SCNL Staff Participate in Best Diplomat Conference in Dubai

Advancing young leaders’ capacity for the Future Leadership

The Best Diplomat Conference focuses on training and crafting future diplomats through Diplomatic stances and simulations which are an ideal avenue for aspiring future diplomats to grasp and grip the lobbying and critical thinking skills set to enable delegates to become better diplomats. The conference is interactive, with presentations, and cultural performances. The Best Diplomats Conference gives participants an illustration of how diplomats work in diplomatic environments such as the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), or African Union (AU), and will train you on how to represent a country effectively in line with your foreign policy.

On May 20, 2023, Pauline Ziegler, the Academic Lead, gave the total of the conference and the activities to be done. There were over 165 delegates representing their stimulation countries, and each delegate was given a minute to present on the topic: The Impact of AI on Industries. Over 100 people presented…

Malley highlighted in her presentation the significant impact of AI on various industries in Cyprus her simulation country. She mentioned tourism, which is a significant contributor to the country’s GDP.  “While AI has brought numerous benefits, such as increased efficiency and productivity, it has also created challenges, such as potential job loss and ethical implications. To combat these challenges, Cyprus is committed to finding solutions that mitigate the risks associated with AI,” she said.

Quaqua, in her presentation, mentioned a few impacts of AI in Panama her simulation country. She stated that Panama has over 20.8 million population, so it is critical to acknowledge the demand for artificial intelligence applications. “Many industries, including health, agriculture, finance, and education have shown to benefit greatly from the application of AI because up to 70% of the population uses the internet. With all the important attributes of AI, there are a few things that need to be looked at: AI will cause a high rate of unemployment to humans because of the ability to 24/7 working ability without break, AI creation is costly, AI poses dangerous privacy risks meaning warrantless surveillance of people without their consent of being monitored/watched. To address this AI should be programmed with strict ethical standards so as to follow principles such as; fairness, reliability, safety, and privacy,” she shared.

  After the presentations, the young leaders were taken to the Desert Safari for adventure activities, where they rode bikes, did vehicle desert riding, and camel riding, and had a farewell party.

Both Malley and Quaqua said the conference helped to build their capacity. “The conference was a time of learning…it was a capacity-building arena where diverse ideas were exchanged, and young leaders and diplomats sharpened their skills through brainstorming, networking, policy drafting, and collaboration and negotiations,” said Quaqua.

Malley said the experience will go a lift time. “My expectation was to network and I did network. I met like-minded young leaders, and we were able to discuss global issues. It was a great conference, and though we came from different backgrounds, everyone felt equal. I was able to get additional knowledge on how a leader should act when in times of problem (s), and how the leader should act when attempting to find solve problem (s).