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13 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 FEBRUARY 2023 global power work on the UN Law of the Sea treaty (UNCLOS) and its role in putting climate change on the UN's agenda in 1989, to address a lacuna in the treaty on what happens to countries' maritime and economic rights when sea rise obliterates their coastlines. The second highlights Malta's keen interest in a topic that af- fects mainly African nations, but now also Ukraine and the Mid- dle East. Frazier pinpoints the way Mal- ta leverages its reputation as an honest broker in international affairs. A case in point from the week's proceedings is convincing Palestine not to steam ahead with a resolution on the Middle East conflict whose wording would have invited an immediate veto from a Security Council mem- ber. "I felt it was in their interest that they do not push ahead with a resolution tabled by the Unit- ed Arab Emirates, which would have invited a veto and shut the door to further discussion... we spoke to the Palestinians to sug- gest a presidency statement, the wording of which is also negoti- ated between all the members... a product that involves week-long negotiations. And achieving that would still leave the door open for a resolution later on, while also bringing on board the Unit- ed States." That is what Maltese diplomacy is about, Frazier says, a behind- the-scenes approach of gentle negotiation promoting consen- sual outcomes and honest ad- vice. "I invited the Palestinians to consider whether they wanted to trigger a veto initiative from the United States, that would have then played out in the General Assembly with the US explain- ing its veto and inviting support from other member states... "I felt they should not alienate an important ally for them, es- pecially in an important week where the subject was Ukraine. There, Maltese diplomacy came to the fore. It was a huge success, a first agreed Security Coun- cil product on the Middle East since 2016... nobody picked it up in Malta," Frazier points out – a wry reflection on the scant inter- est in foreign affairs in a media landscape which, this week, was lit up by the court judgement on the controversial Steward hospi- tals privatisation. There is sanguinity in Frazier's appraisal of Maltese diplomacy. Its understated victories never get the limelight that is other- wise hogged by the provincial- ism of daily politics back home. "Malta is seen as an honest bro- ker. We have absolutely nothing to gain from all this, so these countries look to Malta to show its leadership." Frazier is equally honest about the realpolitik that governs state actions inside the UN. "They are all about their own national interest – only. If Malta had a permanent seat in the UNSC, we would be the same. This is nor- mal, neither bad nor good," and she explains how, for example, the permanent members close an eye to the fact that Russia's vote on a matter that concerns it as a party to the conflict in the Ukraine, is forbidden by the Charter. "The other Council members say... 'that will be used against me in the future'... so you see, there is also a lot of solidari- ty between them." Frazier takes a moment to cred- it her mother and grandmother, as the women who bolstered her ambition and driving force in her career. As a role model to young diplomats, Frazier takes her mentoring very seriously and confesses to this with emotion and authenticity. "I have had a fantastic 30 years in diplomacy. I have been wit- ness to history in the making first-hand, it's given me great satisfaction as well as a lot of work and sacrifice. I am one of those lucky people who found her ideal career. "My mother and grandmother didn't go to university or have careers, but were homemakers who pushed me to achieve what they didn't. I want to try and do the same for others." That adventure started in 1987 when Frazier packed her bags for her Luther College scholarship in Iowa. "It was like I was going to the end of the world," she re- marks of a pre-internet world where an atlas was her parents' closest reference to her wherea- bouts, not an easy video-call on a smartphone. "I was lucky that my parents never held me back. I wanted to study and see what I could achieve, and they encour- aged me to do it. And I would like to encourage girls to do the same: if we could do all the things we're able to do, we would amaze ourselves." "I have had a fantastic 30 years in diplomacy. I have been witness to history in the making first-hand, it's given me great satisfaction as well as a lot of work and sacrifice. I am one of those lucky people who found her ideal career PHOTO: RAY ATTARD