The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC), in cooperation with the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA), the UAE’s leading diplomatic training centre, this month inaugurated the DiploXchange programme, which is aimed at promoting the exchange of ideas, enhancing understanding, and providing on-the-ground learning experience for foreign and UAE diplomats.
The week-long program took place from 20th to 24th February 2023 in Abu Dhabi and offered an immersive approach to familiarise 20 foreign diplomats from diverse parts of the globe with political, economic, and socio-cultural trends in the UAE. The programme covered four main themes focusing on the UAE’s history, public and cultural diplomacy, foreign policy, and economy.
The first day began with an overview of the programme and an introduction into the UAE’s diplomacy, with Dr. Al Saghira Al Ahbabi, Director of the American Affairs Department at MoFAIC, and Dr. Mohammed Al Dhaheri, Deputy Director-General of AGDA, offering their welcome remarks to the first cohort of the programme.
The diplomats received a series of lectures and interactive sessions from AGDA’s instructors and engaged with MoFAIC representatives, who provided their reflections on UAE diplomacy. The diplomats also visited various sites across Abu Dhabi, including Qasr Al Hosn, the Abrahamic Family House, and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, highlighting the UAE’s cultural heritage and its founding principles of coexistence and tolerance.
The programme concluded with a graduation ceremony and closing remarks by Sultan Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Development Affairs. Al Shamsi expressed his appreciation to the diplomats for their active participation in the programme and highlighted the importance of such initiatives in fostering mutual understanding and collaboration between nations.
The DiploXchange programme is one of the M1 projects launched by the UAE Government, which have been devised to consolidate the competitiveness of the country regionally and globally and to help achieve national priorities. These projects, which are guided by the “Principles of the 50” roadmap which aims to enhance the efficiency of government work, and formulate a new institutional culture that keeps pace with and fulfils future aspirations.
News Source: Emirates News Agency