Human connections and cultural understanding are at the heart of Sharjah’s international relations

Sharjah, Sharjah’s approach to strengthening its international relationships is rooted in a deep understanding of its identity, development journey and cultural values, alongside a commitment to dialogue and meaningful human connections, said Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Government Relations in Sharjah.

Speaking during a session titled ‘Sharjah: Building Bridges with the World’, held at House of Wisdom in collaboration with the International Relations Society at the University of Sharjah, Sheikh Fahim highlighted how the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has shaped the emirate’s approach to engaging with the world, grounding its international outreach in a strong understanding of Sharjah’s identity and development journey.

He emphasised that effective diplomacy begins with a strong understanding of one’s own country and culture, enabling representatives to explain their own world to others and identify opportunities for meaningful collaboration.

“The superpower of a diplomat is not understanding the world, but the ability to explain your world across the globe,” he said. For his own role, he explained, this means maintaining “a very deep and wide understanding” of developments across Sharjah so that when opportunities arise through meetings with ambassadors and international partners, he can connect them with the right people, institutions and initiatives in the emirate.

“A good understanding of your own country, your own culture, your own emirate is the superpower that you actually have to do this job. You can be worldly, but don’t lose your roots,” he added.

Sharjah invites the world into its story

Reflecting on how Sharjah builds international relationships, Sheikh Fahim credited an approach shaped by the vision and leadership of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah.

“One thing we’ve been taught by His Highness, and one thing we do not do, we do not shout from the rooftops. We whisper in close circles. We invite people to have a conversation,” he said.

Sheikh Fahim described driving first-time visitors across Sharjah while taking them through the emirate’s story — its history and urban development, University City, its investment in culture and education, and its environmental progress — helping them understand both how Sharjah has developed and the vision behind that development.

He explained that this journey includes sharing His Highness’s vision for education and placing Sharjah’s contemporary development within the wider story of the emirate. The objective, he said, is to make people want to learn more about Sharjah and, through that curiosity and personal engagement, build lasting relationships with it.

Diplomacy beyond the public eye

Sheikh Fahim also stressed that effective diplomacy is fundamentally built on direct human relationships, even as digital communication and social media increasingly shape the way people and institutions interact.

“I will not tweet an ambassador to try to solve a diplomatic crisis. It’ll be behind closed doors, one to one, where no media is around,” he said, adding that diplomatic impasses he has helped resolve during his career were handled privately, without cameras or public statements.

He noted that much of diplomacy takes place away from public view and depends on trust developed through personal engagement. “If you want a job where you’re going to be in the newspapers, don’t get into this work, because 90% of the job is making sure it doesn’t end up in the newspapers,” he said.

The session was moderated by Yasmin Abdullah Al-Ali, an International Relations student at the University of Sharjah and an active member of its International Relations Society.

1. Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Government Relations and the Higher Committee for Economic Integration in the Emirate of Sharjah

   2-5)   General images during  a session titled ‘Sharjah: Building Bridges with the World’, held at House of Wisdom.