Alumni interview

Obaid Khan Noori

Complete name: Diego Abraham Angelino Velázquez
Nationality: Mexican
Country of work: Mexico
Institution: Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GmbH)
Position: National Advisor for the Project Emerging Market Multinationals Network for Sustainability
Course taken at Training for International Diplomats: International Futures
 

Can you tell us a bit about your career path and your motivation to follow this profession?

I have a BA in International Relations and a Master in International Development. The principal motivation for choosing my career path was to escalate the potential impact of my actions to a global level. It was a revelation for me to understand the complexity of the relations within the world system(s). My local reality suddenly emerged as a part of processes and discussions that ocurred at the global level, the correlation of this discovery was that one can interact with  global processes through local actions.


How much did you plan your current tasks to be as they are today and how much did you leave to chance?

I think it is a little bit of both, a mashup of my passions and a planned life proyect. No matter how much you plan future tasks, actions and activities, you always have to leave something up to chance.

 

When it comes to influencing the international agenda or shaping public policies in your country, what main challenges do you face in your daily life as a professional?

I think I face the same challenges that most people face all over the world: a static, hierarchical and a closed governance structure. However, this is changing quite fast, if we take into account the evolution of the global agenda, with an ever increasing importance of the local actors, or activities like citizen diplomacy.

Tell us about a pleasant work memory you have.   

I have many of them but the most pleasent are related to activities that in the end have had an effective impact on people and even replicated in others. This, in my case, was when working with topics related to civil society and youth participation.

 

If you hadn’t followed this career, what other profession could you see yourself in and why?

It is a difficult question because I like to consider my self as a Renaissance man, so I would be happy being a mathematician, or a magician. Why you think? Well,  because that is what life is for, to learn and share.

 

How do you think our alumni network could serve your purposes better?

Participation in a network means to strengthen your own work and activities with the action of others and viceversa. This makes the network a the natural space for creating complex and innovative solutions to solve complex problems.

 

How would you be willing to participate in our network?

I am willing to participate in any propositive initiative regarding the generation of peace and development. As for the activities, I am sure that I can contribute based upon my skills: Research, writing, facilitation, coordination, among others.

 

These interviews are the opinion of the interviewed Alumni and do not represent the views of Training for International Diplomats or the Federal Foreign Office. Training for International Diplomats and the Federal Foreign Office are not responsible for the content of these interviews.