Mr. Chuchart Jirojkul, Director of the Devawongse Varopakarn Institute of Foreign Affairs (DVIFA), attended the 3rd Retreat of ASEAN Diplomatic Academies & Institutes (RADA), held from 2 - 3 September 2026 in Manila, Republic of the Philippines. The 3rd RADA hosted by the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines brought together representatives from diplomatic academies and institutes of all 11 ASEAN Member States, with Timor-Leste participating for the first time as ASEAN’s newest member.

               The 3rd RADA was organized under the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together.” It focused on strengthening regional resilience and promoting innovation in learning to better prepare for emerging opportunities and address shared challenges through closer cooperation and strategic foresight. During the meeting, participants exchanged information, experiences, and views on two main topics: (1) best practices in diplomatic training and research, including innovations in diplomatic training, approaches to keeping curricula responsive to evolving circumstances, and learning initiatives involving new digital tools; and (2) emerging issues and future challenges, such as geopolitical and geoeconomic competition, energy security, maritime security, and cybersecurity. These are among the key issues that today’s diplomats need to understand, closely monitor, and analyze to contribute to policy recommendations. The Director of DVIFA also shared Thailand’s approaches to diplomatic training, including learning beyond the classroom and engagement with various sectors to further enhance the capabilities of Thai diplomats.

               In addition to representatives from ASEAN diplomatic academies and institutes, FSI invited newly recruited diplomats of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, who are currently undertaking the Foreign Service Officers’ Cadetship Course (FSOCC), to observe the meeting and exchange views with participants on diplomatic training and foreign affairs. The FSI also organized a visit to the Central Bank of the Philippines, where participants received a briefing on the use of strategic economic foresight tools amidst the evolving geopolitical and geoeconomic landscape.

               The RADA was initiated by FSI in 2024 and has become a regular gathering of diplomatic academies and institutes in the ASEAN region. To maintain the momentum of this exchange and cooperation, FSI has continued to host the Retreat annually. The 3rd RADA was also an official side event of the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship in 2026 and formed part of the celebration of FSI’s 50th anniversary.