Cultural Diplomacy
Introduction to an Essential Part of Diplomatic Relations
Cultural diplomacy describes a form of diplomacy that places an emphasis on cultural recognition and understanding as a basis for dialogue.
Culture: inherent quality of the human constitution that manifests in multifarious forms of language, value systems, beliefs, art and endeavour.
Diplomacy: art of communicating ideas, emotions and information toward the attainment of individual or collective objectives through collaboration.
Cultural diplomacy describes a form of diplomacy that places an emphasis on cultural recognition and understanding as a basis for dialogue.
Practice
Cultural diplomacy can be practised by any number or combination of parties; from individuals to regional or global unions, such as the African Union and United Nations.
Today, cultural diplomacy is practised alongside other forms of diplomacy, including business diplomacy, multilateral diplomacy, new diplomacy and public diplomacy. The practice of Cultural Diplomacy has grown to become a global industry with legal foundations and a comprehensive set of conventions, epitomised by the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
Most governments enshrine their approach to cultural diplomacy within a foreign policy document and appoint a foreign minister to lead its implementation. The foreign minister is normally supported by a network of ambassadors and full body of diplomatic staff.
Purpose
Cultural diplomacy has been employed to end wars, abolish slavery, build sustainable economies and secure fundamental human rights.
Individuals may use cultural diplomacy to build friendships or influence opinion, while institutions may use cultural diplomacy to secure agreements over trade, species preservation, climate change, immigration or border disputes.
Cultural diplomacy can also be misused to achieve selfish aims or permit reckless acts of war. The purpose of cultural diplomacy is ultimately decided by the respective parties engaging in dialogue.
Perennial Nature
Owing to its nature, the roots of cultural diplomacy can be traced back to the very beginnings of human exchanges in dialogue. Cultural diplomacy can be identified as the common denominator that has enabled diverse civilisations to work together and yet celebrate difference. The practice stands prominent as a desirable alternative to conflict and attrition in the search for remedies to global challenges.
The value of cultural diplomacy is closely tied to the preservation of diverse cultures and the appetite of civilisations to choose to work together, form unions and secure agreements. Two significant resolutions were specifically adopted by the United Nations to address these issues and cultivate a global culture of cultural diplomacy:
- UN Resolution 48/163 of December 1993 regarding International Decades of the World's Indigenous People.
- UN Resolution 23/52 of November 1998 regarding the Year of Dialogue among Civilisations.
Prospects
The development of new technologies continues to have a prodigious impact on the conduct of cultural diplomacy. Emergence of telecommunication, electronic mail, VoIP and audio video conferencing technologies has made it possible for people to conduct cultural diplomacy without ever meeting in a physical sense. Future innovations in information communication technology and the specific field of artificial intelligence may well redefine current notions of culture and cultural diplomacy.
