Foreign Ministry Organizes a Panel Discussion Entitled: “Activating Iraqi Cultural Diplomacy: Opportunities and Challenges”

As part of the efforts of the special committee in charge of preparing the Iraqi Cultural Diplomacy Plan for 2025, the Foreign Ministry organized, on Sunday, February 23, 2025, a panel discussion entitled: “Activating Iraqi Cultural Diplomacy: Opportunities and Challenges”, headed by Undersecretary of the Ministry for Political Planning Ambassador Dr. Hisham Al Alawi, and with the participation of former Minister of Culture, Dr. Hassan Nadhem. The session was attended by a number of heads and deputies of Ministry’s departments, and heads of several divisions at the Ministry.

Undersecretary Al Alawi gave a speech during the discussion, in which he affirmed the importance of cultural diplomacy as a central tool within the Foreign Ministry’s strategy to enhance Iraq’s position on the international arena, noting that culture represents a bridge for communication and dialogue with the peoples of the world. As well Dr. Al Alawi outlined that this discussion comes within a series of meetings intended to formulate a comprehensive and ambitious action plan for cultural diplomacy for 2025, by involving specialists and departments of the Ministry in articulating an integrated vision that achieves national goals.

Dr. Al Alawi also announced the ministry’s intention to establish a department for Iraqi expatriate affairs, with the aim of involving Iraqi communities and investing their energies in conveying the true image of the civilizational depth and cultural diversity that characterizes Iraq. He stressed that expatriates represent bridges of communication that contribute to supporting cultural diplomacy efforts and enhancing Iraq’s positive presence in international forums.

On his part, Dr. Hassan Nadhem touched on the available opportunities to activate cultural diplomacy and invest in Iraq’s rich cultural heritage within the diplomatic action, underlining the importance of coordination between cultural, educational and diplomatic institutions to face challenges and work to enhance Iraq’s positive image globally through arts, literature and heritage.

The panel discussion witnessed positive interaction from the attendees, as the participants presented interventions and proposals that addressed mechanisms to support cultural diplomatic work and ways to activate joint initiatives between the ministry and the relevant institutions to achieve the goals set in the 2025 plan. The attendees also agreed on the importance of continuing to hold such meetings to exchange visions and develop paths of cultural and diplomatic cooperation in a sustainable manner.