Ubuntu Diplomacy
Ubuntu is an idea originating in Southern Africa that calls attention to humanity’s interconnectedness and interdependence through the notion that “A person is a person through other persons.” The concept of ubuntu dates back centuries and appears in various forms in traditions throughout the world; and yet globalization has heightened our awareness of this interconnectedness, as the Secretary of State’s Special Representative for Global Partnerships, Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, explained in her swearing in remarks on June 18, 2009.
In recent years, our world has witnessed a host of transnational challenges: 9/11 and the rise of non-state actors, global pandemics, economic crises, climate change, and a world that has grown closer and yet even more dangerous. New opportunities have also emerged as a result of these paradigm shifts created by globalization. In the 1960s, nearly 70% of all money flowing from the United States to the developing world was official development assistance; today, over 80% is from private sources. In order for the Department of State to reach its foreign affairs objectives, harnessing the wealth of capabilities offered by civil society and the private sector has become increasingly vital; and so the Department of State has responded by making public-private partnerships a core component of diplomacy.
In her swearing in remarks, Ambassador Bagley stated: “In understanding the responsibilities that come with our interconnectedness, we realize that we must rely on each other to lift our world from where it is now to where we want it to be in our lifetime, while casting aside our worn out preconceptions, and our outdated modes of statecraft.” She then introduced the notion of Ubuntu Diplomacy with the following words:
“In 21st century diplomacy, the Department of State will be a convener, bringing people together from across regions and sectors to work together on issues of common interest. Our work no longer depends on the least common denominator; but rather, we will seek the highest possible multiplier effect for the results we can achieve together.
We will also act as a catalyst, with our Foreign Service Officers launching new projects in tandem with those NGOs, philanthropies, and corporations at the front lines of foreign affairs to discover untapped potential, inspire fresh ideas, and create new solutions.
And we will act as a collaborator, leading interagency coordination here in Washington and cross-sector collaboration in the field, with our Ambassadors working closely with our non-governmental partners to plan and implement projects for maximum impact and sustainability.
In the same way that Secretary Clinton has often said that ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’ we are now realizing that we must apply a similar approach worldwide. It takes a shared, global response to meet the shared, global challenges we face. This is the truth taught to us in an old South African principle, ubuntu, or ‘A person is a person through other persons.’ As Archbishop Desmond Tutu describes this perspective, ubuntu ‘is not, “I think therefore I am.” It says rather: “I am a human because I belong. I participate. I share.”’ In essence, I am because you are.
We are truly all in this together, and we will only succeed by building mutually beneficial partnerships among civil society, the private sector, and the public sector, in order to empower the men and women executing our foreign policy to advance their work through partnerships.
This is Ubuntu Diplomacy: where all sectors belong as partners, where we all participate as stakeholders, and where we all succeed together, not incrementally but exponentially.”
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