In honor of the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a roundtable on “The Women’s Face of Soft Power: Human Capital, Culture and Health as Resources of International Diplomacy.” The meeting was organized by the Council of the Eurasian Women’s Forum (under the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation), the World Federation of Russian-Speaking Women, the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the League of Women of the LDPR. The event took place on June 29 in the A.M. Gorchakov Assembly Hall.
The Director of the Diplomatic Academy – First Vice-Rector of MGIMO University of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, S.V. Shitkov, delivered a welcoming address to the participants. The meeting was moderated by Elena Vladimirovna Afanasyeva – Senator of the Russian Federation, Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, Head of the LDPR Women’s League, as well as Irina Alekseevna Fursova – Director of the Museum of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The roundtable brought together representatives of various public and expert organizations, including the International Women’s Union, the Association for Economic Cooperation with African Countries (AECCA), the Expert Council on Africa of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, the “Russian-Latin American House” Association, and the BRICS Health Institute.
During the session, a substantive report was delivered by Alfiya Ravilievna Amirova – President of the Regional Public Organization “International Women’s Union”, President of the International Discussion Club “VISION 3000”, founder of the online publication “Embassy Life”. Her presentation on the topic “Women’s Diplomacy as ‘Soft Power’: Bridges of Trust Through Culture and Public Initiatives” attracted particular attention from participants and sparked lively interest, as it was supported by real cases of successfully implemented projects in the field of people’s diplomacy.
Alfiya Amirova noted that in an era of turbulence, when official diplomatic channels often face serious challenges, it is public organizations that become the “living bridge” that complements state diplomacy and creates space for trust, dialogue and mutual understanding. The Regional Public Organization “International Women’s Union” has been proving this in practice for more than 7 years, uniting women from Russia and abroad at the intersection of culture, business and public diplomacy.
Special attention in the speech was paid to the organization’s key projects:
International Photo Contest “Mother and Children in National Costumes” – a project that united thousands of participants from dozens of countries. Its exhibitions were successfully held at the UN headquarters in Geneva and in 45 diplomatic missions of Russia around the world. This is a visual message about the value of family, traditions and cultural diversity.
International Exhibition “By hands of a woman” – a platform where more than 3,000 craftsmen from 72 regions of Russia and many countries of the world presented their works. This is a space for women’s entrepreneurship, crafts and creativity, which becomes a point of attraction for business and cultural contacts.
International Photo Contest “Woman Farmer: Faces of the Earth” – a project launched in 2026, declared by the UN as the International Year of the Woman Farmer. The contest is held with the technical assistance of the FAO Office for Communication with the Russian Federation and with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia. Applications are accepted from March 1 to September 25, 2026; the winners’ works will be presented in a photo album-catalog and at international exhibitions.
V Jubilee International Forum “Woman of the Third Millennium” – the main platform for discussing the role of women in shaping a multipolar world, establishing investment and humanitarian ties, which will take place on November 18–19 at the Cultural Center of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
From the Regional Public Organization “International Women’s Union”, T.V. Zelenchekova took part in the event.
There were also reports on people’s diplomacy as a tool for strengthening international ties, on outstanding women diplomats in the history of West Africa, on practical cases of building business ties with Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, on cooperation between women’s organizations in Russia and Africa, as well as on school partnerships in the field of educational diplomacy, preservation of cultural heritage and the role of health as a resource of international diplomacy.
Concluding her speech, Alfiya Amirova emphasized: “Women’s diplomacy through culture and public initiatives is not just a beautiful metaphor. It is an effective, efficient mechanism that is already producing real results. Our projects prove that women are able not only to participate in dialogue, but also to set its agenda, creating space for cooperation where official negotiations reach a dead end.”
Such meetings as this roundtable at the Diplomatic Academy are of great importance. They create a unique platform for live communication, exchange of experience and development of joint solutions between representatives of public organizations, experts and diplomats. It is in this format that new ideas and initiatives are born, partnerships are strengthened, and most importantly, those very bridges of trust are built, which are so necessary today for sustainable development and international cooperation. I am confident that such events should become a good tradition, because they bring real benefits to all participants and make a significant contribution to the development of public diplomacy.
Alfiya Ravilievna Amirova expresses sincere gratitude to the organizers of the roundtable – the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Council of the Eurasian Women’s Forum, the World Federation of Russian-Speaking Women and the League of Women of the LDPR – for the opportunity to speak and discuss key issues of international women’s diplomacy.
The President of the International Women’s Union expresses special gratitude to the Director of the Diplomatic Academy S.V. Shitkov for the warm welcome and attention to the activities of public organizations, as well as to the moderators of the meeting E.V. Afanasyeva and I.A. Fursova for their professional moderation of the discussion.
More photos on the link https://vk.com/album149122165_311432116