Britain will mark the recently- declared 'World Yoga Day' by the United Nations with a mega event on June 21, in what may be seen as India's growing "soft power" in the world.

Desmond Swayne, the UK Minister for International Development, is currently in Nepal on a three-day visit. Swayne, who arrived in Kathmandu on Wednesday, is scheduled to oversee DFID’s bilateral programs and  its efforts on combating poverty and promoting economic growth in Nepal. 

The 2014 CPD Annual Review demonstrates that although public diplomacy is present in every region of the world, it is predominantly in the northern hemisphere. North America is ranked the most active region in public diplomacy, with the United States contributing the most. Asia (Asia Pacific, Southeast Asia and Central Asia combined) comes in second, and Europe is third, with almost the same presence as Asia. As expected, China, Japan, and South Korea take the lead as the major actors in Asia Pacific. India is also very active in PD in South Asia.

As part of the CPD Annual Review process, in January we highlighted some of the year’s key public diplomacy moments in our Top 10 List of the most notable stories from 2014.

Launched in 2013, the CPD Annual Review was developed to serve as a guide to understanding the global landscape of public diplomacy, its ebbs and flows, its triumphs and its shortcomings.

2015 is the first ever Year of Cultural Exchange between China and the UK, marking a high-point in relations. Throughout the year, the very best of UK culture will be showcased in China, and Chinese culture in the UK.

The UK is preparing to show off the best of its culture in a year of exchange agreed upon during the UK-China Summit in London last year.  The 2015 UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange will comprise two ‘seasons’ of culture – a UK season in China in the first half of 2015 and a China season in the UK in the second half of 2015.