Award Ceremony of the V International Contest "Leader of Public Diplomacy" Country Stage held in Tunis

The award ceremony for the participants of the country stage of the V International Contest "Leader of Public Diplomacy" took place on April 29, 2026 in the Tunisian Republic, in the El Mouradi Gammarth Hall. The event was a logical and inspiring continuation of the International Forum of Public Diplomacy "Tunis – the Crossroads of Dialogue: Public Diplomacy in a New World", which brought together representatives of different countries, cultures and professional communities.

The Leader of Public Diplomacy Contest is traditionally aimed at supporting active leaders who implement initiatives in the field of intercultural dialogue, humanitarian cooperation and building trust between peoples.

Within the country stage in Tunisia, representatives of various professional and public spheres, whose activities make a significant contribution to the development of public diplomacy were awarded. The Tunisian organizing committee of the Contest, headed by the President of the Tunisian-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Christina Romanenko, carried out significant organizational work to attract representatives of different ages and professions to participate in it.

In a solemn atmosphere, all participants of the Contest received diplomas and commemorative badges "Public Diplomat" - a symbol of recognition of their contribution to the formation of a space of trust, mutual understanding and cooperation.

The awarding ceremony was conducted by members of the Contest organizing committee – representatives of partner organizations of the World Peoples Assembly:

Randa Zayani, Russian Language Teacher, Chairman of the Tunisian Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature, Chief State Inspector of the Russian Language at the Tunisian Ministry of Education,

Hedi Ben Salah, President of the Tunisian Association of Graduates of Soviet Universities;

Yanina Dubeykovskaya, Deputy Executive Director of the World Peoples Assembly;

Olga Nefedova, Deputy Executive Director, Chief of Staff of the Chairperson of the General Council of the World Peoples Assembly. 

The winners of the Contest are:

Yusef Nagati – lawyer (nomination "Volunteering/volunteerism");

Olfa Luati – student of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (Children's Diplomacy nomination);

Fathi Ashoush – CEO of Ability Informatique (Volunteering/Volunteerism nomination);

Imen Fdail – representative of the Tunisian Higher Institute of Humanities (nomination "Tourism Diplomacy");

Elee Fehri – Student (Cultural Diplomacy nomination);

Olga Bazelyuk – Director of the MIR Teen Club (We and Russia) in Tunis (Cultural Diplomacy nomination);

Marva Barkhumi – Master's Degree student (Cultural Diplomacy nomination);

Nurelhuda Hamuda – Master's degree student (nomination "Volunteering/Volunteerism");

Svetlana Bogdanova - Director and teacher of the Art School named after Ivan Aivazovsky (Cultural Diplomacy nomination).

Each of the laureates is a vivid example of how personal initiative and social activism can form real bridges between cultures and countries.

The three participants who scored the most points according to the evaluation of the jury will represent Tunisia at the international stage of the "Leader of Public Diplomacy" Contest.

A special atmosphere of the ceremony was created by the cultural program – dance performance by the children's team of the Tunisian school of Russian ballet "Matryoshka". The performance became a symbolic reflection of cultural diversity and the idea of a dialogue of peoples.

"It is precisely such cultural accents that enhance the humanitarian component of public diplomacy, turning official events into a space of lively human communication, – Olga Nefedova noted.

The ceremony in Tunis once again demonstrated that public diplomacy is not an abstract concept, but the real activity of people united by the desire for peace, cooperation and mutual understanding.

The country stage of the Contest in the Tunisian Republic highlighted the growing role of the region in the international humanitarian agenda and confirmed the high interest in the initiatives of the World Peoples Assembly.

–The Leader of Public Diplomacy Contest continues to expand its geography and bring together active leaders from different countries, forming a global community of public diplomats who are ready to jointly respond to the challenges of the modern world, – Yanina Dubeykovskaya said at the end of the event.

More information is on the official website of the World Peoples Assembly and at media@world-assembly.org.