VII General Assembly of the Global Public Diplomacy Network
In the period November 29 - December 1, 2021. The 7th General Assembly of the Global Public Diplomacy Network (GPDNet) was held in Doha, Qatar. The Global Public Diplomacy Network was established in 2014 in Seoul, as a platform aimed at contributing to the international community through cultural, academic and civil society initiatives, supporting and contributing to international cooperation. Members of the Global Public Diplomacy Network (GPDNet) have dedicated their work to public and cultural diplomacy in their countries, which has an important global dimension.
In the framework of the current VII General Assembly of the Global Public Diplomacy Network (GPDNet), the State Institute for Culture under the Minister of Foreign Affairs presented in detail its main priorities, mission and tasks for the role of cultural diplomacy as a tool of foreign policy and the interaction with the Bulgarian diplomatic missions around the world, as well as a brief history of the Institute. The institute was unanimously accepted as a full member of the network. The Bulgarian delegation was represented by the Director of the State Institute for Culture under the Minister of Foreign Affairs - Ms. Snezhana Yoveva - Dimitrova and representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the State of Qatar. On behalf of the organizers, the document on the accession of Bulgaria with the status of a full member was signed by the President of GPDNet, Prof. Dr. Khaled al-Sulayti.
One of the priorities of the State Institute for Culture is to expand and format in a new way the relationship between the diplomatic institution and the Bulgarian cultural sector to respond to the dynamics of change, the emerging new actors on the scene - cultural, academic and private sectors, international partners in the global recovery environment of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the reason why this year the State Institute for Culture applied to be accepted as a full member of EUNIC (EU Network of Institutes for Culture, which have a network structure to promote European culture around the world).
The accession of the State Institute for Culture in the Global Public Diplomacy Network is an important step for Bulgaria's presence in multicultural contexts outside the EU and the expansion of strategic partnerships, as well as the implementation of cultural diplomacy tools for public policies - for convergence and exchange of ideas between potential partners and implementation of creative projects that promote the "strength of national cultures" and their sustainability over time.