"A World Without Walls":
An International Congress on "Soft Power", Cultural Diplomacy and Interdependence
Amb. Carlo Ungaro
Former Italian Ambassador and Former adviser to the Italian contingent of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Herat, Afghanistan
Ambassador Carlo Ungaro's years as a member of Italy's diplomatic corps have taken him from the Congo and Central Africa to the United Kingdom, former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and back to Africa, with postings in-between. He also is the author of "Il Manuale del Perfetto Diplomatico" (The Manual of the Perfect Diplomat), a book about humorous short stories on Italian diplomatic life.
Carlo Ungaro worked continuously to become Italy's first Ambassador to post-Soviet Uzbekistan, his interests include analysis of political and social developments in Central Asia and the Balkans, including perspectives on the still-changing participation of women and the status and inclusion of national minorities.
From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Ungaro served as political advisor to Italy's military contingent in Herat, western Afghanistan. From 1969 to 1973, he served as Counsellor in the Italian Embassy in Kabul. As a child during World War II, he lived with his family in Kabul and has spent a total of sixteen years of his life in Afghanistan.
Stationed in Nairobi, Kenya from 2001 to 2004, he headed the Italian Diplomatic Delegation for Somalia during the Eldoret and Mbagathi peace talks. His service from 1996 to 2001 in several parts of former Yugoslavia included senior positions with both the European Community Monitoring Mission (ECMM) and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In Sarajevo in 1996, he opened ECMM's forward headquarters, and from 1999-2001 he headed OSCE's Spill over Mission in Skopje, Macedonia.
His narrative of opening Italy's first embassy in Uzbekistan was featured on BBC Radio. He has written on the current situation in Afghanistan, and publishes a blog, "The Laughing Diplomat."
