Heritage in Global Diplomacy – Qatar

Qatar, recently made international waves when it was hosting the FIFA World Cup. It
appears that this desert country has more to contribute to the world as it was also hosting
the Global Public Diplomacy Network which was attended by Messrs Mulaudzi and Yako in
February 2023. The National Heritage Council became the member of this prestigious
network, way back in 2018, and it has been participating as a full member of the over 30
countries around the world.

The 8th General Assembly of the Global Public Diplomacy Network was an ideal platform
that availed an opportunity for the NHC to share experiences and be exposed to the new
ways of cultural policy management. It was also a good occasion to forge partnerships with
other member entities.
In general, the objectives of the GPD Network are to encourage cooperation between
members to create synergy while promoting creativity in public diplomacy by sharing
practical knowledge. The Network also aims to raise awareness about the importance of
public diplomacy by developing adequate forms of collaboration.
The NHC presented on its programmes that have an impact on social cohesion as well as
nation building and national identity. Other aspects that drew attention were South Africa’s
strategic priorities expressed in the National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030,
especially Outcome 14 which magnifies the importance that heritage has to play in nation
building.

Among the possible further engagements with entities in other countries are CADE
(Academic community for development) in the Republic of Mozambique. Exploratory
discussions with Malta and Ghana had begun at the conference in the areas of research and
documentation of intangible cultural heritage. The NHC will assist in identifying aspiring
youth who have interest in acquiring media skills to be part of the Assembly in the near
future.

Some of the interesting papers presented at the 8 th General Assembly of the GPD Network
include the following:

 Hypocrisy of the World when it comes to responding to natural and human disasters. i.e.
Russia & Ukraine war versus Democratic Republic of Congo wars.
 Hypocrisy on the conservation, preservation and promotion of tangible and intangible
heritage. This is also a challenge in South Africa in which the management of tangible
and intangible cultural heritage are not given the same attention.
 Discussion on reputational security and the training of the youth, especially females on
various skills like media training which will be spearheaded by the Qatar based Al
Jazeera television network.