Participation of the State Institute for Culture in the 9th General Assembly of the Global Public Diplomacy Network
On May 22, the 9th General Assembly of the Global Public Diplomacy Network - GPDNet was held in Doha, the State of Qatar, in which a team from the State Institute for Culture of the Minister of Foreign Affairs took part - director Snezhana Yoveva - Dimitrova and senior specialist Nia Tabakova.
Within the framework of the rich program, the organizers presented new ideas and projects for collaboration between the member states of GPDnet, outlined the future platform of the network for the strengthening of partnerships and the organization of a common festival on the occasion of the celebration of 10 years of the establishment of the organization.
In her speech, the Director Snezhana Joveva thanked Global Public Diplomacy Network Director General Maryam Al Saad for the invitation and excellent organization of the international event, which had participants from Hungary, Moldova, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malaysia, Cuba, Turkey, Philippines, Georgia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Mozambique, Taiwan, etc. Mrs. Yoveva emphasized the new challenges in societies and the world, which are redefining our programs for cultural diplomacy, emphasized the role of the Institute in the implementation of a number of projects of Bulgarian diplomacy and in the formation of cultural policies. In a special presentation, Nia Tabakova presented the Institute's activities, new partnerships and upcoming important and international projects, such as the upcoming international conference on public diplomacy in October in Sofia, which will be attended by the president of GPDnet, Prof. Dr. Khaled al-Suleiti.
Bulgaria's full membership in the network is from 2021, when with the active assistance of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Doha the Institute was accepted into the organization, with currently 29 member-countries from worldwide.
The Global Public Diplomacy Network was established in 2014 in Seoul, as a platform that aims to contribute to the international community through initiatives of the cultural, academic and civic communities, supporting and contributing to international cooperation. Members of the Global Public Diplomacy Network (GPDNet) are dedicated to public and cultural diplomacy in their countries. The Qatar Foundation - Doha has served as the GPDNet Rotating Chair since 2019.
Bulgarian Ambassador Plamen Delev was among the guests at the official opening of the Assembly, as well as at the accompanying cultural events. Within the framework of the Assembly, the international photography exhibition "National Dress: Source of Pride and Heritage" was opened, presenting traditional folk clothing from the member states. Bulgaria participates in the exhibition with four professional photographs of Bulgarian folk costumes from the collection of Svetoslav Petrov, with photographer Petya Dobreva and provided with the assistance of Ani Yoveva, in partnership with the State Cultural Institute.