Actor in Diplomacy

1. Head of State / Government

Head of State
 Also known as Chief of State.
 The public persona that officially represents the national unity and legitimacy of a
sovereign state.
 Depending on the country's form of government and separation of powers, the head of
state may be a ceremonial figurehead or concurrently the head of government.
 In countries with parliamentary systems, the head of state is typically a ceremonial
figurehead that does not actually guide day-to-day government activities or is not
empowered to exercise any kind of secular political authority - Queen Elizabeth II of the
Commonwealth Realms
 In countries where the head of state is also the head of government, the head of state
serves as both a public figurehead and the actual highest-ranking political leader who
oversees the executive branch - The President of Brazil
 Head of state is the highest-ranking constitutional position in a sovereign state.
 The main role or duty of the Head of the State, involves attending political functions,
exercising political powers, and legitimizing the state. These functions include greeting
foreign dignitaries, and calling sessions of parliament.
 The Head of State also has the power to call for early elections. In some countries the
Head of State can call for a President’s rule in emergency situations. He or she is
responsible for signing off on all laws passed, in parliamentary form of government. The
Head of the State is the Chief of the Armed Forces.
 The individual a country calls on when it needs a spokesperson to talk with a foreign
country.
 The head of state is the person the world sees. He or she is also the person a country sees
when there are national issues that need to be discussed, like foreign policy, healthcare,
or taxes.


Head of Government
 In a parliamentary form of government, the Prime Minister or Premier is the Head of the
Government.
 He is the leader of the ruling party and is the chief of the executive branch. He presides
over a cabinet. In the Presidential form of government and absolute monarchies, the Head
of the Government and the Head of the State are the same individual.
 The head of government is the leading executive officer.
 The duties and responsibilities of the Head of the State include implementing laws,
supervising bureaucracy, and making all-important decisions with the approval of the
cabinet.
 He/she is also the head of the legislature. In the presidential form of government, the
President is not a member of the legislature, thus he is not the head.
 In country that combines the two offices, but they are two different positions. Like US,
the president of the United States is not just the head of state, the president is also head of
 government. The head of government (the president) can select advisors, suggest laws,
veto bills, and even provide candidates for the Supreme Court to Congress.
 In a country where the two offices are separate, the head of government generally makes
the decisions. If the head of state has any official power, he or she is expected to approve
them.

2. Non-state Actor
 Consists of International Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) Transnational or
International Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
 These include corporations, private financial institutions, and NGOs, as well as
paramilitary and armed resistance groups. In the context of human rights and particularly
ESCR advocacy, there has been an increasing focus on the human rights responsibilities
of transnational corporations and other business enterprises.
 Non state actors are non-sovereign entities that exercise significant economic, political,
or social power and influence at a national, and in some cases international, level. There
is no consensus on the members of this category, and some definitions include trade
unions, community organizations, religious institutions, ethnic groupings, and
universities.
 NSAs Individuals and groups that hold influence and which are wholly or partly
independent of state governments.
 Non-state actors can aid in opinion building in international affairs, - the Human Rights
Council.
 Non-state actors are fundamental agents in helping to achieve both national and
international development goals, such as those around climate change. Actions by non-
state actors contribute significantly towards filling the greenhouse gas emissions gap left
by unambitious or poorly executed national climate policies, Intended Nationally
Determined Contributions (INDCs).