It makes sure that all diplomatic representatives receive proper treatment and that they are accorded, under domestic regulations and practice, prerogatives, immunities and privileges to which they are entitled, including an unimpeded performance of their functions and those of their missions, in the interest of successful development of international relations.
The Protocol Service and its Ceremonial Section coordinate and implement the programme of international visits; provides appropriate formal treatment during international visits, meetings and international negotiations, signing of international agreements; and make sure that precedence between foreign countries and their representatives is maintained by respecting the principle of equality; it organizes the presence of the diplomatic and consular corps at state ceremonies and ceremonial events.
The Diplomatic Protocol publishes the diplomatic list and the order of precedence.
The Vienna Conventions have facilitated the solution of protocol related issues since they have established rules, prerogatives, privileges and immunities accorded to diplomatic representatives. Adherence or non-adherence to these norms, for instance, ceremonial related to international visits, often indicates the state of relations between the countries concerned. However, the two Conventions do not prevent either higher or better treatment than the one accorded thereunder.
Protocol is also engineering or the service that should coordinate the functioning of all logistical segments; to ensure desired publicity and high profile of certain segments of ceremonial events or to secure privacy and discretion. Protocol is also obliged to ensure a greater or lesser visibility of the police and arrangements for the security of guests, and perfect functioning of all services. Protocol creates a product that is not a mechanical sum, but a reflection of the objective interests of a country, of the subjective wishes of the guest and the host and, of course, of the real possibilities.
The tasks of the Diplomatic Protocol are usually carried out by a certain number of organizational units,such as:
Privileges and Immunities, including in some countries separate or
within the same unit, specialized Legal Status Service;
Ceremonial and State Visits;
Formal Correspondence.
Within the Protocol, there is sometimes a separate service dealing with the coordination of security and physical protection of foreign diplomatic and consular missions, diplomats and VIP guests.
In some countries, diplomatic/state protocol includes even today (or semi-independent of it) specialized companies (services) for rendering services to the Diplomatic Corps such as residential lettings and properties; lease contracting; maintenance services; security services; recruitment of servant staff; hiring of local technical staff (interpreters, Personal Assistants and others). However, in most countries all these services or almost all of them are left to the market.