at large as well as international businesses with the rather global publication. Because of the ongoing pandemic, receptions, farewell parties and food festivals organised by the publisher are cancelled for the foreseeable future.
“Certainly, in this particular moment in our history, the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging us all, nevertheless the latter merely scratches the surface! Diplomats are working much more behind the scenes, reaching out in very creative ways. The latter adds to the regular working hours at the chanceries, and teleworking on a daily basis.
As flights were cancelled, hundreds of foreign citizens found themselves stranded in Europe; thus the diplomatic community swiftly mobilised to provide their citizens with repatriation assistance. Webinars connecting diplomats to their governments, to relevant authorities and ministries and to their business partners in are ongoing quotidian. One-to-one meetings, and hundreds of emails rather than tête-à-têtes are part of today’s normalcy.
I think, beyond COVID-19’s negative impact, also opportunities arise adapting to novel working scenarios. That’s why our extra-thick issue of Diplomat Magazine just appeared this month followed last week by a newsletter.
We are to redesign the online magazine to make it more attractive and easier to read with new sections like podcasts, new ambassadors, a French section, in which we open the possibility to expose relevant global issues in French, “la langue par excellence de la diplomatie, et du droit” and an innovative online market-place. We have received a plethora of positive responses to the updates, and this is very encouraging. We are also visiting the embassies to find out how we can help them to promote their agenda. Diplomat Magazine would likewise be glad to be a partner for advertisement from trade, and tourism agencies from your country.
We organised all our annual events for the diplomatic community on a smaller scale: VII Diplomats Welcome After Summer, V Biking Spree and IV Diplomats Run & Walk. I do not want to miss 2020 in our calendar! We are planning the very near future with care, no more long-term plans, definitely an ongoing stimulant for our daily tasks.”
Isn’t everything standing still? Have many ambassadors left for their home country? Many already left the country and we organised a small-scale Ceremony of Merit for a few. We are also visiting the new ambassadors and publishing about them in a new section dedicated to new arrivals.
