The Global Public Diplomacy Network (GPDNet), for which Yunus Emre Institute acts as the term president, has held its 5th General Assembly meeting in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

The 5th General Assembly meeting of the Global Public Diplomacy Network, presided by Yunus Emre Institute since 2016, was performed between November 18 and 19, 2018, with the participation of the public and cultural diplomacy institutions from various countries including the Philippines, South Korea, Sweden, Lithuania, Hungary, Mozambique, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Singapore and Qatar.

Yunus Emre Institute President Prof. Dr. Şeref Ateş delivered a keynote speech, pointing out that they seek to ensure exchange of information in the field of cultural diplomacy and enhance security with international peace.

Within the scope of the General Assembly meeting, sessions were held to discuss the activities of the GPDNet for 2019 and beyond. A special "Diplomats' Session" was be held with the participation of ambassadors, heads of diplomatic missions, representatives of international organizations in Qatar, and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture of Qatar to discuss the current state and future of the GPDNet.

In his speech, Prof. Dr. Şeref Ateş drew attention to the impact and significance of the Global Public Diplomacy Network and encouraged the ambassadors and head of diplomatic missions in Qatar to facilitate the participation of the public and cultural diplomacy organizations in their countries in this network.

During the event, a fully membership agreement was inked by and between Yunus Emre Institute and Comunidade Académica para o Desenvolvimento (CADE), which had been an associate member of the GPDNet, and the Middle East launching of the book, "Public Diplomacy: Strategic Engagement in Conflicted Communities," edited by Prof. Dr. Şeref Ateş and Dr. Melih Barut, was performed.

The book comprises the academic papers presented at the international conference "Role of Public Diplomacy in Bringing Together Conflicted Communities" and the panel "Future of Public Diplomacy," organized in 2017 in Istanbul by Yunus Emre Institute with the participation of academics from the world's leading universities and distinguished experts in the field.

In the last General Assembly meeting held under the presidency of Yunus Emre Institute, the new term president for 2019-2022 was elected. The Global Public Diplomacy Network (GPDNet), established in 2014 with a view to developing bilateral and multilateral projects and exchanging information and experience in the field of public and cultural diplomacy, raising large scale awareness about global issues and finding innovative peaceful solutions to the world's problems, will perform its activities under the term presidency of Katara Cultural Village Foundation starting in June 2019.