| Press Statement Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC March 12, 2002 Secretary of State Colin L. Powell to Open National Council for International Visitors Meeting in Washington, D.C.Secretary of State Colin L. Powell will address the National Council for International Visitors’ National Meeting in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, March 14, at 9:15 a.m. The meeting, with the theme "Citizen Diplomacy and U.S. Foreign Policy: Building Global Partnerships," will take place on March 14-16 at the Washington Marriott Hotel (1221 22nd Street NW). Details on arrangements for press coverage of Secretary Powell’s remarks will be issued separately. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Charlotte Beers will address the meeting on March 14 at 1:15 p.m. Other featured speakers include Ray Suarez, senior correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, on March 15 at 12:00 noon, and Dr. Badi Foster, President of the Phelps Stokes Fund, on March 16 at 12:30 p.m. Participants—leaders of councils for international visitors from 42 states and the District of Columbia—will gain insight into United States foreign policy and public diplomacy. Ambassadors from more than 35 nations also will participate. The National Council for International Visitors is a nonprofit professional association of 18 program agencies and 95 community organizations throughout the United States that promotes citizen diplomacy in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Council members, who are some of the nation’s most effective citizen diplomats, design and implement professional programs, provide cultural activities, and offer home hospitality opportunities for influential government officials, politicians, journalists, academics, labor leaders and representatives of non-governmental organizations from countries around the world who participate in the Bureau’s International Visitor Program. Each year Council activities involve more than 80,000 volunteers nationwide. In 2001, Senator Arlen Specter nominated them for the Nobel Peace Prize. Some of these citizen diplomats are available for media interviews about their work and its local and national impact. The Department’s International Visitor Program has brought more than 30,000 foreign leaders and specialists to the United States to meet with their professional counterparts and gain a first-hand understanding of American society. More information about the program is available at http://exchanges.state.gov/education/ivp. Media Contact: Catherine Stearns, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 202-203-5107 or cstearns@pd.state.gov |
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