Symposium Overview

The UK has in recent years become Europe’s largest cultural melting pot, with London currently playing host to over 300 languages and featuring a population that is one-third foreign-born. While the UK has a relatively good Human Rights record, many of the states in the Commonwealth of Nations do not, with more than half of the Commonwealth countries still enforcing laws which violate universal Human Rights laws. Queen Elizabeth II’s signing of the new Charter of the Commonwealth in March 2013, opposing all forms of discrimination, is now likely to cause discontent throughout the Commonwealth due to the lack of support for rights in many of its states. Furthermore, the stability of the UK has recently come into question, with concerns being raised regarding its future in the European Union as well as its economic situation in light of the recent downgrading of its credit rating.

It is important that action be taken across the Commonwealth in order to stabilize its states and improve its Human Rights record. The International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy in the UK  therefore aims to provide the platform for discussion on this issue, gathering activists, experts, academics, and world leaders to lecture, debate, and establish new policy ideas through cooperation with one another. The Conference will also focus on the role that Cultural Diplomacy has to play among the countries of the Commonwealth, as they have hugely varying cultures and customs, despite sharing an imperial heritage. Through the employment of Cultural Diplomacy, the countries of the Commonwealth of Nations may be able to come together and establish greater understanding and cooperation, helping to improve Human Rights records and achieving a new stability in the organization.