Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #15
About Citizen Diplomacy International
Due to globalization, the internet, rising education levels, and long-term democratization, citizen diplomacy is growing, and becoming a more important part of diplomacy and international affairs. Thus, in 2020, the Public Diplomacy Council of America (PDCA), a US-based NGO devoted to advancing the field of public diplomacy, formed the Citizen Diplomacy Research Group (CDRG) to advance the research and practice of citizen diplomacy. In 2023, the CDRG became Citizen Diplomacy International (CDI), a network and program of Learning Life, a Washington DC-based nonprofit devoted to developing innovative learning communities in order to widen and deepen participation in democracy and diplomacy.
CDI meets every three months online via Zoom for 1.5 hours to share research and news on citizen diplomacy developments worldwide with an eye to building a vibrant global CD sector for a more participatory, equitable and sustainable world.. Meetings typically begin with two presentations on CD research or practice, followed by discussion of the presentations, then news and announcements of past or upcoming international CD-related initiatives, publications, funding, conferences, etc.
Anyone — including scholars, students, citizen diplomacy practitioners, current and retired official diplomats, and others interested — can join CDI to learn, network, and/or present substantial research or practice in citizen diplomacy. For more information or to join the CDI email list, contact email@learninglife.info. You can also connect with CDI members via our Facebook group and Linkedin group, to which you can post citizen diplomacy-related articles, books, events, funding, etc.
For more about CDI, click here. For the video recording of this CDI meeting at Learning Life’s Youtube Channel, click here. Photos from the meeting above.
Meeting Participants & Agenda
Participants:
The meeting drew 24 participants in fourteen countries, including the Philippines, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Israel, Morocco, Romania, Netherlands, Peru, Bolivia, St Lucia, USA and Canada.
Agenda:
1) Opening Remarks & Introductions (10 minutes)
Review of meeting agenda. During this time everyone is encouraged to post to the chat a one-paragraph bio about themselves, including your name, city, country, job title and organization. Introductions via chat saves us time, provides written details about you, and allows us to share your info after the meeting with those who could not attend. In addition, I will share the Zoom chat content to the CDRG email list following the meeting, so whatever you share will get a wider audience.
2) Two Presentations (40 minutes total):
Presenters:
John Marks, Founder and Senior Advisor, Search for Common Ground: “Track II Diplomacy between Iran and the US.”
Reina Neufeldt, Associate Professor and Chair, Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Waterloo: “Research as Practice: Lessons for Citizen Diplomacy from a Canadian-Haitian Peacebuilding Partnership.”
3) Questions & Discussion about the Presentations (30 minutes)
4) Announcements (10 minutes).
A) A look at the October issue of the Citizen Diplomacy Bulletin
B) Meeting participants have the opportunity to publicize citizen diplomacy events, publications, projects, programs, and related needs. Participants can also post details and links to the Zoom chat box to share with the wider CDRG email list.