US Forum on Cultural Diplomacy

US Forum on Cultural Diplomacy

“The Importance of Cultural Diplomacy in Turbulent Times”

(Washington D.C.; March 14-16th, 2023)

Forum Overview

The US Forum on Democracy & Peace will take place in Washington D.C and will present successful cultural diplomacy practices that can be applied to remedy and ease growing global challenges. The forum will include keynote addresses, lectures, interactive panel discussions and debates in order to explore new methods of advanced cultural diplomacy for engagement.

The forum will also develop new initiatives, which will promote democracy, strengthen international relations and encourage cooperation between diverse communities based upon values of peace, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Concept

During the early years of the last decade, many individuals and institutions were under the impression that, very soon, cultural diplomacy would become the common currency for international relations and for citizens around the world, and that the work of the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy would soon no longer be necessary.

Regrettably, the positive feeling and this assumption turned out to be wrong. Only few years have passed and we now find ourselves facing a very challenging global situation, with countless pressing conflicts. It is difficult to know which to prioritize as the greatest threat: the global health crisis, the lack of international cooperation to cope with environmental issues, or the rapid deterioration of relations between the major powers.

The winds of war can already be sensed stirring the air around us, while at the same time the world is witnessing unimaginable levels of cruelty from terrorist. One can debate which is more dangerous: the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to spread and has already claimed millions of lives globally, the environmental changes that are causing disasters around the world, or the risk that the new cold war between the superpowers could deteriorate into the real thing.

Now is therefore the time to search and reach for successful models of cultural engagement and cultural openness to halt the deterioration of relations while at the same time develop stronger cooperation. The international community should look to the example of a country that is using cultural diplomacy in a modern way to spare the world all kinds of horrors, and learn from it.

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