The attachés
It can take time to realize how many different specialists walk the halls of an embassy. Besides ambassadors and ministers, there are experts who oversee everything from trade activities to marine ecosystems. Working with the ambassadors, they help a mission stay on top of complex issues through research, coordination, and representation.
Attachés are not generalists; they bring technical insight to a foreign mission. ➔ Monitoring trends
Tracking developments in their field and assessing whether action is needed.
➔ Planning and coordination
Organizing events, drafting briefings, and ensuring delegations are informed and prepared.
➔ Research and advisory
Providing scientific or technical insight to ambassadors and policymakers.
➔ Representation
Engaging with governments, industry, and academia at specialized meetings.
➔ Knowledge exchange
Building bridges between domestic institutions and international partners to promote innovation and policy coherence.
These roles link ministries at home with real-world developments abroad. Specialized attachés exist across various domains (e.g., cultural, agricultural, commercial, military), but demand for science, technology, and health expertise is skyrocketing, especially in environmental affairs.
Why environmental attachés matter
A report by the U.S. National Academies identifies five key functions of science and technology officers abroad: spotting emerging issues, providing technical advice, supporting bilateral agreements, sharing host-country information, and connecting with local experts. Whether called science counsellors or environmental officers, their goal is the same—to bring informed, evidence-based insight into diplomacy.
Environmental attachés put these principles into practice across climate diplomacy, biodiversity protection, and pollution control. They coordinate research cooperation, promote shared standards, and ensure environmental commitments in trade or multilateral agreements are implemented.
How attachés translate policy into practice
USA and Mexico cooperation.
When the U.S. and Mexico deepened environmental collaboration in the 1990s, the Environmental Protection Agency appointed Larry Sperling as environmental attaché in Mexico City. His expertise on transboundary hazardous waste helped both countries implement environmental provisions under NAFTA and the Border XXI framework. A dedicated attaché brought continuity and built relationships that outlasted individual ministers.
Plastic pollution in Kuwait.
At the British Embassy in Kuwait, Environmental Attaché Rachel Mulholland raised awareness about the country’s growing plastic waste problem. Drawing on local and British research showing microplastics in fish, she worked with Kuwaiti authorities and regional organizations to develop monitoring and waste-reduction strategies. Her role demonstrates how attachés connect global environmental concerns with local solutions.
Networks of climate attachés
Environmental diplomacy now functions through coordinated networks. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has a Head of Climate Diplomacy overseeing a global attaché network that prepares for major conferences like the UN COP. The Climate, Environment, Infrastructure, and Energy (CEIE) cadre supports this effort, combining scientific and economic expertise to inform negotiations.
Climate and environmental challenges do not respect borders—and neither should the networks addressing them. Yet attachés often find themselves among the few technical specialists at post, facing isolation and steep learning curves. Stronger professional communities can help them share insights, stay connected, and make diplomacy more effective for everyone.
Nvoye’s Contribution
Nvoye was created to address the realities that attachés and diplomats encounter every day. Designed specifically for the diplomatic and international public service community, it offers a trusted space for envoys of all specializations and ranks to connect, learn, and settle into new environments.
Beyond professional exchange, Nvoye provides tailored resources that simplify relocation and integration. From arrival assistance and city orientation to guidance on local procedures and professional networks, it helps diplomats spend less time on logistics and more time building relationships that matter for their mission.
Nvoye is structured to meet individuals where they are and offer tools and experiences that respect the pressures of public service while emphasizing human connection.
Diplomacy moves at the speed of trust—and trust grows when specialists are connected, informed, and supported.
Learn more about Nvoye’s community, experiences, and upcoming platform — and see how its support helps attachés of every specialization hit the ground running.
For more information:
Larry Sperling / U.S.–Mexico environmental attaché
EPA press release: “Larry Sperling Appointed Environmental Attache in Mexico” Environmental Protection Agency
U.S.–Mexico cooperation frameworks. EPA NCEPI
“Network of Environmental Enforcement and Compliance Cooperation” by Fulton & Sperling (Commission for Environmental Cooperation / North American context) FSU Law Scholarship Repository
Trade-Environment Negotiations in the EU, NAFTA, and WTO (Steinberg, 1997). JSTOR
Rachel Mulholland / Kuwait plastic pollution
Regional work in the Middle East. cefas.co.uk
“Climate change, pollution put Kuwait waters at risk,” Kuwait Times
“Environmental Attaché at the British Embassy warns that Kuwait’s fish are polluted with plastic” timeskuwait.com