Difference Between Ambassador and High Commissioner – High Commissioner vs Ambassador

Difference between Ambassador and High Commissioner

Ambassadors and High Commissioners are highly respected posts in the Government of India, and both begin their careers as IFS officers. The key difference between Ambassador and High Commissioner is that Ambassadors are assigned to Non-Commonwealth nations, whereas High Commissioners are assigned to Commonwealth nations. Here is the major point of difference between High Commissioner and Ambassador.

High Commissioner vs Ambassador

Difference between Ambassador and High Commissioner
Ambassador	High Commissioner
Ambassadors are the highest-ranking envoys accredited to a foreign government as the official resident representative of their native country. They are often sent on temporary diplomatic assignments and required to reside in a foreign country.	A High Commissioner is a senior diplomat in a Commonwealth Nation who is in charge of a diplomatic mission from one Commonwealth government to another. Her/his diplomatic mission is known as High Commission.
The offices of the Indian Foreign Ministry in non-commonwealth countries are known as Embassies.	The offices of the Indian Foreign Ministry in commonwealth countries are called the High Commission.
Ambassadors are responsible for the native country’s foreign policies and external affairs.	High commissioners usually represent foreign relations between two commonwealth countries.
Ambassadors’ duties include representing a nation, making speeches on diverse Indian issues, engaging with high dignitaries, organizing events, engaging in social service, encouraging India’s bilateral ties, engaging with the local population, etc.	Earlier, High Commissioners were also in charge of decolonization duties. Today, their functions are political and economic cooperation between two countries, trade investment, cultural activities, exchanges, press and media liaison, etc.

Ambassador and High Commissioner

Both Ambassadors and High Commissioners are selected by the Union Public Service Commission of India and are often misunderstood as one. One of the main objectives of the High Commissioner and the Ambassador is to work for peace and maintain good, bilateral relationships between the two countries.

Who is an Ambassador?

An Ambassador is the country’s highest-ranking representative concerning another country holding diplomatic relations with India. The Ambassador is allowed to control the host country’s specific territory. Thus, an Ambassador has the highest diplomatic rank. The Ambassador has the following responsibilities-

• Protect citizens.
• Support Prosperity.
• Work for peace.
• Extending consular facilities to the citizens of India living abroad and to foreigners.
• Promoting friendly relations.
• Negotiating disputed agreements.

Who is a High Commissioner?

High Commissioner is the senior diplomat in a Commonwealth Nation who is in charge of a diplomatic mission from one Commonwealth government to another. The Commonwealth Nations are 53 former British territories member states with a political association.

• It has a chief institution, Commonwealth Secretariat, focuses on intergovernmental aspects.
• During British rule, the High Commissioners were appointed by the British government to maintain the territories that were not under the complete sovereignty of the Crown.
• They are trained to maintain diplomatic relations between their home and foreign countries.

Conclusion:

Key Difference between Ambassador and High Commissioner

The key difference between Ambassador and High Commissioner is that Ambassador is the chief delegate in an embassy, whereas a High Commissioner is the chief delegate in a high commission.

Related Articles
Difference Between Pandemic and Endemic	Difference Between Strategy and Tactics
Difference Between Constitution and Constitutionalism	Difference Between NRI and PIO
Difference Between Hindustani and Carnatic Music	Difference Between Ethics and Ethos
De Facto vs De Jure	Folding and Faulting