Abu Dhabi: Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs, chaired a meeting with the UAE Soft Power Council, which took place as part of the two-day UAE Annual Government Meetings.
The UAE Soft Power Strategy seeks to increase the UAE’s global reputation and highlight the identity, heritage, culture and contributions of the UAE to the world, as directed by Vice-President and Prime Minster of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed said, “The UAE’s Soft Power Strategy is a comprehensive framework for all sectors in the country. The responsibility of the UAE’s reputation is also the responsibility of any person and group in the UAE. Our goal is to build a strong reputation for the nation, through which we can achieve our developmental, economic and cultural goals and ambitions.”
He continued, “We have ambitious political leadership, a strong economy, big cultural initiatives, and the best infrastructure in the world, all of which support us in leapfrogging our soft power. The UAE is an urban metropolis and an important hub in the region; we have developed in a remarkable way, and can offer a model for development for many other countries around the world.”
He added, “The UAE is a regional and global platform that embraces Arab culture and global best practices; we are a global meeting point, an essential gateway to the Arab world, and offer a platform for a renaissance in the Arab world.”
“The people of the UAE are a valuable part of our Soft Power Strategy, and open communication with them is as much a priority as communicating with government entities; we will develop an institutional framework for communication, so we may deliver our message to many parts of the world,” he concluded.
The UAE’s Soft Power Strategy is the largest framework for integrated diplomatic action that takes into account important moral and cultural components, such as individual identity, heritage, social stability, political climate, cultural openness, tolerance and more. The UAE is a global meeting point and a gateway to the Arab world — culture and ideas converge in an environment of respect and tolerance to create an opportunity for unprecedented development in the region.
The strategy is based on four main objectives, which are to develop a unified direction for various sectors including the economy, humanities, tourism, media and science, and to promote the UAE’s position as a gateway to the region. In addition, to establish the UAE as a regional capital for culture, art, and tourism, and to establish its reputation as a modern and tolerant country that welcomes all people from across the world.
The strategy also includes six main axes that together form the framework for the UAE’s public diplomacy: humanitarian diplomacy, scientific and academic diplomacy, national representatives diplomacy, people diplomacy, cultural and media diplomacy, economic diplomacy.
Shaikh Mohammad launched the UAE Soft Power Council in May, enlisting it to develop the country’s soft power strategy to include the culture, technology, humanitarian, science and economic sectors, in order to establish relationships at the grassroots level with partners both in the Middle East region and globally.
The Council will implement a general soft power strategy for the UAE to enhance its reputation and status regionally and globally, instigate cooperation between public and private sector entities within the country through soft power initiatives and projects, and submit reports periodically to the UAE Cabinet on all the progress and implementation.
