PEOPLE TO PEOPLE DIPLOMACY IN TODAY'S GLOBAL WORLD

Introduction

AMA’s mission to foster and strengthen international relationships while promoting cultural awareness is a natural complement to Morocco’s international awareness goals. We desire to build on the experiences of the teacher alumni to offer the public an introduction to opportunities within Morocco to learn and participate in people to people diplomacy through various international resources and training.

The objective of the Teacher Study Tour program is to strengthen the cultural, religious, and educational bonds between the Moroccan Diaspora and their native country while educating non-Moroccans about the role Morocco is playing on the world stage. Morocco continues to demonstrate progressive innovation in benchmark industry sectors; to tackle issues of human rights transparently through civil society initiatives; and promote sustainable entrepreneurial growth opportunities while leading the African continent in contributing to a peaceful and stable North Africa.

This program supports three important objectives that benefit Morocco and support its key platform initiatives:

• reinforces the theme of “Living Together” in today’s global world of diversity
• raises international awareness about socio-economic and political changes in Morocco,
• emphasizes the Moroccan value system promoting tolerance and respect for others.

The experiences shared by our alumni at this summit will underscore the successful accomplishment of the shared mission of the Kingdom of Morocco and the American Moroccan Alliance.

Background 

Since 2012 American Moroccan Alliance has brought approximately thirty-four teachers to Morocco to participate in its scholarship study tour program. These teachers presented their exciting first-hand experiences of Morocco in curriculum format to their students. They also presented their new knowledge in regional, state, and national academic conferences. They talked about their experiences to friends, family and co-workers thus spreading the positive image of Morocco outside the boundary of academia.

In the past ten years, the exponential beneficial exposure of Morocco to students in American classrooms conservatively estimates at thousands students! And that number does not count additional family members and fellow educators who may have also heard about Morocco along the way. As one of the original advocates of People-to-People Diplomacy, President Dwight D. Eisenhower noted:

"If we are going to take advantage of the assumption that all people want peace, then the problem is for people to get together and to leap governments -- if necessary to evade governments -- to work out not one method but thousands of methods by which people can gradually learn a little bit more of each other." 

-- President Eisenhower's remarks at the People-to-People Conference, September 11, 1956

In today’s world, which is often filled with conflict and turmoil, this program has the potential to achieve exponentially. We believe this is a scalable program if aided by additional USA grant support and partial self-pay. If implemented on a phased, regional basis, other qualified and dedicated members of the diaspora can become strong people-to-people diplomats helping to shape the worldview of Morocco.

Overview 

Under the topic People to People Diplomacy in Today's Global World, we will initiate a Reunion Conference for past participants in the Morocco Teachers Study Tours. The conference will be held in Rabat with the exact timing to be determined. Tentatively, the event will be three days not including arrival and departure dates. In individual and panel presentations teacher alumni will address how exchange programs impact relations among nations - specifically those where cultural misunderstandings prevail.

The conference goals are to share the success of the exchange program; discuss key elements essential to successful People to People Diplomacy; raise awareness of programs that may be available for Moroccan exchanges to the USA; explore ways to build on past experiences to create impactful programs for the future.

Alumni sharing will underscore the following five critical pillars of People to People Diplomacy:

1. Alternative Ambassadors
2. Cultural Competency
3. Global Citizenship
4. Community Service & Volunteerism
5. Peace, Empathy & Understanding

These pillars will be presented in panel discussion by leading field influencers, presentations by individual subject experts, and hands-on workshops.

AMA will invite a representative of the US Embassy to provide information and procedure experts to present exchange programs available to Moroccan teachers and students.

As an optional add-on to the conference, a week-long team building retreat will be offered to teachers from Morocco and the USA to further build collaborative bonds between our countries. We envision this as a combination of workshops with one-to-one brainstorming and preliminary planning of future collaborations paired with in-country travel and introduction to community leaders, civil society, and academic institutions.

Alumni Testimony

Alumni personal experiences in Morocco, both human and academic, will be the highlight of the conference. Teachers will also present their classroom lesson plans, student feedback, and personal/professional reflections of their trip. Some of the topics covered will be:

• Reflections on meaningful interactions Morocco
• How the trip changed their perception of life in Morocco
• How first-hand knowledge impacted teaching in the classroom

The study tour equips teachers and administrators with the skills and knowledge to introduce Morocco to their students in a unique and authentic way. The in-country experience and access to Moroccan experts in the fields of university faculty, government officials, and community leaders provide a unique experience unmatched by any other resource available.

Why it is Important 

The power of citizen exchanges, or “people-to-people diplomacy,” is often underestimated. People-to-people diplomacy, as part of public diplomacy, complements traditional and formal diplomacy. It has a significant impact on relations between nations since bilateral relations are not sustainable without solid public support.

The impact of social media and the digital world in the need for soft power diplomatic initiatives such as people to people interactions. Zaid M. Belbagi, a political commentator, and an adviser to private clients between London and the 

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) emphasizes –

“Soft power relies heavily on culture. In an age where posts are shared within seconds across borders, and speeches are televised and kept as a record online, it is imperative that governments that seek to have an impact invest in making their nations more attractive. The traveling businesspeople of today are inundated with choices of where to invest. In this context, building a positive image is critical to the long-term prosperity of nations.”

From the standpoint of attracting trade and competing for influence, Professor Simon Anholt, who conceived the term nation branding notes that, “countries with powerful and positive reputations spend less to achieve more, while those with weak or negative reputations spend more to achieve less. In short, countries with a good image trade at a premium; those without trade at a discount.”

The People to People Diplomacy in Today's Global World conference will focus on the opportunities for cultural people to people diplomacy in Morocco in the framework of the current transitions and opportunities. The conference will highlight the best practices of cultural diplomacy to educate and to strengthen relationships between the USA and Morocco and to strengthen relationships between Morocco and the global community as a whole.

Participation in the conference is open to governmental & diplomatic officials, academics, journalists, civil society practitioners, private sector representatives, young professionals and students as well as other interested individuals from across the world.

Certificate of Attendance

All conference participants will be awarded an official certificate of attendance upon completion of the program, which will provide details of the speakers who took part and the topics discussed.

Initiative of the Throne

This team effort is a good indication that the call of His Majesty King Mohammed VI was heard and followed when he said in his message to the Ambassadors conference in 2013:

“Everyone must be mobilized to give Morocco the image of a strong, stable, supportive, and a country open to the environment around it.”

The American Moroccan Alliance wishes to help fulfil this critical mandate.