Travel retail is playing a key role in a new three-nation sports programme which aims to break barriers to social inclusion through wheelchair sports. [...] The initiative includes coaching by the participating teams in wheelchair sports including rugby, basketball and tennis. The aim is to empower them by learning new skills and encourage them to empower other disabled people who do not yet practice any sport to take up an activity.

Tags: sports diplomacy, travel retail, wheelchair, social inclusion, rugby, basketball, tennis, empowerment, france, india, cambodia

In 2015, amid the greatest displacement crisis since World War II, a million refugees and migrants arrived on Europe’s shores. [...] In November 2015, as the crisis peaked, European leaders met in Valletta, Malta to try to reach a unified response.

Tags: international aid, immigration, european union, EU emergency trust fund for africa, stability, migration management, europe, africa

This year has been the designated the year of South Korea-Iran cultural exchange, to mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. However, cultural exchanges between Seoul and Tehran go back much farther, back to the time of the Silla Kingdom and the Persian Empire. 

Tags: Cultural Diplomacy, exchange, calligraphy, craftwork, song, dance, the silk road, korea, tehran, iran

The Ruth Page Center for the Arts and Cuba's National School of Ballet continue their collaborative and historic programming with a joint performance. [...] The result marked the first official exchange between two eminent cultural institutions since the normalization of relations between Cuba and the U.S.A. After obtaining official permission from the Cuban Ministry of Culture, the RPSD initiated the first step in the landmark cultural exchange program that would focus on the sharing of knowledge on dance, especially ballet and contemporary dance.

Tags: dance diplomacy, exchange, ballet, collaboration, barack obama, raul castro, cuba, chicago

“We work equally in all the spheres, making efforts aimed at deepening cultural, economic and political ties with Armenia,” Mr. Bernhard Matthias Kiesler, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany to Armenia, said at a press conference on Monday, reflecting on the question whether the professional diplomats envy cultural figures who sometimes register more success in cultural diplomacy.

Tags: Cultural Diplomacy, economy, cooperation, goethe institute, armenia, germany

Jeju is the largest island off the south coast of the Korean Peninsula. Jeju Island has long been the country's favorite domestic holiday destination, thanks to its beautiful beaches, lush countryside and seaside hotels designed for rest and relaxation. [...] The island is also one of South Korea's best places for public diplomacy.

Tags: soft power, renewable energy, eco-friendly, holiday destination, tourism, Jeju Island, south korea, op-ed

What could the UAE do to rise even faster up the soft power league table? It could design and build the first embassy of the future. The original embassies were not buildings but missions of people, sent out to connect, trade and influence. The embassy of the future will return to this idea, representing the dynamism and brand of a country. It will serve as a hub for dialogue, innovation, and exchange, much like the UAE itself.

Tags: soft power, cultural magnetism, first embassy, uae, nation brand, dialogue, innovation, exchange, soft power index, op-ed

Exhibition games, live streaming in Mandarin and by next year a ‘Chinese-influenced’ team all on the agenda for Aussie’s NBL. [...] It’s all part of a master plan that NBL chief executive Jeremy Loeliger hopes will see the Aussie game take off among China’s army of basketball fans. [...] Loeliger believes there’s huge opportunities for China and Australia to work together; he even aims to have a ‘Chinese’ team in the NBL by next year.

Tags: basketball diplomacy, sports, yao ming, exhibition games, NBL, cooperation, gold coast, australia, china