SOCIAL DIPLOMACY CHAPTER
( Dr Milan Jazbec, Professor of Diplomacy at the University of Ljubljana and former Slovene Ambassador to Turkey (2010–2015), accredited also to Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria.
What is the Social Diplomacy Chapter?
The collaborative efforts between our organisation and the EU Delegation to the UK to foster diversity and inclusion inspire the Social Diplomacy Chapter. Its aim and objectives are as follows:
Goal:
To build and strengthen our working relationships with the consulates and embassies of EU Member States in the UK.
Objectives:
Chapter 1: The Diplomacy Tour
- Actively engage with Member States, the European External Action Service (EEAS), and other relevant institutions.
Chapter 2: Social Diplomatic Network (SDN)
- Identify a point of contact within each embassy and consulate in the UK.
Chapter 3: Rights, Access, Citizens Engagement (RACE)
- Collaborate with embassies and consulates to create a mechanism to reach out to their citizens from ethnic minority backgrounds within the community. The goal is to ensure their voices are heard and that their embassies and consulates are well-informed of their needs, thus facilitating effective assistance and information sharing.
Chapter 4: Social Diplomacy Event
" Calls for the EU institutions and the Member States to officially acknowledge past injustices and crimes against humanity committed against black people, people of colour and Roma; declares slavery a crime against humanity and calls for 2 December to be designated the European Day commemorating the Abolition of the Slave Trade; encourages the Member States to make the history of black people, people of colour and Roma part of their school curricula."
( EU Resolution on the anti-racism protests following the death of George Floyd (2020/2685(RSP))
- Host an annual social event on December 2nd to bring together the EU Minorities group—a collective of organisations led by EU citizens from ethnic minority backgrounds—and the Member States.
Chapter 1:
The Diplomatic Tour
Active engagement
On Thursday 23 July 2025, Aké Achi, CEO of Black Europeans, launched his diplomatic tour in London, meeting with Oliver Fixson, Minister and Head of the Legal and Consular Department at the German Embassy, and Frank Ortner, Consul-General and Peggy Tawiah, consular officer and caseworker at the Austrian Consulate. Together, they explored ways to enhance diversity, inclusion, and support for ethnic minority EU citizens living outside the EU.
This tour forms part of the Rights, Access, and Citizenship Engagement (RACE) campaign, which seeks to strengthen ties between the 27 EU member states and their ethnic minority citizens living in the UK . The campaign ensures that these communities’ voices are heard and that their embassies and consulates are well-informed of their needs, facilitating effective assistance and information sharing.
The objectives of these meeting were to:
1. To extend our invitation to the landmark meeting we are organising on 2 December as the European Union designed Day commemorating the Abolition of the Slave Trade and to encourage the Member States to make the history of black people, people of colour and Roma part of their school curricula.
2. Identify a point of contact within the Embassy and consulate
3. Beginning the diplomatic /community inclusion links
We are thrilled to share that these meetings were conclusives.
This initiative builds on last year’s launch of the EUROMEC Monitoring Network, developed in collaboration with the EU Delegation and supported by EU Embassies and Consulates and the European Parliament Laison Office the UK.
Chapter 2:
The Social Diplomacy Network (SDN)
Point of contact (POC)
German Embassy
Aké Achi meeting with Oliver Fixson, Minister and Head of the Legal and Consular Department ( POC)
Austrian Consulate
Aké Achi meeting with Frank Ortner, Consul-General and Peggy Tawiah (POC), consular officer and caseworker at the Austrian Consulate.
