Foreign Affairs & International cooperation

MISSION STATEMENT
The mission statement of the Ministry is “to establish and maintain international relations, and cooperation between the Kingdom of eSwatini and the international community”.

TO ACHIEVE THIS MISSION, THE MINISTRY DO THE FOLLOWING:
(a)    Develop and effectively administer a sound foreign policy on safeguarding National interest
(b)    Fostering bilateral and multilateral relations and supporting international Peace

CORE VALUES

Commitment:   Dedication, diligence, passion, loyalty and selflessness
Competence:   Efficiency, effectiveness, professionalism, usefulness, resourcefulness and confidence
Discipline:   Customer service, doing what is expected, respect, courteous, timely delivery of work, punctuality and displaying a positive response to duties and responsibilities
Integrity:   Honesty, loyalty, fairness, transparency, faithfulness, consistency and sincerity
Teamwork:   Coordination, consultation, information sharing, supervision, leadership, delegation and trust

VISION
“To advance the interest of eSwatini and eMaswati internationally, through enhancing national security, contributing to growth in the economy, employment and standard of living, assisting eSwatini Nationals abroad, strengthening global cooperation in ways that advance eSwatini’s interest, fostering public understanding of her foreign policy and projecting a positive image of the country.”.

PORTFOLIO RESPONSIBILITIES

The portfolio responsibilities allocated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation under Legal Notice No. 194/1996, include the following:
Political, international relations and cooperation
Protocol services
Maintain constant dialogue with Mission Abroad
Coordinate SADC activities
Custody of international treaties and conventions
Foreign policy

To strengthen and maintain diplomatic relations with the international community

To develop, implement and manage the foreign policy of the Kingdom of eSwatini
Provide specialised legal support services and advise on international legal instruments
To build capacity in the Missions abroad to be active in trade, investment and tourism development issues

PRINCIPAL SECRETARY:  Mr. Newman Sizwe Ntshangase   +268 2404 2661/4

UNDER SECRETARY - ADMINISTRATION:  Vacant +268 2404 2661/4

UNDER SECRETARY - POLITICAL: Vacant

UNDER SECRETARY - INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: Vacant

INTRODUCTION

The role of the Administration section is to provide advice, services and functional guidance that will ensure effective performance and efficient management of the Ministry both at Headquarters and at Missions abroad. To achieve this goal, the section undertakes the following:

CORE FUNCTIONS

• The Administration section provides the Ministry with support services in assets, personnel, finance, registry and advises the Ministry on Administrative matters
• Deploys staff within the Ministry and Missions abroad and manages the procedures for assessing performance
• Provides the Ministry staff with the skills and attributes necessary to carry out all facets of its function
• Develops planning systems which allow for flexible responses to changing staff requirements
• Advises the Ministry on grading, job descriptions and structures
• Responsible for the training functions so as to upgrade the human resource capacity of the Ministry
• Provides financial management expertise and advisory services to the Principal Secretary
• Provides comprehensive accounting services within the Ministry and for the Missions abroad
• Monitors and controls the use of financial resources made available to the Ministry and Missions abroad
• Coordinates and participates in planning and obtaining adequate resources for the Ministry and Missions abroad to enable them to achieve the respective objectives.
• Advise on human resources policies, procedures, methods and the approach that should be adopted when dealing with personnel issues.

The Ministry is strengthening its international platform, bolstering its presence abroad and ensuring that our missions abroad are located in countries that matter most to eSwatin's interests. Reengineering is a priority to Government and the Ministry is no exception. We are empowering our workforce and have put a premium on learning, ensuring that our workforce retain the skills required to compete in today’s fast-paced world. We are also emphasising knowledge of the languages that count most in this 21st century such as French, Spanish and Portuguese.

We have made it a commitment to:
• Instil a culture of transformation across the Ministry
• Ensure transformation is a continuous and sustainable process
• Communicate with all Ministry staff about progress and how the Ministry is responding to changes
• Track and report on progress to management, employees and central agencies.

FUTURE ACTION
• Establishment of new missions
• Property rehabilitation in our missions abroad
• Property purchasing
• Improvement of conditions of service