SHARJAH, March 21 (APP):United Arab Emirates (UAE) Secretary General of Soft Power Council Saeed Al Eter Thursday said in the contemporary world, countries needed the ‘soft power’ currency to build resilient nations having capacity to meet all kind of eventualities.
“Soft power is the most valuable national currency,” he said while addressing an interactive session titled “Soft Power and its Social and Economic Impact” during the second day of International Government Communication Forum (IGCF-2019) held here.
He said the soft power, which comes from people, could be achieved through collective efforts especially by extending assistance to the public and carrying out humanitarian work without any political or religious divide.
Saeed also spoke about the massive impact of government communications and image building in transforming a nation into a soft power.
Referring to a recent incident of terrorism in New Zealand, he appreciated New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden’s for instantly coming up and sharing grief with the bereaved families.
He compared the New Zealand tragedy with an attack on a beach in the Tunisian resort of Sousse in 2015, after which around one million people were evacuated from there and the Tunisian economy suffered heavily.”
The aspect of soft power comes into play here, which New Zealand has built over several years through strategic media handling and government communications. It is exercised in making others live your culture and humanitarian values, giving the world a taste of your way of life. It makes politicians and the world communities ‘love your country.”
“It’s not built overnight, but through the policies and years of work done by government and the citizens through key pillars like policies, tourism, arts and culture, movies and music, humanitarian efforts, scientific diplomacy, credible political leadership, and the way you project your nation to the world.”
“So, can the UAE build its soft power to the same degree that the US, UK, France etc have done over centuries?,” he asked the audience. “The answer is ‘yes’, because soft power is a science – it is measurable, regulated and can be exercised in a scientific way.”
He said that the UAE had used the most important pillar of political leadership to build its soft power and strengthen the reputation of the country. “A lot of people love our country because we are the sons of Zayed.”
