Prof. Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti (centre), Katara General Manager; Global Public Diplomacy Network (GPDNet) Secretary-General and KPDC CEO, Engr. Darwish Ahmed Al Shaibani (right); and QU Gulf Studies Center Director, Dr. Mahjoub Zweiri during a press conference on Sunday.
Doha: The Cultural Village Foundation, Katara, represented by the Katara Public Diplomacy Center (KPDC), will host on February 19-20 a conference entitled “Public Diplomacy in the Arab Gulf States: Policies and Practices,” in cooperation with the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University (QU).
This was announced in a press conference by Prof. Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, Katara General Manager; along with Global Public Diplomacy Network (GPDNet) Secretary-General and KPDC CEO, Engr. Darwish Ahmed Al Shaibani; and QU Gulf Studies Center Director, Dr. Mahjoub Zweiri.
Prof. Dr. Al Sulaiti said in his speech that the conference will be held during Katara’s hosting of the eighth general assembly meeting of GPDNet, and it will enjoy wide scientific participation by a group of diplomats, researchers, academics and experts, representing Qatar and 34 countries. He explained that during the scientific sessions, they will present 35 papers and working papers distributed on the axes of the conference, in a way that contributes to the advancement of public diplomacy in the Gulf countries and enhances its role and practice in bringing societies together, contributing to development, achieving aspirations and meeting the interests of peoples.
He said the conference will be held at a time when the Katara Center for Public Diplomacy is achieving its continuous success in spreading culture and awareness of the importance of public diplomacy, and building national capabilities in the field of public diplomacy through holding lectures, meetings and training courses. He hopes that the upcoming conference will open new horizons in the field of public diplomacy in the Gulf countries, whether in terms of ideas and visions, or application and practice.
Engr. Al Shaibani said the conference would contribute to enhancing scientific and knowledge exchange and reaching the best policies and practices in the field of public diplomacy in the Arab Gulf states. He said that the conference would constitute an ideal platform for reviewing the latest theories and ideas in public diplomacy, bringing together a group of elite diplomats, researchers and academics from Qatar and various countries of the world, with the aim of benefiting from contemporary international experiences and exploring new horizons for public diplomacy in light of the rapid international challenges and changes.
The conference will focus on the policies of the Arab Gulf states and their role in the field of public diplomacy, including Qatar, which has achieved a world-renowned position in public diplomacy in its various fields, appreciating the important central role played by Katara, said Dr. Zweiri.
Dr. Zweiri explained that the conference management will work on issuing a scientific book in English that contains all the outputs, ideas and visions discussed by the participants in the conference, with the aim of transferring information to the various sectors that need it. Launching the conference is one of the basic building blocks of the existing partnership between the Katara and Qatar University, which took place in 2014.
Meanwhile, KPDC organised a lecture yesterday entitled “Foreign Policy: Mediation and Peacemaking” led by Dr. Zweiri. It was attended by a number of diplomats and workers in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Dr. Zweiri said during his lecture that the essence of Qatari foreign policy and diplomacy is the human being, through its focus on basic issues such as education, health services and women’s education, in addition to establishing infrastructure in many societies, and providing aid to countries, noting that the Qatari experience focuses on On a basic theme that without state building and peacemaking, economic development cannot be achieved.
He added that Qatar has been able to assume its international position as an effective and reliable partner globally to face the challenges of the international community, and to impose itself as a key player capable of achieving understanding between the various parties and consolidating international peace, and this in itself crowns Qatar as a pivotal country in mediation and a main address for making peace.
During his lecture, he reviewed the most important pillars of foreign policy, which are: non-interference in the internal affairs of states, consolidation of international peace and security, and support for peoples’ right to self-determination.
