The U.S. Department of State’s annual Towards a More Safe and Secure World initiative brings approximately 80 judicial, law enforcement, and security officials to the United States each year to discuss and explore transnational threats to international peace and security, including terrorism, narcotics trafficking, trafficking in persons, border threats, money laundering, and cyber warfare.

About the Program

Towards a More Safe and Secure World is a three-week International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) initiative that engages international participants with U.S. counterparts and examines methods for upholding the rule of law, leveraging partnerships, expanding international cooperation and defeating terrorism.

Participants

Approximately 80 judicial, law enforcement, security, and defense officials, criminologists, and other professionals who work within the spheres of transnational crime and terrorism.

Project Objectives

  • Foster greater global cooperation against terrorism and other transnational crime threats
  • Explore methods to neutralize global criminal activities such as drug trafficking, trafficking in persons, money laundering, and countering extremism
  • Address the impact of transnational crime on the global economy
  • Survey the U.S. criminal justice system and review how its principles are applied to international crime prosecution
  • Examine ways to strengthen partnerships between community- based organizations and law enforcement officials
  • Address issues of balancing law enforcement and security with the preservation of civil liberties
2018 Cohort

In 2018, the initiative features a plenary in Washington, D.C. with top public and private sector security experts, hosted by the Department of State in partnership with the National Defense University.

Following meetings in Washington, D.C., program participants will travel in separate groups to small and mid-sized American cities to gain an understanding of public safety and security issues from state and local law enforcement officials, public officials, and social service and victim assistance providers. Participants also travel to the cities of Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg in Florida to take part in a full-day Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Taskforce Training. The program concludes in New York City with the Global Security Conference sponsored by the Department of State in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) New York Field Office.

This program offers constructive opportunities for participants and their professional counterparts to meet and exchange ideas regarding the international challenges faced by law enforcement today at all levels of government.

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Participant Quote

"These past three weeks have shown me that USA attaches great importance to coordination. A key takeaway is that I now have a deeper understanding of the great security issues that interest the American agencies as well as of the hierarchy and structure of these agencies.” –2017 Participant from Spain

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