Gulf States Public Diplomacy Conference Kicks off in Katara Amid Huge Participation from 13 Countries
Doha, February 19 (QNA) - The activities of the 'Public Diplomacy in the Arab Gulf States: Policies and Practices' conference kicked off Sunday at the Cultural Village Foundation (Katara)'s Drama Theater.
The two-day conference is organized by Katara Public Diplomacy Center (KPDC) in cooperation with Qatar University (QU)'s Gulf Studies Center.
It brought together a group of Katara and QU officials, Their Excellencies ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions, academics, researchers and public diplomacy experts.
Speaking at the opening of the conference, General Manager of Katara Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti said that the conference, which is being held for the first time in the State of Qatar and the Arab Gulf region, constitutes a valuable and important opportunity to open channels of dialogue and discussion, and exchange views, experiences and knowledge, amid extensive participation of a group of diplomats, researchers, academics and experts from the State of Qatar and 12 countries from around the world.
The researchers will discuss 30 researches and working papers that cover the axes of the conference, in a way that contributes to the advancement of public diplomacy in the Gulf countries, strengthening its role and practice in bringing societies together, contributing to development, achieving aspirations, and meeting the common interests of peoples, Al Sulaiti said.
He added that Katara has made important strides in the field of public diplomacy through its implementation of many cultural projects and creative programs, and has played a vital role in consolidating the foundations of work in public diplomacy, whether through its various year-round cultural festivals, activities and events, or in the framework of its preparation of ambitious plans and studies that aim to build capacities and invest in culture to serve as a bridge for dialogue and a platform for making friendship among countries, and promoting pan-peoples understanding.
Vice President for Academic Affairs at Qatar University Dr. Omar Al Ansari said in his speech that the conference discusses the features of the growing presence of the Arab Gulf states in the field of public diplomacy, which, with the acceleration of their rise on the global stage, have sought to strengthen their strength in public diplomacy, relying on their wealth and its soft power assets.
He pointed out that the conference stresses the importance of academic work and knowledge and research production in monitoring and following up the political, economic and social developments related to public diplomacy in the Gulf region in particular, as well as in the rest of the world.
Secretary-General of the Global Public Diplomacy Network (GPDNet) and CEO of the Katara Public Diplomacy Center Eng. Darwish Ahmed Al Shaibani said Katara, through this conference, aspires to achieve new momentum and reach an advanced level in the field of public diplomacy.
The conference also aims to come up with important public diplomacy initiatives, in a way that contributes to enhancing the effectiveness of leading cultural and knowledge institutions, enabling them to unify efforts and open channels of communication to improve the reality of people and communities to launch vital and development projects, Al Shaibani said, stressing the importance of closer cooperation between various local and Gulf institutions to ensure the delivery of the message and vision of the initiatives and programs, and the development of public diplomacy projects.
On its first day, the conference consisted of a series of sessions presented by experts from Qatar and abroad, which touched on important topics relating to new trends in the study of public diplomacy, with the first session moderated by Director of Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University Dr. Mahjoob Zweiri.
The conference included a session on the relationship between public diplomacy, media, and digital diplomacies, in which a set of working papers were discussed.
The second session focused on public diplomacy in its overlap with political economy and included a set of research papers dealing with topics such as the role of national oil companies in GCC states' public diplomacy.
The discussions emphasized the importance of public diplomacy as an integral part of a state's foreign policy in a world of rapid globalization, stressing that states have developed their unique approaches that reflect their foreign policies' objectives and traditions and aspects of implementing their public diplomacy.
The conference will issue a book at a later time to include the conference's working papers and details to document the rich discussions and creative ideas about the prospects for advancing public diplomacy in the Arab Gulf states. (QNA)
