Namibia Embassy Berlin -

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Human beings have been practicing diplomacy for centuries. Since the formation of the first city-states, diplomacy has played its role as one of the defining elements of a state. It is therefore paramount, that every nation positions itself in the global arena, through defining and applying its foreign policy, which will guide its activities and relationships in interacting with other states. On July 25, 2016, when I opened the Conference on the Review of Namibia’s International Relations and Cooperation, I referred to the dynamism of a changing world order and modern day diplomacy. I spoke of an ever changing diplomatic landscape where States are no longer the only role players, but where they have been joined by multilateral institutions, non-governmental organizations, private sector as well as charismatic individuals who are all playing an active role in international relations. It is therefore a pleasure to welcome this evening, a mix of invitees hailing from a variety of professional backgrounds, to the inaugural lecture series named after Dr Theopold-Benjamin Gurirab, the first Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Namibia.

Foreign policy’s role in promoting a country’s development is a matter of great importance for understanding its national trajectory, especially in the case of an emerging country. The international dynamics that define our modern world have been greatly influenced by the emergence of what are referred to as middle-income nations, or emerging powers, whose main goal both domestically and internationally has been to promote their development and to increase their stature and presence. In a paper titled Foreign Policy and Diplomacy: Diplomacy as a Technique for Foreign Policy, Appu Nath describes Foreign Policy as the key element in the process by which a state translates its broadly conceived goals and interests into concrete course of action to set objectives and preserve interests. Namibia’s goals and interests are defined by our Vision 2030, the supporting National Development Plans, as well as by our Harambee Prosperity Plan. These plans plot the course of our developmental trajectory and the course on which we would like to take our country during the next several decades.

It is therefore crucial that our Foreign Policy speaks to these domestic goals and help translate them into concrete actions which will help achieve our developmental objectives. Today, we need to go beyond the dictionary definition of foreign policy as “a policy pursued by a nation in its dealings with other nations, designed to achieve national objectives.” It must also have a larger dimension of global welfare – we need to be involved in the Southern African Development Community for the welfare of our region; in the African Union for the welfare of Africa, and in other agencies, including the United Nations and its agencies dealing with international issues. We need to be concerned about conflicts, drought, and refugee problems in Africa and beyond. We need to work relentlessly to address the challenges of global warming, global trade, and terrorism.

This decade has posed many foreign policy challenges for a country that anchors its foreign policy in principles it shares with the United Nations. During this decade we have seen economic boom and bust, increased social and economic inequality, challenges to human rights, terrible poverty, intractable wars in many parts of Africa, and the Middle East, refugee problems, threats of terrorism, evolution of social media and the resulting change in the dynamics of democracy, challenges posed by climate change, isolationist policies of certain states, threats to global trade and other international agreements. These are the challenges that impact upon what is in the interest of our country and the principles we stand for.

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Media Statement by His Excellency Dr Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia, 31 July 2017

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