Bilawal calls for new diplomatic approaches

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday expressed the hope that the recently introduced ‘change management reforms’ in the foreign ministry would bring more efficiency, accountability, agility and dynamism.

Addressing a ceremony on the ‘change management reforms’ initiative at the foreign ministry, Bilawal stressed the need for new diplomatic approaches in the fast-changing world.

The reforms initiative was taken last year. It consisted of a total of 51 reform works.

The foreign minister said that that 19 of those reform works had been fully implemented, three were partially completed, while 29 were on track.

The ongoing reform works, he said, covered the areas of automation and digitisation processes, improvement in the diplomatic, administration, finance as well as consular services abroad etc.

In his speech, Bilawal also highlighted the significant achievements of the ministry at the global level under his stewardship during the past 15 months.
He pointed out Pakistan’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list, success at the Conference of Parities (COP27), effective role at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and diplomatic outreach.

“The world is changing at lightning speed with technological advances and shifting the power dynamics, while the interconnectedness has become the new normal on diplomatic fronts,” the foreign minister said.

To embrace change after assuming the office, Bilawal continued, he embarked upon the reforms process to create a robust and agile ministry so that it could tackle any challenge that came its way.

Bilawal said that they were now living in a fast-paced and dynamic world, emphasising the need for an adaptive approach to ensure that they stayed ahead of the multidimensional challenges.

“It is crucial to embrace change, enabling us to navigate with agility, as living in the fast-paced and interconnected world, the traditional management approaches are no longer relevant,” he added.

The foreign minister opined that the diplomats must embrace the significance of future knowledge-based economy, global dynamics and must be willing to challenge the status quo.

Underlining a paradigm shift in conducting diplomatic business with effectiveness, Bilawal said that the ministry should be adoptive to the needs and requirements of the national and international realities.

The minister also underscored the importance of knowledge of the requirements of the overseas Pakistanis. “The change management reforms also catered to the well-being of the overseas Pakistanis,” he added.

The minister shared that he had realised that the bureaucracy was fraught with the red-tape, old approach and outdated tools, which were not sufficient to tackle the issues head on.

To improve the morale of the diplomatic services, he added, a transformative plan for the ministry was put in place. For that, an overwhelming response and critical insight was received from all relevant quarters.

He said that they were launching a movement of change with the ongoing reforms process, which was crucial for successes at the diplomatic landscape and transforming the ministry as a forward looking institution.