Abstract This chapter explores the concept, evolution, and role of cultural diplomacy in contemporary international relations. Drawing on the plurality of perceptions and objectives of cultural diplomacy that have emerged across different historical periods, the author aims to depict its current features as a dimension of public diplomacy and as a soft power tool, applied in different national contexts as well as within the framework of international organizations. The latter function as fora for the conduct of state-driven cultural diplomacy; however, international organizations also use the transformative power of culture to promote ideational, political, and operational objectives that transcend the confines of states’ foreign policy objectives and advance a new type of cultural diplomacy linked to the discourse and practice of contemporary global governance in the domains of security, development, and human rights.