ABU DHABI, 24th February, 2023 (WAM) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in cooperation (MoFAIC) with the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA), the UAE’s leading diplomatic training centre, inaugurated the DiploXchange programme aimed at promoting exchange of ideas, enhancing understanding, and providing on-the-ground learning experience for foreign and UAE diplomats.
The week-long programme took place from 20th to 24th February 2023 in Abu Dhabi and offered an immersive approach to familiarise twenty foreign diplomats from diverse parts of the globe with the political, economic, and socio-cultural trends in the UAE.
The programme covered four main themes focusing on the UAE’s history and culture, public and cultural diplomacy, foreign policy and diplomacy, and economy.
The first day kicked off with an overview of the programme and an introduction into the UAE’s diplomacy.
Dr. Saghira Al Ahbabi, Director of the American Affairs Department at the MoFAIC, and Dr. Mohammed Al Dhaheri, Deputy Director General of AGDA, offered 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 first-hand experience and insights into the UAE’s diplomacy.
The diplomats also visited various sites across Abu Dhabi, including Qasr Al Hosn, the Abrahamic Family House and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, providing them with a firsthand experience of 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 gratitude 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.