This year’s Symposium will be split into three complementary parts. The program will begin by looking in greater detail at “culture” and “identity” and how these terms are used and understood today (23rd – 25th May). The second part of the program will build on these themes by considering the role that culture plays in contemporary international relations and the process of globalization (26th – 27th May). The final part of the program will apply these discussions to one of the key issues that will determine global politics over the coming years – Afghanistan and stability in Central Asia (28th – 30th May). This final part is being held in cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the German Marshal Fund (GMFUS), and in partnership with leading international organizations.

Symposium Aims
The International Symposium 2010 will pursue the following aims:
- To explore and define the key challenges that will be faced by global society over the next two decades.
- To consider the importance of intercultural understanding as a foundation for international activity to address these challenges and promote global stability
- To consider the role of supra-national organizations in building consensus between governments and promoting intercultural understanding at the grassroots level
- To raise awareness of the concepts of cultural diplomacy and soft power and their role in generating cross-cultural consensus and bridging religious divides
- To consider the role that intercultural relations will play in determining the future shape of global politics and to provide clear policy recommendations to decision-makers and other influential stakeholders in politics and civil society regarding the role of culture in international relations
- To analyze the process of nation-building in Afghanistan and the importance of the country to stability in Central Asia over the next two decades

The participants of the program will include diplomatic and political representatives, academics, students and young professionals, journalists and media representatives, and other interested parties from both the private sector and civil society.

To apply to the Symposium, please visit:
http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/index.php?en_symposium2010_application-form

Symposium Issues
The International Symposium 2010 will cover a diverse, inter-disciplinary range of issues throughout the program.
These will include:
- Global Politics: The Shape of the New World Order (Focus: The BRIC Countries, Regional Organizations, the UN)
- Global Processes: Globalization and Interdependence (Focus: Economic Interdependence, the Digital Revolution, State Sovereignty)
- Global Challenges and Global Public Goods: Generating Intercultural Understanding (Focus: Human Rights, Climate change, Terrorism, International Crime)
- Evaluating Culture: Defining and Exploring Cultural Differences and Identity (Focus: Religion, Nationality, Language, Identity)
- New Strategies: Cultural Diplomacy and Soft Power Policies (Focus: Cuba, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, the Middle East, North Korea)
- Understanding Afghanistan: Case Study of Afghanistan and Central Asia
- (Focus: Islam and the West, Democracy, Nation Building, Culture)

Confirmed speakers for the Symposium include:
- Aleksandras Abišala - Former Prime Minister of Lithuania
- Dr. Alfredo Palacio - ICD Advisory Board Member - Former President of Ecuador
- Prof. Dr. Davorin Kračun - ICD Advisory Board Member - Former Deputy Prime Minister of Slovenia
- Emil Constantinescu - ICD Advisory Board Member - Former President of Romania
- Dr. Erkki Tuomioja - ICD Advisory Board Member - Former Finnish Foreign Minister
- Erna Hennicot Schoepges - ICD Advisory Board Member Former Luxembourgian Minister of Culture
- Francesco Rutelli - Former Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, Former Minister of Culture
- Guido de Marco - Former President of Malta, Former President of the UN General Assembly
- Isa Gambar - Former President of Azerbaijan
- Jack McConnell - ICD Advisory Board Member - Former First Minister of Scotland
- Dr. Jacques F. Poos - ICD Advisory Board Member - Former Deputy Prime Minister of Luxembourg
- Sir James Mancham - ICD Advisory Board Member - Former President of the Republic of Seychelles
- Joaquim Chissano - Former President of Mozambique
- Jytte Hilden - ICD Advisory Board Member - Former Minister of Culture of Denmark
- Prof. Dr. John Tomlinson - Director: Institute for Cultural Analysis, Nottingham Trent University
- Kalonzo Musyoka - Vice President of Kenya
- Dr. Miomir Zuzul - ICD Advisory Board Member - Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia
- Marcia Barrett - Lead Singer of Boney M
- Marina Pendes - ICD Advisory Board member - Deputy Minister of Defence of Bosnia Herzegovina
- Paul-Eerik Rummo - Former Estonian Minister of Culture and Education
- Solomon Isaac Passy - ICD Advisory Board Member - Former Foreign Minister of Bulgaria
- Dr. Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga - ICD Advisory Board Member - Former President of Latvia
- Dr. Vasile Puscas - ICD Advisory Board Member - Former Romanian Minister for European Affairs
- H.E. Yasar Yakis - ICD Advisory Board Member - Turkish MP, Former Foreign Minister of Turkey
- Zeine Ould Zeidane - Former Prime Minister of Mauritania
- Zhelyu Zhelev - Former President of Bulgaria

Participation Cost
The participation cost for the "International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy" is €195, which should be transferred by individuals after they have been accepted.