Training course in public diplomacy begins

A three-day training course on public diplomacy began Monday in Building 15 of Katara Cultural Village, organised by the Katara Public Diplomacy Centre. The course is being presented by Dr Omar Ghanem, an expert in diplomatic protocol and etiquette, and sees the participation of 32 employees representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Civil Service and Government Development Bureau, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, Katara, Al Jazeera Media Network, Qatar Museums and Aspire Academy.The training course focuses on the phenomenon of public diplomacy, its origins and the stages of its development, in addition to the application of its means to serve classic diplomacy carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic figures, according to a press statement.For his part, Dr Ghanem says public diplomacy is the "face that treats the emotions of public opinion and complements traditional diplomacy's message to transcend political borders that separate thinking and addressing people directly through different tools, such as culture, education and economy, to build ties between nations".He added that culture has become the main approach of public diplomacy, which in turn establishes strong relations between nations. He pointed out that Qatar has invested in creating distinct cultural tools, most notably Katara with all its cultural diversity, which reflects the cultural and historical origins of Qatar, including its heritage, traditions and the values of its society.Dr Ghanem explained that the methodology of public diplomacy is not new in Qatar, as the State has invested enormous resources over three decades in public diplomacy, demonstrating that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is the result of the efforts of public diplomacy. Meanwhile, the Katara Public Diplomacy Centre, in co-operation with the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau, will organise at 10am on Thursday a lecture on public diplomacy and leadership development by Dr Mustafa al-Amin, a lecturer at Hamad Bin Khalifa University.