The King will present commissions on Thursday to the third diplomatic class with more women than men

Eduardo González King Felipe VI will present commissions to the third-largest diplomatic graduating class in the history of the Diplomatic Service on Thursday, January 26. This marks the third graduating class in the history of the Diplomatic Service with a higher proportion of women than men. The King will present the Royal Commissions to the 29 individuals who passed the latest competitive examination and a subsequent selective course at the Diplomatic School. The ceremony will take place at the school's headquarters, as reported by the Royal Household in a press release. According to sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who spoke to The Diplomat last July when the results of the competitive examinations for the Diplomatic Service were released, the 77th graduating class comprises 16 women and 13 men. Additionally, one woman was admitted through the system reserved for people with disabilities; she was the only woman to reach the final stage. Therefore, this is the third time in history that women have outnumbered men in a graduating class of the Diplomatic Service. The first class with more women than men was the LXXIV, approved in December 2022 and held in 2023, which included 21 women and 14 men, for a total of 35 positions. The second was the 2024-2025 class, the LXXVI, with a total of 17 women and 11 men. The first class with gender parity was the previous one, the LXXIII, with 17 men and 17 women. Diplomatic Service officers constitute a body of the State Administration specializing in international relations and attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Due to their specific training, new diplomats are entrusted with political, diplomatic, and consular functions. Their work is therefore divided into two main areas: the diplomatic and the consular. Diplomatic work consists of representing Spain abroad, maintaining relations with other countries, and participating in multilateral forums. Consular functions consist of protecting and assisting Spanish citizens abroad in a wide range of situations: civil registry and notary services, legalization of documents, assistance to detainees and prisoners, issuance of passports and safe-conducts, and assistance to citizens affected by emergency situations. Consular services also include processing and issuing visas for foreigners who wish to travel to Spain for a specific period or to establish residency in the country. The Diplomatic School is a public institution under the Undersecretariat of Foreign Affairs. It oversees the selection process for entry into the Diplomatic Service and provides the primary training of Diplomatic officers through courses and subjects designed for continuing education.

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