The Foreign Ministry has launched an open search for Ukraine’s ambassadors due to a “personnel famine,” with ambassadorial positions currently vacant in 21 countries, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
“I am convinced that Ukraine has strong and professional people. The only problem is that either a) we have not found them yet, or b) they themselves have not yet learned about the possibility of taking on the super difficult but very necessary job of Ukraine’s ambassador. That is why we are taking the unprecedented step of creating an open mechanism that allows both diplomats from within the system and people from outside to propose their candidacy for the ambassadorship,” the minister wrote on Monday.
A corresponding page has already been created on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the “Vacancies.
According to Kuleba, an open search among internal and external candidates will avoid unacceptable situations when a vacancy of an ambassador to a certain country remains unfilled for several years.
He noted that the problem of “staff hunger” is now familiar not only to state institutions but also to the private sector.
“It is particularly difficult to find candidates for ambassadorial positions. Looking for them in the diplomatic system. Looking in the business community. Looking among academics. But the pace of our diplomatic expansion, particularly in Africa, is also increasing. That is why there are still more than two dozen countries without ambassadors,” underlined Kuleba.
According to the foreign minister, an open search for ambassadors is an opportunity for the system to expand its horizons and an opportunity for “worthy candidates to try themselves there, where previously they could get only through closed institutional mechanisms.”
“For the first time in the history of Ukrainian diplomacy, I am opening the door for everyone to have an equal opportunity to try to become a strong manager, which the state needs so much in the world now. I note that the special focus now is on African countries. Applying to these countries automatically increases the chances,” the minister emphasized.
In addition, subject to equal professional performance, preference will be given to women.
“Simply because diplomacy has been unfair for many decades about women’s careers,” he added.
According to the minister, 21 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, the South Caucasus and Southeast Asia are currently listed in the vacancies section.
