Migration, economy, conflicts and humanitarian crises. These issues were addressed from different viewpoints during the training course for journalists held on Friday, 15 December at the Casa dei Cavalieri di Rodi, seat of the Order of Malta’s Italian Association and Italian Relief Corps.

The course lecturers talked about the challenges and potential of diplomacy and the role of nations, international organizations and individuals in addressing these issues.

The Order of Malta’s Secretary General for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Giampaolo Cantini, illustrated the peculiarities and characteristics of the Order of Malta’s humanitarian diplomacy which, especially over the last years, has sought to “go beyond the more traditionally Catholic geographical areas”, to take in the Arab world and the Far East. “The diplomatic network,” said Ambassador Cantini, “supports humanitarian intervention, but also has another fundamental function regarding advocacy on human rights, the protection of civilians and infrastructure as well as support of religious institutions in crisis areas.”

The focus of the debate, attended by television journalists and news agencies – as well as Order of Malta representatives – was the role of diplomacy in the respect of humanitarian laws, the crisis of multilateralism and the great geopolitical changes underway.