Consular Affairs is assistance provided by consular officials to citizens of that country who are traveling, living or working abroad. These services range broadly from the provision of travel advice and advisories to enable citizens to make safe and responsible travel decisions to providing direct service to citizens abroad who require a stolen passport to be replaced, assistance with the repatriation of remains of a loved one overseas, evacuation during a crisis event, etc. The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963) informs consular affairs practices and establishes the framework for cooperation between states in consular matters.
With more and more citizens moving around the globe, governments are faced with an increasing number in demands with respect to consular services, consequently encountering an important challenge not only concerning various, sometimes complex, consular cases, but also the issue of ‘demand and supply’; how to respond to these consular cases with a limited number of resources. In this light, governments benefit from dialogue and cooperation with their counterparts (other governments facing similar challenges as they do) as well as public/public and public/private partnerships for the sharing of best practices and innovative approaches to increase effectiveness when responding to these cases.