After joining the Austrian Diplomatic Service in 1974 he served as Consul General in Ljubljana, SR Slovenia, and as Ambassador to Chile. On his return to Vienna in 1984 he assumed responsibilities as Deputy Director for Security Policy, Deputy Director General for Development Cooperation and Director for International Organisations. Between 1986 and 1988 he chaired the Organizing Committee for the European Campaign on North/South Interdependence and Solidarity of the Council of Europe. From 1993 to 2000 he served as Austria’s Ambassador to Canada.

During his assignments in Vienna he also contributed as lecturer to the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna and to the Vienna International Peace Academy Seminars on United Nations peace keeping. Mr. Lichem has been Chairman of the Board of "Inter Press Service", Rome, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the European Training Centre for Human Rights and Democracy and member of the Board of PDHRE and of the International Water Resources Association (1984-1986).

Numerous articles and books deal with environment and development, with international water resources law, the CSCE process, United Nations peacekeeping, North/South relations, with governance-building, pluri-identity societies, with the Austrian political system and Austrian foreign policy.