‘Citizen Diplomat’ Initiative to Strength Isfahan Foreign Relations

Date: 01 February 2021 - 21:23

News ID: ۸۷۱۷۴

Behnaz Abedi**

Isfahan Municipality intends to develop its international interactions through Citizen Diplomacy.
The municipality has set up a platform, so-called Citizen Diplomat, since early 2021. This platform - as an initiative - seeks to facilitate sisterhood ties by means of the citizen facilitators, including academics, such as professors, students and academic staff, businessmen/women, athletes, cultural and media activists, and Iranian diasporas who are in contact with their counterparts in 13 sister cities of Isfahan.
Considering such initiative, Isfahan Municipality, with the partnership of Iranian Foreign Ministry, Isfahan Universities Network for International Cooperation, and Isfahan Chamber of Commerce, has started the process of identifying the aforementioned citizens through calling for applying on http:i/intaffairs.isfahan.ir by late February 2021.
Following that, the municipality plans to hold 13 meetings, each for one of our sister cities, with the cooperation of the partners as well as identified citizen facilitators and make road maps to circulate the provisions of our sisterhood memorandum of understanding, benefiting the citizens of both sides.
Isfahan authorities believe that the citizens can strengthen the friendship among cities in terms of culture, art, science, trade, peace, etc.
The idea behind the initiative is to bring together some of the brightest voices in education, the arts, and popular culture in order to create new international exchange programs that would more purposefully connect Isfahan to the world.
‘Citizen Diplomacy’ is the concept that every individual has the right, even the responsibility, to engage across cultures and create shared understanding through meaningful person-to-person interactions.

** Behnaz Abedi is a senior advisor in International Relations Office, Isfahan Municipality