Rethinking public diplomacy in times of pandemics
Diplocat invites international experts to debate on the challenges and opportunities posed by the current situation in an online event on 2 July
In parallel to the Diplocat Digital Talks - The world after COVID-19 series that began on 25 June, the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (Diplocat) has scheduled an online debate on how to perform public diplomacy in current times, what new tools are needed and which opportunities arise from the present crisis.
Thursday, 2 July, 5 pm, JOIN the debate
The debate on Thursday 2 July at 5 pm and is entitled "Public Diplomacy in times of pandemics" and will include following experts:
- Montserrat Feixas - UNHCR regional representative for Central Europe and member of Diplocat's Advisory Council
- Liz Galvez - senior fellow in public diplomacy at DiploFoundation
- Neil Simon - vice president of Bighorn Communications (Portland, EUA)
Laura Foraster i Lloret, secretary general of Diplocat, will present and chair the debate.
Participants will analyze the response of states to the pandemic, how they have interacted with their own citizens and how their image has been affected. The specific case of refugee management in a context of health crisis will also be discussed, as well as how the management of both crises affects the reputation of countries at the international level.
Public diplomacy has traditionally been put into practice through cultural and educational exchanges, international visitors programs and other face-to-face activities. With flights cancelled and borders closed, the situation seems to be far from convenient for public diplomacy. Andy yet it is more necessary than ever.
With this debate, Diplocat wants to consider what tools are needed to keep public diplomacy alive and how we can bring people from different countries closer together in the era of social distance. We want to contribute to innovating and rethinking this discipline of international relations that more and more countries are using and which has now been slowed down, like so many others, by the health pandemic.
The event will last approximately one hour and you must register at the following link to participate.