“Cultural Diplomacy in the German Public & Private Sectors”
(Berlin; July 29th – 31st, 2014)
www.culturaldiplomacy-conference.org

As a unique historic occasion for Europe and the World, November 2014 will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, which represents one of the most important events in the history and the development of Germany, ending the division of a bi-polar world and reuniting a country that had been divided for almost three decades.

Twenty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and almost twenty-five years after German reunification, unified Germany is considered to be the main economic engine of the European Union and is one of the leading economies and exporters in the world. In the recent decades, German corporations, simultaneously to securing their economic success, have successfully practiced corporate cultural diplomacy both directly as well as through their private foundations and have managed to build cultural and economic bridges with many communities from around the world. This active engagement of the German private sector in cultural diplomacy has enormously contributed to these corporations’ current success, the reputations of the companies themselves, as well as the reputation of the German private sector as a whole.

Parallel to the engagement of the private sector, the German Foreign Ministry and other German governmental institutions have been engaging relentlessly with cultural diplomacy throughout the last decades. The German public sector includes a successful model of cultural diplomacy, by the way in which it has been engaged and by its magnitude, since for example a high percentage of the annual budget for German foreign policy is dedicated to cultural issues and cultural diplomacy each year.

The long-term and sustainable investments of the German private and public sectors in cultural issues as well as their consistent engagement in the field of cultural diplomacy has brought them significant respect and cooperation, earned gradually over decades of hard work and dedication.

Symposium Agenda

The Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy in Germany 2014 will celebrate and privilege the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall by exploring, presenting and analyzing this exceptional success of German cultural diplomacy. The Symposium will include representatives from the public and private sector together with key stakeholders in the field to present and demonstrate their activities. The German strategy for designing and implementing cultural diplomacy within the framework of close consistency to their foreign policy as a whole, will be reviewed and case studies together with best practices of cultural diplomacy will be analyzed, discussed and demonstrated in the Symposium.

The Symposium curriculum will include keynote addresses, lectures, and interactive workshops. To complement and support the conference curriculum, exhibitions will be hosted parallel to the symposium sessions and site-visits will be arranged. The format of the conference will enable participants to present their initiatives and programs, in order to further promote their own initiatives and programs and to foster greater cooperation in the field. At its conclusion, the Symposium will publish a report based on the lectures, proposals and suggestions from all speakers and participants, which will be published and delivered to stakeholders of the German cultural diplomacy community as well as to the international community.

German Nation Branding - A particular focus will be given to German cultural diplomacy within the framework of the German National Brand and the nation branding activities and initiatives of Germany over the past decades, which can be viewed as one of the most effective best practices.

Symposium Speakers & Delegates

Speakers and delegates during the symposium will include leading politicians, chief diplomats, leading governmental officials, senior academics, renowned authors, journalists, and celebrated artists. These speakers will include a large number of individuals from the ICD Advisory Board. To learn more about the ICD Advisory Board, please click here.

Conference Locations

Based in Berlin, the conference will be hosted at a number of important political, historic, and cultural locations across the city.

Conference Participants

Participation in the conference is open to governmental & diplomatic officials, academics, artists, journalists, civil society practitioners, private sector representatives, young professionals and students as well as other interested individuals from across the world.

Participant Papers »
The Conference Committee encourages academic research and analysis of issues related to the goals of the Conference. The Conference Committee would therefore like to welcome the participants of the conference to submit a paper they would like to be considered for presentation at the conference as well as being included in the proposal document that will be issued following the conference and will be sent to all governments and leaders of the international community worldwide.

Certificate of Attendance
All conference participants will be awarded an official certificate of attendance upon completion of the program, which will provide details of the speakers who took part and the topics discussed. Each certificate will be signed by members of the Conference Committee.

If you would like to reserve a position and participate in the conference, please click on the link below and submit the online application form:
http://www.culturaldiplomacy.de/index.php?cccs-2013
For further information please contact us info@culturaldiplomacy.org
To view the complete, recently announced ICD calendar of programs and events for 2014, please visit http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/index.php?en_calendar