Diplomacy is not only for diplomats.
Guest blog: Lenni Montiel : Senior UN Development Leader (Ret.) | Former UN Assistant Secretary-General |UNDP Resident Representative | Governance, Public Policy & Multilateral Diplomacy | Leadership Advisor & Trainer | Chevening Scholar. Lenni writes on LinkedIn about the UN and international development. Originally published here: I learned this during my years as UN Resident Coordinator, UNDP Resident Representative and in the Office of the Secretary-General. Diplomacy is associated with embassies, negotiations and foreign ministries. In practice, development professionals regularly carry out responsibilities that demand diplomatic skills: * Building and maintaining constructive relationships with governments that may be hesitant to receive external support. * Negotiating access to communities in politically sensitive environments. * Building trust across cultural, institutional and political differences. * Balancing competing interests among donors, governments and local s...