"In a post-COVID-19 world, an obvious trend will be the over-reliance on digital communication and teleconferences over in-person meetings. The downside is that this would limit our ability as diplomats to spontaneously create new relationships and to have informal interactions with colleagues within the diplomatic community. Such informal spaces are typically critical for building trust and genuine personal connections which sit at the core of our work.

Responding to COVID-19 made the gradual and incremental steps we take toward enhancing the efficiency and productivity of our diplomatic work simply not enough, and more effective and innovative steps are needed to stay ahead of the curve."

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