UAE seeks ‘superpower in soft power’
GARGASH SAYS IT OPENS DIPLOMATIC DOORS AND HELPS COMMUNICATE STANCE ON RADICALISATION AND EXTREMISM
The UAE aims to become one of the world’s soft power superpowers, a minister said at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations yesterday.
Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said soft power goes far beyond military power.
“Soft power for UAE diplomacy is a ‘door opener’ in many ways. It opens doors to various parties, helps communicate what the UAE is about, especially on issues concerning our stance on radicalisation and extremism,” he said.
“What is important here is our public and cultural diplomacy. This not only involves the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, but also every citizen and resident in the UAE, other UAE institutions and bodies to spread the nation’s message.”
The UAE has projected its soft power and diplomacy efforts across various foreign policy pursuits,” Dr Gargash said.
“Year upon year, the UAE places first in the Arab Youth Survey, reflecting real experiences and opportunities for youth, families, work opportunities, and a safe, secure and fair environment to flourish. The UAE is the world’s top donor country for the last five years with more than Dh117 billion.”
Dr Gargash said Expo 2020 is one of the most notable examples of UAE’s soft power.
“Louvre Abu Dhabi teaches the world to celebrate our diversity ■ and common humanity, our shared hopes and dreams. Emiratis are granted visa-free travel in Schengen zone countries and every citizen can now travel visa-free to 159 countries and we still aim for making our passport among the world’s top most powerful,” he said.
Women’s empowerment
He said if he is asked to name the UAE’s single most notable success in soft power, he would say women’s empowerment, crediting Her Highness Shaikh Fatima Bin Mubarak for the great achievement.
Results like these reflect that the “stock that we have in soft power is huge,” he said.
The UAE Soft Power Strategy aims to increase the country’s global reputation abroad by highlighting its identity, heritage, culture and contributions of the UAE to the world.
Despite the nation’s ability to extract influence of soft power, Dr Gargash said, “We, as the foreign ministry, understand that we need to do more.”
Dr Gargash shared advice with all the young men and women attending the majlis: “You are ambassadors of the country, and therefore represent the country well. Anything positive you do will be remembered by the world as a good Emirati deed, but any negative step you make, will reflect on your country. So you have a great responsibility of protecting your country’s image, whether you are in the UAE or abroad.”
Introducing the Majlis, Shamma Suhail Faris Al Mazroui, Minister of State for Youth, who referred to herself as “the student” in her address, highlighted the value of hard work as she offered examples of self-growth and development from her experiences as a young Emirati.
She described how when deciding which study option she should pursue, her parents encouraged her to choose the sciences rather than the arts as they recognised the future benefit of such knowledge. Only later in life did she realize the true advantages of this decision. After then gaining a ■ ■ bachelor’s degree in Economics from New York University Abu Dhabi, Al Mazroui earned her master’s degree in Public Policy at the University of Oxford.
Mohammad Khalifa Al Nuaimi, director of Education Affairs Office, said: “We have over 300 sessions planned across our five interactive zones which cover five themes: Science and Technology; Business and Entrepreneurship; Leadership and Development; Culture, Art and Media; and Sports and Fitness.”