The Seoul Times

As part of his public diplomacy activities, His Excellency Abdulla Saif Alnuaimi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the Republic of Korea, delivered a lecture to student at the prestigious George Mason University in Songdo, Incheon. He gave a general introductory about his country, in terms of its foundation, its culture and tourist attraction as well as the UAE's Special Strategic Partnership with the ROK.

Special focus in the lecture was given to the UAE's efforts in the area of youth empowerment. The Ambassador highlighted the decision adopted by his country in June 2019 to include young Emiratis on the boards of directors of government entities, institutions and companies. He also underlined the UAE's appointment of the first youngest Minister of State for Youth Affairs in the UAE in 2016 (aged 26) and the launch of several career supporting programs to empower the youth.

His Excellency, UAE Ambassador to S. Korea Abdulla Saif Alnuaimi (center in red tie) poses with other ambassadors in front of George Mason University in Songdo, Incheon west of Seoul.

In addition, the ambassador underscored the Youth Empowerment Strategy (YES) initiated by his government in 2015 to enable the delivery of Vision 2021 that contributes to enhancing youth participation to develop solutions for various national issues. The UAE excellent educational opportunities offered to youth, including scholarships to study in the UAE and abroad, are also emphasized.

The scholarships cover Medicine and Health Sciences, Engineering Sciences, etc., the Ambassador said.

According to the Ambassador, the philosophy behind youth empowerment for making them responsible, innovate and contribute to the welfare of the UAE's community. The UAE Government fully believes in the importance of the role the youth plays in the success of a nation.

His Excellency, UAE Ambassador to S. Korea Abdulla Saif Alnuaimi (left) delivers a lecture at George Mason University in Songdo, Incheon west of Seoul.

The lecture is attended by Dr. Robert Matz, the Mason Korea Campus Dean; Gbemi Disu, the Chief Business Officer for the GMU Korea campus and Dr. John T. Crist, the associate dean of the Office of Academic Affairs as well as a number of VIPs from the members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Seoul. It is also attended by a big number of the University's students through a visual video.

The event is in implementation of the objectives of the cultural and public diplomacy designed by the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for 2020. The UAE is pursuing a soft diplomacy into reaching other cultures around the globe in line with its tolerance announcement for the interaction and coexistence with other nations. The announcement was made in 2019.