On March 2, 2023, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Policy, Rafik Mansour, convened the 16 member agencies of the Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee (CHCC).  The Committee discussed ongoing efforts in Ukraine, the condition of cultural heritage sites and collections affected by the recent earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, and recent international engagement.

The Cultural Heritage Center detailed its recent announcement of $7 million in funding to establish the Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response Initiative.  This will include urgent preservation, protection and repair of Ukrainian cultural heritage sites and collections damaged during the war.  The Committee also discussed the February earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye and northern Syria causing widespread damage to cultural heritage, including museums and historic places of worship.  U.S. import restrictions on certain cultural objects from Türkiye and Syria are in effect and provide the Committee’s law enforcement members with effective tools to prevent looting, theft, and trafficking, which often increase after large scale disasters.

The Committee spoke about recent international engagements at the Organization of American States Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture in Antigua, Guatemala, and the G20 Culture Working Group meeting in Khajuraho, India.  The group conferred on the Smithsonian Institution’s new Statement on Human Remains and applauded a shared stewardship agreement recently concluded with the Republic of Yemen Government.

The U.S. Department of State established the Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee in 2016 to coordinate U.S. government efforts to protect and preserve cultural property internationally when it is at risk from political instability, armed conflict, or natural or other disasters.

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What does it take to go from teaching middle school to leading digital efforts for the Artemis missions at NASA? 

As we celebrate Space Diplomacy Week April 30 - May 6, 2023, we talk to Thalia Patrinos, an ExchangeAlumni using art, science, and space to connect to millions of people. Thalia, an alumna of the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) program, works as a full-time Communications Strategist contractor at NASA Headquarters. Her proudest accomplishments include leading digital efforts for the Artemis missions, overseeing the Faces of NASA photo series, and co-leading audio strategy for the agency. 

The Artemis I launch last year was the first in a series of complex missions that will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon. The mission is also uniting multiple nations around the world through the Artemis Accords, a coordinated effort between the U.S. Department of State and NASA. 

Interested in exploring the overlap between science and art, how NASA connects with audiences, getting a job in the federal government, and learning a fun fact or two about South Africa? Tune in to this episode on Facebook @InternationalExchangeAlumni, and we’ll see you online!

In preparation for the upcoming International celebration of Earth Day 2023, we will feature exchange programs, initiatives and individuals currently working to counteract the devastating effects of global climate change and human-caused environmental degradation. We'll begin with the Fulbright Amazonia Initiative, which will run from June 2023 through December 2024. 

To support cutting-edge research and interdisciplinary, cross-sector collaboration on the Amazon region, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is partnering with the Fulbright Commission in Brazil and the Institute of International Education to launch Fulbright Amazonia, a new platform for researchers in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, the United States, and Venezuela to conduct and support collaborative action-oriented research.

Fulbright Amazonia's research will take place in the unique and complex ecosystems of the Amazon Basin, focusing on the forests, flora, fauna and indigenous communities. 

Fulbright Amazonia will bolster multi-disciplinary research on environmental protection, conservation, mitigation, and adaptation priorities.

To learn more about Fulbright Amazonia click here. 

During President Biden’s four-day visit to the United Kingdom and Ireland this week, he commemorated 25 years of the Good Friday Agreements and discussed a number of global issues with leaders, including the war in Ukraine. He also shared his family history and deep ties to Ireland.

On April 12, Biden highlighted the importance of people-to-people diplomacy by saying, “Twenty-five years ago this week, the landmark Belfast/Good Friday Agreement was signed. And it wasn’t easy. I was a United States senator at the time. And I worked very closely with my good friend George Mitchell, who will be here, I believe, within a couple days…And it took long, hard years of work to get to this place. It took a people willing to come together in good faith and to risk boldly for the future…And it took people all across Northern Ireland who made the choice to work for a brighter and a shared future."

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President Biden met with UK Prime Minister Sunak to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and convey American's enduring support for peace in Northern Ireland.

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President Biden made his second trip to County Louth, where his maternal ancestors - the Finnegans - hail from.

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In 2016, then Vice President Biden traveled to Ireland to learn more about his ancestry and celebrated the shared heritage of our two nations. This week he headed back.

To stay connected to the President’s trip to Ireland, visit whitehouse.gov and follow the White House on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Cambodian heritage police and archaeologists work together to document a crime scene – looting at an archaeological site (U.S. Department of State)

The Cultural Antiquities Task Force (CATF), led by the U.S. Department of State’s Cultural Heritage Center, works with foreign partners to protect cultural heritage sites and disrupt trafficking of cultural property. Cultural property, art, and antiquities are vulnerable to looting, theft, and trafficking by criminal and terrorist groups around the world. To support efforts to disrupt this trafficking, the CATF engaged with law enforcement and cultural heritage experts in two workshops in Cambodia and Ecuador in February 2023.

In Cambodia, CATF supported a one-week workshop in the capitol Phnom Penh and in Banteay Meanchey province on the border with Thailand, organized in collaboration with the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. The workshop brought together 40 cultural heritage experts, heritage police, and customs officers to build stronger connections and to improve investigative techniques and procedures related to cultural property crimes at archaeological sites and museums. CATF trainers from the U.S. Department of State, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Tennessee Valley Authority shared expertise with their Cambodian counterparts and learned about the challenges they face in protecting Cambodia’s rich cultural heritage.

Through lectures and hands-on field exercises, participants improved their skills in cultural heritage site monitoring, documentation of damage and looting, and criminal investigative techniques. This workshop sets the stage for additional site security training and community engagement that will be conducted at the pre-Angkorian UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sambor Prei Kuk later in 2023, thanks to the Cultural Heritage Center’s Cultural Property Agreement Implementation Grants Program. Cultural Property Agreements between the United States and partner countries promote a clean art market in the United States, demonstrate U.S. respect for other countries’ history and culture, and expand access to cultural treasures by encouraging the lawful exchange of cultural property through exhibitions and scientific study.

In Ecuador, CATF provided a week-long workshop in collaboration with San Francisco de Quito University for members of Ecuador’s anti-trafficking task force and Ecuadorian cultural property experts, with the goal of reducing cultural property crimes and strengthening the rule of law. Participants shared best practices on investigating cultural property crime, handling and collecting evidence, paths to repatriation, and the importance of preserving heritage—especially that of Indigenous communities.
Ecuador’s anti-trafficking task force and cultural property experts visited cultural heritage sites as part of the workshop (U.S. Department of State)

Participants were also taught technical skills in documentation, photography, and object handling, and applied those skills during a practical exercise at a local church. CATF trainers demonstrated how proper archiving and storage of objects can improve security for Ecuador’s invaluable cultural heritage and help prevent trafficking and theft. Well-documented artifacts, when stolen, are more easily identified and potentially intercepted by police. Finally, the program promoted understanding between citizens and law enforcement officials concerning cultural heritage protection in Ecuador.

The Cultural Antiquities Task Force has conducted several other international trainings, most recently in Chile, Cyprus, Greece, and Qatar. The CATF is a law enforcement-focused working group of the U.S. Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee. Both are managed by the State Department’s Cultural Heritage Center.

From April 4 – May 11, 2023, 60 business and social entrepreneurs from 36 countries in Europe are participating in the 2023 Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI) Fellowship Program. Launched in 2016, the YTILI Fellowship Program empowers young European entrepreneurs to grow their ventures, foster global partnerships, and positively impact the economic development of their communities.  The program opened in Chicago, IL with an orientation to the U.S. entrepreneurship ecosystem, workshops, and site visits to leading business incubators and accelerators. Throughout the program, YTILI Fellows will increase business ties with U.S. companies and social enterprises in Albuquerque, NM; Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Detroit, MI; Huntsville, AL; Philadelphia, PA; San Diego, CA; and Seattle, WA.

The 2023 YTILI Fellows were selected through a competitive application process. They work in diverse industries including clean energy, health care, information technology, education, and food and beverage. We invite you to read the YTILI Fellows profiles here

The program will conclude in May 2023 with a closing capstone event and pitch competition in Washington, D.C., and YTILI Fellows will join a network of over 350 alumni. 

The YTILI Fellowship Program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and implemented by WorldChicago.  For press inquiries, please contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at ECA-Press@state.gov. For more information on the YTILI fellowship program, please visit https://ytili.org/.

Article by Naomi Hampton, intern with the U.S. Department of State, currently studying History and Politics of the Americas at University College London.
Bonnie Naua stands with one of her designs at the AWE Summit in Malaysia. Photo Credit: Amelia Shaw

[Papua New Guinea, March 2023] Bonnie Naua, an Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) exchange alumna, is making a unique contribution to local style with her business Saroni Tailoring Services.  Inspired by traditional garments from her home country of Papua New Guinea and her passion for fashion, Naua has found a way to celebrate the island nation’s vibrant culture through custom clothes, and is sharing her business with wider audiences across Asia.

The third largest island nation in the world, Papua New Guinea - also known as “PNG” - is home to over 1,000 different culture groups who speak 839 known languages. Naua herself comes from the Koke Gubarei Idibana 1 Clan, which is an ethnic group known for its Lagatoi canoe building and clay pottery. Naua uses her cultural heritage as inspiration for her clothing designs, and with skills she learned through AWE she is spreading her business knowledge to other women.
Bonnie Naua is third from right at Miss PNG 1992. Photo Credit: Silver Soul Studios

Naua found her passion at 19 years old, while participating in local beauty pageants. She said the fashionable garments she got to wear after being named the runner-up in Miss PNG 1992 made her feel a connection with clothes. She began designing and making clothes with a sewing machine she received as a gift from one of her neighbors, and in 2014, she took her passion to the next level by participating in a year-long training course at PNG Garment and Textile Training Center in the capital, Port Moresby.

When she graduated, she opened her business Saroni Tailoring Services. Naua incorporates traditional patterns into the prints, saying it is a way to keep her culture alive.
One of Naua’s designs at her fashion show at the Hilton Hotel in the capital, Port Moresby. Photo credit: Silver Soul Studios

She first got help from the U.S. government to expand her business in 2019 when she took part in the Hawaiian Changing Woman Faces Leadership Program hosted by the U.S. educational institution at the East-West Center, which allowed her to connect with women from 30 countries in Asia and the Pacific to engage with U.S. experts and share business ideas.

She was thrilled when she was selected to be part of AWE later that year. For Naua, AWE helped her build more connections with women in her own country and reignite her passion for running a business - especially when the COVID-19 economic crisis hit a year later.
Some of the women showing off their creations. Photo Credit: Silver Soul Studios

The pandemic forced Naua to close her shop, but her AWE training helped her persevere and even expand. Naua currently operates Saroni Tailoring out of her home, where she’s now accumulated several electric sewing machines, industrial straight sewers, and an overlocker. Although she misses the small shop she once had, she said running the business at home allows her to save money and invest the funds back into her community through training programs.
Women marking out the pattern onto fabric during one of the training programs. Photo credit: Silver Soul Studios

“Although it’s been hard, I’m actually a believer of the American saying, ‘making something out of nothing,’ and that is exactly what I have done here,” Naua said.

In addition to selling clothes, Saroni Tailoring Services holds week-long training programs for up to 10 women at a time from rural areas. Each program teaches women how to make an item of clothing from scratch, providing women with skills to start their own businesses and become financially independent - skills Naua herself learned through the AWE program.
Bonnie and the other AWE alumnae from PNG the AWE summit in Kuala Lumpur in 2023. Photo Credit: Amelia Shaw

“These U.S. government programs really made me dust the cobwebs out of my eyes and focus on reinvigorating my business,” Naua said.

As a small, rural-based company with a varying number of staff depending on the season, Naua said she hopes to expand her business into the East Asian market and share her traditional designs with the world.
Letter to AWE participants attending the AWE Summit, written by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Photo: U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur

She got the opportunity to do just that while attending the AWE Women’s Summit in Malaysia in March 2023, where she shared her designs with nearly 200 AWE alumnaei and business experts from 10 countries around Asia and the Pacific.

Through interactive workshops led by business leaders from Amazon Web Services and Silicon Valley, AWE Summit participants got the chance to learn from cutting-edge U.S. experts in business technology, and network with other women entrepreneurs from across the region. And they were elated when the U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia read a letter written by Vice President Kamala Harris, praising AWE’s work to promote women’s economic empowerment around the world.

For Naua and the other AWE alumnae present, it was a tremendous opportunity to network and share business ideas. “I’m turning 50 years old this year,” Naua said. “It’s time to showcase my designs.”
Naua was one of nearly 200 AWE alumnae to attend the 2023 AWE Summit in Malaysia. Photo Credit: U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur

The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, a U.S. Department of State program, gives thousands of women like Naua the knowledge, networks and access they need to launch and expand successful businesses. Since 2019, AWE has used DreamBuilder, which was developed by Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management and Freeport-McMoRon Foundation, to empower more than 25,000 women entrepreneurs in 100 countries to follow their dream of owning a business. Beyond Papua New Guinea, AWE operates in sevenother island nations in the Pacific,the Pacific, helping roughly 1,200 women entrepreneurs on Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, New Zealand, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Niue and Samoa to grow their businesses and reach their full economic potential.

For more information about AWE, visit: https://eca.state.gov/awe.


Dear Superintendent:

On behalf of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, we send greetings and appreciation for the past support school districts like yours have provided by hosting international students and for promoting the global competency of U.S. students.

We write to encourage your district and schools to host international students this academic year and in the future through the U.S. Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Secondary School Student Program. The program includes an impressive class of Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX), Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX), and Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) students from countries all around the world who would be a valuable addition to your student body. With the more than 100,000 service hours these international students volunteer each year, they will also provide significant contributions and vitality to your communities.

American high school exchanges are a fundamental part of U.S. public diplomacy efforts and some of the U.S. government’s earliest grassroots exchanges, having begun in significant numbers following the Second World War. Today, these programs are enormously popular with tens of thousands of students from nearly 60 countries applying for approximately 2,100 CBYX, FLEX, and YES slots. Every young student wants the chance to come study in a U.S. high school classroom and to live with an American host family. For these three fully funded programs, we select only the best and the brightest to be placed at outstanding U.S. schools around the country. In addition, more than 20,000 privately funded high school students come to the United States under the BridgeUSA program. Each one of them goes through a rigorous application process and receives support from a nonprofit sponsor organization during their time in the United States.

In July 2021, the U.S. Departments of State and Education committed to work together and with other U.S. government agencies to promote the importance of international education and exchange in a Joint Statement of Principles in Support of International Education. This statement asserted, “U.S. students, researchers, scholars, and educators benefit when they engage with peers from around the world, whether overseas or through international education at home.” This is especially true at the high school level, where the presence of international students in our classrooms benefits American students and schools by promoting cultural curiosity, a global mindset, and mutual understanding. In addition to helping students develop global competencies, high school exchanges also contribute to a world that is increasingly interconnected—a shared goal of both our agencies.

To ensure that these programs succeed, we invite as many districts and schools as possible to commit to hosting exchange students. Please consider what your district can do to further assist in this effort, and thank you in advance for encouraging international exchanges.

Building on a decade of success, nearly 500 young African leaders will convene in Boksburg, South Africa from March 12-18 for the 2023 Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Symposium.  The Symposium, which will be capped with an address by Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield,  is an opportunity for alumni to build on their virtual Fellowship experience in 2021, with in-person leadership training, networking, and volunteer opportunities. These alumni will collaborate on the shared challenges facing communities and countries across the continent – and the globe - including business, climate change, democracy, and youth and education, with U.S. Department of State’s Senior Envoy for Global Youth Issues participating in a panel discussion.  Program highlights include a workshop at the Nelson Mandela Foundation, volunteering at local schools, a networking reception at Constitution Hill, and a fireside chat on Africa’s creative economy.

To learn more about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, click here.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX.    

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