SESRIC organised in partnership with the Diplomacy Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey a Training Course on “Cultural Diplomacy for OIC Junior Diplomats” on 13-16 September 2021 through a video conferencing platform. The training course was attended by 86 young diplomats from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of 33 OIC member countries.

The main objective of the training course was to provide knowledge on the association between cultural diplomacy and foreign policy and identify processes to formulate and monitor effective cultural diplomacy practices. The training course also provided insights into the historical developments in cultural diplomacy and the impact that globalization and technological advancement have had on its practice.

In his speech at the opening session, H.E. Mr. Nebil DABUR, Director General of SESRIC, addressed the participants by emphasizing the importance of this year’s theme on “Cultural Diplomacy” as an issue of high interest to the OIC diplomatic community and for the OIC junior diplomats. He stated that cultural diplomacy is a vital tool that can help OIC countries in combatting ignorant narratives and misinformation and further emphasized that the OIC countries can build fruitful global alliances and partnerships by utilizing their culture as a tool of diplomacy.

The message of H.E. Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, Secretary General of the OIC, was delivered by H.E. Dr. Lhoucine RHAZOUI, Director of Cultural Affairs Department at the General Secretariat of the OIC. The message lauded the efforts of SESRIC and the Diplomacy Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey in organizing this training course and highlighted the importance of cultural diplomacy as a key asset in the foreign policy practice that becomes central in promoting a safer world.

In his welcoming remarks, H.E. Prof. Dr. Mesut ÖZCAN, Director of the Diplomacy Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, briefly introduced the activities of the Academy in training junior diplomats as well as the personnel of Ministries of Foreign Affairs of various countries. He also added that renowned academics were invited for this training course to ensure the participants learn from a wide range of perspectives on the theme of cultural diplomacy.

The 2021 Training Course on Cultural Diplomacy for the OIC Junior Diplomats was organised within the framework of SESRIC’s Diplomacy Capacity Building Programme (Diplomacy–CaB), which was initiated in 2017 to enhance junior diplomats’ diplomatic skills, help them acquire the necessary knowledge about the OIC and assist their understanding of the major regional and international issues.

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