Forum Overview

The Forum on Cultural Diplomacy in the US will take place in Washington D.C. from September 9th - 11th, 2024 and will present successful cultural diplomacy practices that can be applied to remedy and ease growing local and global challenges.

The forum will include keynote addresses, lectures, interactive panel discussions and debates in order to explore new methods of advanced cultural diplomacy methods for engagement. The forum will also develop new initiatives, which will promote democracy, strengthen international relations and encourage cooperation between diverse groups & communities based upon values of peace, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Concept

During the early years of the last decade, many individuals and institutions were under the impression that, very soon, cultural diplomacy would become the common currency for international relations and for citizens around the world.

Regrettably, the positive feeling and this assumption turned out to be wrong. Only few years have passed and we now find ourselves facing a challenging global situation, with countless pressing conflicts. It is difficult to know which to prioritize as the greatest threat: the global health crisis, the lack of international cooperation to cope with environmental issues, or the rapid deterioration of relations between the major powers.

The winds of war can already be sensed stirring the air around us, while at the same time the world is witnessing unimaginable levels of cruelty from terrorists. One can debate which is more dangerous: the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to spread, the environmental changes that are causing disasters around the world, or the risk that the new cold war between the superpowers could deteriorate into the real thing.

Now is therefore the time to search and reach for successful models of cultural engagement and cultural openness to halt the deterioration of relations while at the same time develop stronger cooperation. The international community should look to the examples of countries  that are using cultural diplomacy in a modern way to spare the world future horrors, and learn from these examples.

Locations

The Forum will take place in Washington D.C. and will be hosted in the US Congress as well as at a number of important political, historic, and cultural locations across the city.

Speakers & Delegates

Speakers during the forum will include leading politicians, diplomats, governmental officials, senior academics, journalists, and artists. These speakers will include individuals from the ICD Advisory Board. To learn more about the ICD Advisory Board, please click here.

Participants »

Participation in the Forum is open to governmental & diplomatic officials, academics, artists, journalists, civil society practitioners, private sector representatives, young professionals and students.

If you would like to reserve a position and participate in the conference, please click on the link below and fill out the online application form:

Participant Papers »

The Academy for Cultural Diplomacy encourages academic research and analysis of issues related to the goals of the Symposia, and would therefore like to welcome participants to submit a paper they would like to be considered for delivery at the Symposium. Following the Symposium, the papers will be included in the proposal document that will be issued and sent to all governments and leaders of the international community. To read articles submitted by participants of our international conferences or to submit a paper please click here ».