A curated selection of public diplomacy-relevant news from a global cross-section of English-language media outlets, including independent, corporate-owned, and state-sponsored sources. The stories featured don't necessarily represent CPD's views nor have they been verified by CPD.

Why Gender Equality Will Make or Break the Development Goals

To reverse this trend, Women in Europe for a Common Future, together with over 600 women’s civil society organizations from 100 countries, is working to ensure that women’s equality is an integral part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, in particular, that Goal 5 – which focuses on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls – is achieved.

Tags: gender, gender equality, development goals, global development

The Art of Influence

Soldiers use the term kinetic force to describe the firing of bullets, bombs and artillery. Non-soldiers often think of the business of war as entirely about the kinetic. But it's not just about this hard power. The role of Influence is often more important than anything.

Tags: hard power, soft power, influence, strategic influence, regional influence, taliban, united states, military diplomacy

No Longer So Male And Stale

Perhaps most importantly, a less male representation projects a less fusty national image at a time when “soft” power counts for ever more. Indeed, feminisation seems to be part of a broader French effort to “renew our global diplomacy for the 21st century”, in the words of Laurent Fabius, the foreign minister, whose predecessor but one was a woman, Michèle Alliot-Marie.

Tags: france, soft power, female ambassadors, women in diplomacy, feminism

Stage Set for the Master of Soft Power

Pope Francis begins his historic visit to Cuba and the United States this weekend, when he will address the US Congress and the United Nations. It is a chance to influence policymakers on issues that will shape the future of the planet. But there is another platform he should be invited to join.

Tags: soft power, pope francis, papal diplomacy, cuba, united states, united nations

Kosovo, Serbia Begin Diplomatic Battle Over UNESCO

Pristina and Belgrade are set for another diplomatic battle over Kosovo’s bid to join United Nations cultural body UNESCO which could further damage relations between Serbia and its former province.[...] As expected, Serbia’s reaction was immediate and fierce. Its leaders vowed to oppose Pristina’s bid, arguing that Kosovo is not a state and has not proved capable of protecting Serbian Orthodox religious monuments and heritage.

Tags: kosovo, serbia, unesco, Cultural Diplomacy, religious monuments

Marriott International Supports Peace One Day's Global Day of Peace

In a study commissioned by Penn Schoen Berland on behalf of Marriott, it was revealed that international travel is considered even more important than the Internet, TV/movies, or political diplomacy at stimulating the economy and breaking down cultural barriers. [...] "This survey shows it [travel] is also a powerful form of soft diplomacy in the world today."

Tags: marriot international, peace one day, global day of peace, csr, corporate diplomacy, soft power

Kremlin Is Losing the Information War

According to some analysts, improving Russia's image abroad has barely been the primary goal of an information campaign. Vasily Gatov, a Russian media researcher based in Boston, suggests that instead of promoting a positive image of Russia abroad, the actual goal of RT is to implement an "armed response" in the West and the Russian liberal media. Their goal is to create anti-Russian hype in the American and European press, and to use such an "anti-Russian narrative" in Russia's domestic policy. 

Tags: russia, kremlin, information campaign, propaganda, ukraine, european union

Flash and a Bang as Mozambique Is Declared Free of Landmines

[The Halo Trust] began operations in Mozambique in 1993, funded by the US, UK and others to the tune of nearly $57m (£37m). Calvin Ruysen, regional director of Halo in southern Africa, said: “This is the first heavily mine-affected country to reach an end state. That’s a massive story because it demonstrates that, with the right approach and resources, you can bring a problem to conclusion. It’s an example to other heavily affected states: the fact we’re here now is very important.”

Tags: mozambique, halo trust, landmine clearance, public diplomacy, multi-stakeholder diplomacy, international NGOs, non-state pd

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