Sports fans and athletes from Colombia took to social media to criticise the government's plans to slash next year's national sports budget by 60 percent. [...] Thousands of Colombians have started an online campaign called #NoRecuertenMisSuenos (Don't Slash My Dreams), extolling their country's athletes and calling on the government to reverse its decision.

Tags: digital diplomacy, social media, colombia, latin america, athlete diplomats, online campaign, #NoRecuertenMisSuenos

Gender equality, and the pursuit of greater educational and economic empowerment for women, have been a focus of the operations of NGOs around the world for a long time. But an emphasis on gender equity has started to move from the world of charities and foundations into governments, with both Sweden and Canada making explicitly feminist commitments for their foreign policy in recent years.

Tags: international aid, feminist foreign policy, gender equality, economic equality, health, education, relationship-building

Jordan has adopted new measures to make it easier for Syrian refugees to obtain work permits in the construction sector, a move that is expected to improve the living conditions of those who work in the industry and protect them from abuse at the hands of employers.

Tags: humanitarian assistance, jordan, syrian refugees, Construction, employment, work permits

Baijiu, China’s go-to alcohol, is virtually unknown in the rest of the world. [...] “It is a matter of respect. When someone has a bottle of baijiu on the table you should probably drink it because it’s there for you. It’s a gift and an expression of warmth. So it’s nice to be able to reciprocate and participate in the local drinking ritual,” Sandhaus remarked.

Tags: nation branding, liquor, china, baijiu, drinking ritual, cultural understanding

Being a crucial partner in IRCICA activities in Central Asia, Uzbekistan represents a crucial example in terms of the peaceful coexistence of various ethnicities and nationalities under the rubric of a truly multinational and multi-faith society. Hosting some of the greatest cultural and civilizational centers in the Islamic world, such as Bukhara and Samarqand, Uzbekistan is home to more than 130 ethnicities and nationalities.

Tags: op-ed, cultural relations, bilateral cooperation, uzbekistan, turkey, multinational diplomacy, islamic world

The 3rd Cairo Arabic Calligraphy International forum opens today ، August 10، at  Palace of Arts in Opera Square under the patronage of Minister of Culture Helmi El-Namnam. 

Tags: Cultural Diplomacy, arts, arabic calligraphy, international festival, cairo, egypt

Women in India have been posting photographs of themselves enjoying a night out on social media in response to a politician who said a woman who was chased in her car by two men "should not have gone out so late at night".

Tags: digital diplomacy, international advocacy, india, indian women, #aintnocinderella, social media

While women-only parks also exist in other Islamic countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia to offer women recreational spots safe from sexual harassment, in Iran they have – at least ostensibly – also been set up for health reasons.

Tags: international advocacy, iranian citizens, women, iran, muslim headscarves, women-only parks