New reality gives birth to vision for diplomacy

ABU DHABI: The COVID-19 crisis imposed the need to adapt to a new reality in all areas, and thus a qualitative shit in the field of diplomacy and a review of future diplomacy.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs adopted the latest methods of online communication within the framework of public and cultural diplomacy. It hosted a number of ministers, officials, state ambassadors, foreign ambassadors and specialists during the Online Cultural Marathon Symposium, through a series of teleseminars broadcast on the Ministry’s various social media channels.

The cultural marathon saw a series of weekly sessions on various topics from “Space Diplomacy” to “A Focused View of Latin America”, “Lessons in Cultural Diplomacy from Nigeria”, “UAE and Saudi Arabia, Cultural Unity and a Shared Destiny”, as well as “UAE and Japan, Joint Efforts to Tackle Crises”, “The Role of Embassies in the Future”, as well as “COVID-19”: How the crisis helped foster a culture of solidarity.

State embassies and missions abroad also held online cultural talks, including the virtual dialogue on the documentary series “The History of the UAE”, hosted by the UAE Embassy in the United Kingdom.

In this context, the Youth Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Diplomatic Youth Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, held a youth workshop entitled “The Future of Diplomacy POST-COVID-19” on 8th June, 2020, via video-telecommunication technology.

The seminar was hosted by Ma’ad Hareb Al Khaili, UAE Ambassador to Russia, and Sergei Kuznetsov, Russian Ambassador to the UAE, in the presence of more than 110 members of the two councils and young people affiliated with the foreign ministries of the two countries. During the talk, young diplomats from both countries discussed views and ideas on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on future diplomatic work, emphasising the importance of young people’s role in preparing for the future of diplomacy, and the need to increase the use of virtual tools and modern technology in diplomacy, based on lessons learned from this crisis.