The creation and love-child of two multi-talented persons, Roberto Ruta and Lisa Chiari, to call MENOW just a film festival would be a gross understatement. This is a meeting of minds, a salute to all the great arts and culture that the Region has to offer, complete with delicious food tastings, exclusive concerts and yes, of course, stunning new films.

Tags: italy, middle east, Cultural Diplomacy, international exchange, middle east now, film festival

For years, the United States and other nations have reached out to this population through broadcasting and online venues, but this process should be immediately expanded. Exchange programs – academic and cultural – are effective in breaking down stereotypes, and existing efforts should be accelerated.

Tags: iran, united states, public diplomacy, nuclear talks, middle east, international broadcasting, framework agreement

An alliance of public and private partners supporting immunization and vaccination of children in poor countries – known as Gavi – raised $7.5 billion from governments and philanthropists at their pledging conference in Berlin on 27 January. What public diplomacy and communications strategies did they use to achieve this success?

Tags: vaccination, immunization, public diplomacy, Gavi, africa, americas, south asia, europe, asia pacific

Voice of America said Tuesday its director David Ensor is stepping gown after nearly four years of leading the government-funded broadcast and digital news operation.

Tags: voice of america, united states, international broadcasting, david ensor, bbg

As part of the State Department’s ongoing efforts to counter violent extremism, 11 high-level government representatives from Counter-ISIL Coalition countries will begin a U.S. exchange program this week aimed at discrediting and de-legitimizing ISIL’s brand of violent extremism. 

Tags: united states, us state department, countering radical ideologies, isil, exchange programs, violent extremism, people to people diplomacy, public diplomacy

Myanmar is now open for business, encouraging countries around the world to consider it as a strong destination for investment. Singapore, Japan and India, among others, are in the process of establishing an economic footprint in the Southeast Asian country. Two nations of particular importance to Myanmar are Japan and India, both Asian giants.

Tags: india, japan, soft power, myanmar, cooperation, development, economic footprint, china, southeast asia

Turkey and Pakistan, two of the biggest military powers in the Muslim world, have launched a diplomatic initiative in an effort to prevent the conflict in Yemen from exploding into a regional one. (...) The intense series of consultation comes two weeks after a Saudi Arabia-led coalition launched a bombing campaign over Yemen aimed at halting Houthi advances.

Tags: shuttle diplomacy, turkey, pakistan, yemen, saudi arabia, regional diplomacy, non-state actors

The United Nations climate change negotiations are headed towards a major deadline this December in Paris to create a new global agreement. The summit presents an ideal place for the US and Latin American and Caribbean leaders to candidly and privately discuss the issue.

Tags: summit of the americas, latin america, climate diplomacy, united nations climate change negotiations, the caribbean, cuba, united states, climate change