Daily Times

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday launched the ‘Share Pakistan Portal’, a digital repository for an improved targeted communication between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and its over 100 diplomatic missions abroad.

In his remarks on the launch event in collaboration with National Information Technology Board (NITB), the foreign minister said that the online standardized information system would collect and communicate the impact of public diplomacy initiatives in pursuance of Pakistani foreign policy objectives.

Bilawal mentioned that he had initiated the ‘Foreign Minister’s Change Management Initiative’ as a commitment to improving the Ministry’s ability to effectively deliver on its mandates through management reforms.

To materialize this, he said, the team of experts from MoFA and missions abroad brainstormed on a number of reforms in the diverse areas including human resources, finance, logistics, communication, counselor, protocol and community services for digitalization and simplifying the rules, policies and procedures. He said that his ‘Change Management Initiative’ would be aimed at building a culture of work that is focused more on results and enhanced productivity, value innovation and bringing decision making closer to the point of delivery. He said that the comprehensive report on ‘Change Management Initiative’ would further address and transform the diplomatic service that will be better equipped to respond to the new realities and challenges of the modern world. The ‘Change Management Initiative’ will ensure a seamless communication between the ministry and the country’s diplomatic missions abroad, he added.

Bilawal said that the portal was designed to simplify communication and sharing of information both horizontally and vertically in the public diplomacy domain between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its diplomatic posts abroad. He said that the portal would bring efficiency and transparency in various public diplomacy initiatives.

The foreign minister said that the paperless digital tool was the first portal launch covering the integration of digital technologies in both the public diplomacy strategic outreach efforts and the institution. “It will be used in diplomacy for outreach decision support, drafting strategic communication, translating foreign policy, and analysis of latest trends,” he said.

Bilawal expressed the confidence that the digital tool would serve as a model for future projects for useful and effective communication between the Ministry and its missions. He hoped that the portal would be the first step to simplification of communication systems and IT based solutions in the engagement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with other government departments and facilitate inter-department coordination.

He expressed gratitude to the support of NITB and the Ministry of Information Technology for partnering with the Ministry in developing the portal so that the public diplomacy activities have greater visibility and achieve desired foreign policy goals. He also congratulated the Spokesperson’s office and the Strategic Commutations team on the successful launch of the portal. The country’s high commissioners and ambassadors joined the launch event through video-link.