SAN DIEGO DIPLOMACY COUNCIL
4305 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92105 www.sandiegodiplomacy.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: Programmed and coordinated visits to San Diego by international visitors and escorts, working in association with appropriate United States government agencies and the Global Ties U.S. Network

For over 40 years, the San Diego Diplomacy Council has connected world leaders across sectors with San Diego to build trust, dialogue and collaboration, promoting global prosperity and peace.This year did not unfold in a way any of us could have predicted. Our calendar was set to be filled with international delegations, cohorts of international fellows, and community hosting opportunities. Groups were scheduled to explore topics from STEAM education to Migration, Foreign Policy to Government Accountability. We started strong by sending 19 San Diegans on a citizen diplomacy trip to Cuba, hosting 100 international leaders from 36 countries, and featuring Brett McGurk as part of our Talk-About Series; but sadly the pandemic stopped all our programs and events.But we are not one to admit defeat! Rather than seeing the pandemic as a barrier to our mission, we approached it as a means to innovate and share our work with an even broader community. From moving to online events and virtual exchanges to creating a brand new global leadership youth program, we have weathered the challenges of 2020 with resilience and forward-thinking.Thanks to our community of citizen diplomats and partners, we've demonstrated that our work has never been more important to foster the type of knowledge, engagement, and collaboration that will take us through this crisis and other global challenges.This year we celebrated the 80th Anniversary of the International Visitor Leadership Program. This flagship program is supported by the U.S. Department of State boasting over 225,000 alumni to date. Our exchange programs have offered bountiful opportunities for us to connect with emerging leaders across the globe.In the 2019-2020 fiscal year we hosted 527 international leaders including Yasmin Al-Qadhi of Yemen who received the 2020 U.S. Secretary of States International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award. Al-Qadhi has demonstrated exceptional leadership, strength, and courage as the founder of the Marib Girls Foundation working to uplift women through economic empowerment and striving to change social norms for women. Notably, 2020 is also the fifth year in which we have been selected to host an IWOC Award recipient.In partnership with La Jolla Country Day School, we launched a Summer Global Leaders Online Program and a Global Leadership Youth Program (GLYP) for Fall and Winter. These unique opportunities for students aged 14-18 years old aimed to engage the youth to address important global issues as the next generation of global leaders. In total, 113 students enrolled in the program. With the generous support of our community, we also offered 40 scholarships to students from under-represented communities who have an interest in global affairs.Prior to the pandemic, we hosted two Talk-About Series, one with Brett McGurk, the former special presidential envoy for the global coalition to defeat ISIS, and one featuring Dean Patricia Marquez from the Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego. While McGurk centrally highlighted the need for clear objectives in diplomacy and the alignment of resources in the Middle East, Dean Marquez shared her experience and analysis of the crisis in Venezuela.With the pandemic, we had to cancel all our other events and rapidly adapt our in-person programs to virtual space. Within a month, we were ready to host bi-weekly E-Talk-About Series covering topics ranging from COVID-19 and diplomacy to women and gender in diplomacy. We focused our sights on issues of current concern and featured subject matter experts like Susan Sloan, Dr. Ken Dekleva, and Molly Montgomery. Montgomery, a former White House Special Advisor and Senior Foreign Officer, spoke on the U.S. and European Unions differing responses to the COVID-19 crisis. The three principles theyve [EU member states] asked countries to base their reopening plans on are epidemiological criteria, sufficient health system capacity and sufficient monitoring capacity, said Molly MontgomeryIn May, we launched a Global Leaders Online Forum to re-connect with our international alumni and provide a platform for online conversation between them and our community. We partnered with San Diego Pride and Sempra Energy to provide a space for our LGBTQ+ IVLP Alumni to reconvene and share their remarkable stories of making strides within their communities. Jennifer Henshaw, Founder and Executive Director of Lesbian and Gay Alliance of Liberia (LEGAL), shared how despite accusations that the LGBTQ+ community in her country is the source of COVID-19, they are striving to educate the community on pandemics.The victories that we are able to sustain here in the United States have a very direct impact on folks all across the world.- Fernando Lpez, Executive Director of San Diego PrideWe embraced the role culture plays in diplomacy. This year we hosted 10 cultural online diplomacy events including cooking demonstrations, as well as fine arts, and photography, dance, and music performances. Earlier this year we welcomed the very talented Chef Jeff Roberto, sushi master and owner of Sushi On A Roll (SOAR). We learned about cultural etiquette, how to prepare sashimi, and the intricate process of creating the perfect dish.Following the murder of George Floyd prompted by a long history of racial injustice in our country and community we pledged to advocate for equity and justice for Black people in our communities. We attended a series of trainings and created a committee in charge of building awareness, sharing solutions, developing leadership, and promoting racial justice locally and globally.

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