Winners of the Country Stage of the "Leader of Public Diplomacy" Contest have been Announced in Romania
The country stage of the V International "Leader of Public Diplomacy" Contest ended in Romania on May 19, 2026. The participants presented projects in of media and communications areas, tourism, artificial intelligence, scientific and cultural diplomacy, and business.
The jury particularly noted Bogdan Dragomir's project "Using AI as a tool for cognitive development of children, rather than a shortcut to intellectual atrophy". The project won the nomination "AI and Scientific Diplomacy".
Bogdan Dragomir is the president of the AVR Association. It acts as a catalyst for education reform in Romania, focusing on the intersection of traditional academic values and new technologies. The Association's projects are designed to ensure the use of artificial intelligence as a tool for cognitive development, rather than a shortcut to intellectual atrophy.
The AVR Association focuses on several key areas of modernization of the Romanian education system, while maintaining the "man in the process" philosophy. Over the past three years, the Association's work has focused on moving beyond the "hype" around artificial intelligence and finding practical ways to support it.
– The most important part of leadership is being the one who takes responsibility when something goes wrong. If a team is successful, it gets recognition. If the project fails, I take responsibility. People will take risks and work hard for you only if they know that you won't set them up at the moment when a deadline is missed or a mistake is made. Real life is complicated and full of contradictory information. The task of a leader is to bring clarity. It means being a person who can look at a difficult situation, filter out the distractions, and say, "This is the only thing that matters right now. Let's focus on that." If you can't simplify the path for your team, you're only increasing their stress. I measure my success as a leader by whether the people I work with are more capable, more confident, and more qualified than they were before we started working. If I'm the only one making decisions and the only one "growing up," I'm failing. A true leader nurtures other leader, not just follower. Ultimately, a leader is a person who is able to make difficult decisions in difficult times, guided by the interests of the group.
Georgiana Arsen, a journalist, director of New York magazine in Romania and the portal "Un Prima Linie", became the winner in the nomination "Media and Communication".
– As a journalist and head of independent media platforms, in my professional career I am engaged in diplomacy as a tool to strengthen international communication and support bilateral relations. Through journalism, I strive to create spaces where information, opinions, and experiences can contribute to a more balanced understanding of global events.
A significant part of Georgiana Arsene's work is devoted to the coverage and analysis of international topics, with a special focus on Romania's relations with the Russian Federation. She has conducted interviews with such personalities as:
Anna Kabanova - an associate professor at Moscow State Linguistic University (MGLU).,
Karo Avetisyan - a Russian businessman;
Valery Kuzmin - the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Romania
and many others.
These interviews are an important element of public diplomacy, as they facilitate the exchange of views between different professional and national environments.
Georgiana Arsen publishes journalistic reports from Moscow and St. Petersburg on the "Un Prima Linie" platform. These materials are intended to inform the Romanian audience about the realities, infrastructure and social dynamics of these cities. The YouTube channel "Un Prima Linie News" publishes video interviews and daily geopolitical reviews on Russia, China, the United States, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
– With my work, I contribute to the formation of informed public opinion and cross–border mutual understanding, - says Georgiana Arsen.
Pavel Ilyin submitted the project "The Path of the Researcher: School of Responsible Tourism and Security" to the Contest and became the winner in the nomination "Tourism Diplomacy".
Imagine a teenager who feels not like a guest in the mountains or on the river, but like a professional researcher who knows how to help himself and others without leaving an ounce of garbage," - he says.
The school's curriculum includes more than 50 lessons, from knitting knots and kayaking to breeding eco-friendly "Dakota hearths". These are skills that give confidence in the successful passage of tourist routes.
As Pavel Ilyin notes, "a trained tourist is the best ambassador of his culture." In the "School of Responsible Tourism and Safety" children learn to respect the laws of Romania, the rules of nature reserves and rescue services. Students become eco-friendly leaders who build bridges between communities through a shared love of the nature of the Carpathians and the Danube.
We don't just teach you how to survive, we teach you how to create and respect, – sums up Pavel Ilyin.
More information is on the official website of the World Peoples Assembly and at media@world-assembly.org.
