Summer solstice fire festivals in the Pyrenees. Korean tightrope-walking. Solving math equations on a traditional Chinese abacus… and the Mediterranean diet? The olive-oil-abundant way of eating may seem like an outlier here, but all these things share one common attribute: They’re recognized by UNESCO as cultural treasures worth preserving for future generations.

The United Nations’ adoption in 2014 of an International Yoga Day was remarkable for many reasons. [...] No International Day resolution has been co-sponsored by so many countries or has been passed in such a short timeframe. It was definitely a remarkable achievement for Indian diplomacy. It has also been hailed as a demonstration of India’s soft power.

Diplomacy students from the UAE gained hands-on experience on a recent visit to the UAE Embassy in Washington DC, the UAE consulate and the UAE mission to the United Nations in New York. The one-week training programme, run by the Emirates Diplomatic Academy, aimed to broaden the students’ diplomatic knowledge by educating them about the partnerships between the UAE and the US in foreign affairs, business, and medical science.

Young girls and their families from across the Twin Cities gathered Tuesday night to hear from the world’s youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner. Malala Yousafzai, a 19-year-old Pakistani activist who has been targeted by the Taliban, shared her views on the world with those gathered at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Candidates vying to become the next United Nations Secretary General are taking questions from the public via social media and answering concerns from member states. The five permanent Security Council members - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – normally chose the UN chief in a secretive process. But this time, part of that process is happening on live television in a debate broadcast globally by Al Jazeera.

Sport has become an essential tool in the European Union’s soft power approach. Over the past few years, the political vision promoting economic development through sport has become a standard practice in Europe’s policies of solidarity and sustainable development. Yet, how can the European experience help improve the Olympic ideal of using sport to promote peace and prosperity?

The organization Project Everyone wants you to tell them what you really, really want. Project Everyone, which aims to get the word out about the Sustainable Development Goals created by the UN last year, has created a video based on the 1996 Spice Girls hit “Wannabe.” [...] The group presents goals such as “end violence against girls,” “quality education for all girls,” and “end child marriage.”