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Throughout 2020, the U.S. Department of State is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its flagship professional exchange program, the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). With its roots firmly planted in the World War II era, the IVLP has grown to include over 225,000 alumni and continues to build vital linkages between citizens in the United States and emerging leaders throughout the world.

The 80th anniversary celebrations began on January 16, 2020 with a kick-off event at the National Museum of American Diplomacy that highlighted how the State Department is advancing foreign policy through the IVLP. Two program alumni gave remarks, Albanian Ambassador Floreta Faber and Ambassador Ashok Kumar Mirpuri from Singapore, on how their IVLP experiences continue to positively impact their diplomatic work today.

The 80th anniversary launch continues this week with the Global Ties National Meeting, a national meeting in Washington, D.C. hosted by a private sector partner of the State Department, Global Ties U.S. The event will convene 84 nonprofit organizations to discuss global competence and how to best engage citizens from U.S. communities with IVLP participants from around the world.
 

The #FacesofExchange Initiative

In addition to training and consultations during the January 2020 meeting, the members will celebrate the #FacesofExchange initiative, designed to highlight 80 accomplished alumni, their lives, and the impact their exchange program brought to the global community.

Many world-renowned leaders were once participants in the IVLP, including Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair of the United Kingdom, Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Felipe Calderon of Mexico, F.W. De Klerk of South Africa, Indira Gandhi of India, and Anwar Sadat of Egypt. These incredible alumni join thousands of current and emerging leaders who utilize skills and information gained during their IVLP experience to build a more safe, secure, and prosperous world.

See the 80 alumni and how they are making a difference in the world by following the hashtag #FacesofExchange on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or by visiting https://eca.state.gov/facesofexchange throughout 2020. The IVLP continues to play a critical role in U.S. foreign policy and provides an opportunity for the next generation of leaders to gain firsthand experience in the United States.

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Middle school children may seem like unlikely ambassadors, and even less likely global health advocates. However, an international, collaborative interagency initiative, called the Zika Education and Prevention Project, is empowering school children around the world to combat disease outbreaks. Using crowd-sourcing, citizen science and new technologies, GLOBE, or the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Program, is expanding our idea of science and diplomacy. In 2018, the Collaboratory partnered with GLOBE to connect student citizen scientists in four countries.

GLOBE is an international science and education program that gives students and the public the opportunity to participate in the scientific process using data crowdsourcing. Established 25 years ago, it serves as a tool to promote scientific discovery and environmental stewardship at local, regional, and global scales. GLOBE is primarily sponsored by NASA with additional support from the U.S. Department of State, National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The Collaboratory partnered with GLOBE to build additional public diplomacy elements into the program in alignment with the Zika Education and Prevention Project, by virtually connecting schools in Paraguay, Brazil, Thailand and Kenya. Zika is a virus passed through mosquitoes that currently does not have a vaccine or a cure. It can cause brain defects and has been linked to death in unborn babies. While there are no current Zika outbreaks reported in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the mosquitoes that carry the disease are known to live there. There are almost one hundred countries that have reported current or past transmission of Zika. The mosquito spreads other diseases such as malaria, dengue, West Nile, yellow fever, and chikungunya and kills more people than any other creature in the world.

The GLOBE Virtual Exchange Program allowed students to communicate with each other about Zika and their research on mosquito control. They used simple scientific tools to test standing water for mosquito larvae, and then used a smartphone app to map and eliminate mosquito habitat. The students shared their results, including photos and videos through social media and video chat. The Collaboratory brought in expert curators and designers to present to the students about mosquito-borne diseases, science communication and public health. The students also received training in health, technology, environmental surveillance and disease outbreak prevention.

In addition to the virtual exchange, some students were able to attend the GLOBE Learning Expedition in Ireland in July 2018, which brought together more than 400 participants from 40 countries to share research, engage in field studies and explore educational and cultural activities. There, the virtual exchange students were able to finally meet in person, although the feeling was that they already knew each other well via WhatsApp and Skype.

At the conclusion of the pilot, the Collaboratory developed the GLOBE Virtual Exchange Toolkit in collaboration with The GLOBE Program. GLOBE reviewed and provided input to the toolkit and created a webpage on the toolkit as well as other resources. This document has detailed instructions for recreating the program independently. The Collaboratory also gave two separate follow-on grants to the schools in Kenya and Brazil, both of which are creating science communication outreach about GLOBE and about Zika awareness and prevention in their communities. Currently, GLOBE schools are testing out the virtual tool kits and creating their own virtual exchanges.

The GLOBE Zika virtual exchange connected multiple federal agencies and classrooms across the world. Frequent travelers may understand that once abroad, we are all ambassadors for our home countries. As such, diplomatic relations (and science communication!) can be strengthened by increasing our global connections and exchanges.

The Cultural Property Advisory Committee will meet January 21-22, 2020, to review new requests for cultural property agreements from Tunisia and Turkey. The Committee invites public comment on the request. The public may participate in the virtual open session of the meeting on January 21, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

Tunisia’s Request

The Government of the Republic of Tunisia has requested U.S. import restrictions on archaeological and ethnological material from Tunisia. This request was submitted pursuant to Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property as implemented by the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act. More information on Tunisia’s request can be found here.

Turkey’s Request

The Government of the Republic of Turkey has requested U.S. import restrictions on archaeological and ethnological material from Turkey. This request was submitted pursuant to Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property as implemented by the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act. More information on Turkey’s request can be found here.

The Review Process

The State Department will follow these procedures as it weighs responses to the requests for agreements from Tunisia and Turkey.

Comments on the Requests

Public comments on these requests should focus on the four determinations described in the procedures above. All comments must be submitted in writing no later than January 7, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. (EDT). Use regulations.gov, enter docket DOS-2019-0043, and follow the prompts to submit written comments.

Participate in the Virtual Open Session

The virtual open session of the Committee meeting will be held on January 21 at 1:30 pm EDT using Zoom, a web conferencing service. Anyone may attend and/or participate. If you are new to Zoom, these tips will help you get started. If needed, please request reasonable accommodation not later than January 7 by contacting the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at culprop@state.gov. Requests made after that date will be considered, but it may not be possible to fulfill them.

To participate

If you wish to participate in the open session at the meeting, you must request to be scheduled by January 14, 2020, via email (culprop@state.gov) in order to be guaranteed a slot. Please submit your name and organizational affiliation in this request. After you pre-register, you will be provided with instructions on how to participate. The open session will start with a brief presentation by the Committee, after which participants should be prepared to answer questions on any written statements they may have submitted on regulations.gov. Finally, participants may provide additional oral comments for up to five (5) minutes per participant. Due to time constraints, it may not be possible to accommodate all who wish to speak.

To observe

It is not necessary to pre-register. The webinar will include a chat space for conversation among observers. The chat space will not be monitored by the Committee and will not be incorporated into the record of the meeting. Instructions for observing will be posted soon to this webpage.

To join as an observer:
Click the link to join the webinar: https://eca-state.zoom.us/j/909159562

Or by Telephone:
Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

US: +1 646 876 9923 or +1 669 900 6833

Webinar ID: 909 159 562

International numbers available: https://eca-state.zoom.us/u/aea44jKjax

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This year, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsored one-hundred and six women leaders in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields from Africa, the Middle East, and South and Central Asia through the 2019 TechWomen exchange program. Through mentorships with U.S. women leaders in STEM fields, the emerging leaders spent five weeks collaborating with 40 U.S. private sector companies in the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley before convening in Washington, D.C. the week of November 1.

The program began in San Francisco with the 2019 Cultural Kickoff event hosted by Airbnb. At the event the women introduced their countries to the group by showcasing their culture through performing arts, presentations, and videos. The participants also learned about U.S. tradition by participating in the first-ever TechWomen Family Dinner series. Mentors throughout the Bay Area opened their homes to the group for dinner, allowing them to experience life with American families. They cooked food from the United States and all over the world, shared cultures, and spent quality time together.

An important element of the program was 2019 Volunteer Day, where the women volunteered at one of five non-profits and initiatives throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. They were excited to make a difference in the local community by gardening, working with senior citizens, and installing solar panels in underserved neighborhoods.

In addition to their community work, a major component of the program is for the emerging leaders to develop action plans to address socioeconomic issues in their home countries. They worked closely with an American advisor, also known as an impact coach, to develop ideas, plans, and to pitch their projects with the goal of receiving seed funding to aid in implementation. A large audience of supporters gathered at Netflix headquarters to hear the women present their pitches. Teams from Jordan, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Zimbabwe were pronounced winners of seed funding for their projects, ranging from strengthening mental health systems in Jordan to creating green kitchens with the use of clean cook-stoves and green-friendly fuel in Nigeria.

The program closed on November 1 in Washington, D.C. with events at the U.S. Department of State, including a women’s empowerment panel and reception.

Each year, approximately 5,000 current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields travel to the United States on the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) to cultivate professional networks with their American counterparts. Selected alumni are invited to return to the United States to participate in citizen diplomacy summits in American cities and to explain how their IVLP experience impacted the work they do today in their local communities.

An accomplished educator and founder of Katleho Pele Education and GoMaths, Mr. Lebang Nong participated in an IVLP on youth leadership and civic participation in 2015. Throughout his three-week program meeting with public, private, and nonprofit sector counterparts, Lebang was inspired to “think big” and deepen his professional collaborations in South Africa and across the world. Always the math teacher, Lebang credits his IVLP for pushing GoMaths to a new phase of “exponential growth,” leveraging ideas from his newfound international network to provide over 31,000 students from disadvantaged South African communities with a solid foundation in math education.

Mr. Nong was invited to return to the United States as an IVLP Gold Star on November 4, 2019. During this program, he will revisit sites from his original 2015 IVLP, including Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Louisville; as well as new cities such as Chicago. His program will culminate at the Diplomacy Begins Here Summit in Louisville, Kentucky, where he will be the keynote speaker. In each city stop he will have meetings with educators and youth advocates, and will have opportunities for public engagements to discuss his work in South Africa and the impact of his IVLP.

His motto is, “Without Education, There is No Future.” Follow along on social media at #IVLP and see more coverage of his return exchange on Meridian International Center’s website.

https://share.america.gov/u-s-sends-stolen-ancient-gold-coffin-back-to-egypt

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art — commonly known as the Met — has returned a prized item from its collection of Egyptian antiquities after learning that the piece was actually a stolen artifact. 

The looted item, a gilded coffin that once held the remains of a high-ranking priest named Nedjemankh, is estimated to be about 2,100 years old. It has now been returned to Egypt, following a recent repatriation ceremony in New York with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry and U.S. authorities. 

“New Yorkers place a strong value on cultural heritage, and our office takes pride in our work to vigorously protect it,” Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said in a statement. “Returning stolen cultural treasures to their countries of origin is at the core of our mission to stop the trafficking of stolen antiquities.” 

Peter C. Fitzhugh, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New York, cited “tremendous collaboration” between his office, the Manhattan District Attorney and global partnerships in recovering the stolen coffin and returning it to the people of Egypt. The U.S. worked with law enforcement partners in Egypt, Germany and France. Homeland Security Investigations is a member of the Cultural Antiquities Task Force. 

The coffin — crafted in Egypt between 150 and 50 B.C.E. — was stolen from Egypt’s Minya region in the aftermath of the Egyptian Revolution in October 2011 and smuggled out of the country, U.S. authorities said. 

New York prosecutors said a dealer gave unsuspecting Met officials a set of forged documents to make the sale appear legitimate. Once presented with evidence of the theft, the Met fully cooperated with the district attorney’s office. The coffin, valued at $4 million, is now on public display in Egypt. 

U.S. and Egyptian officials signed an agreement in 2016 — known as a memorandum of understanding, or MOU — signaling close cooperation between Egypt and the United States on the seizure and repatriation of Egypt’s illegally exported cultural property. The U.S. currently has similar agreements with 20 other countries as well. 

About the Cultural Antiquities Task Force 

Homeland Security Investigations is a member of the Cultural Antiquities Task Force (CATF). Created by the State Department in 2004 at the direction of Congress, the CATF comprises federal agencies that share a common mission to combat antiquities trafficking in the United States and abroad. Since its creation, the CATF has supported more than 95 domestic and international cultural property training programs. CATF is managed by the State Department’s Cultural Heritage Center.

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CYPHER will create opportunities for civic engagement, educational advancement, and economic empowerment for the participant’s communities. The program combines multiple ECA program models, including International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) On-Demand, the Collaboratory’s virtual exchange programming model, Arts Envoy, and Next Level Alumni, creating a sustained arc of engagement for both U.S. and international participants.

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CYPHER welcomed participants from Morocco, Belgium, France, and Spain and kicked off in New York City on September 16, 2019. Each participant brought unique hip hop skills, a diverse background, and professional knowledge to this first time program. As hip hop artists and leaders in their communities, participants use communications and leadership skills to support educational and economic opportunities and critical thinking and conflict resolution skills for underserved populations.

Phase one of the program, an IVLP On-Demand, allowed the program participants to meet with their counterparts in New York City; Kansas City, Missouri; and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Additionally, participants engaged in a daylong workshop designed to introduce them to ECA alumni they will collaborate with during their virtual exchange program, introduce them to new educational techniques for arts education, and explore the creative process. At the conclusion of phase one, the participants will return to their communities and be paired with U.S. artists, also alumni of ECA’s Next Level Program, to begin a collaborative virtual exchange creating new hip hop art (music, dance, spoken word, etc.) over the several months. These collaborations will be featured at an upcoming international hip hop festival in Brussels, Belgium; Casablanca, Morocco; and New York City, and will be available to be streamed live. Check back here for future updates!

VIDEO: A BRIEF CLOSING BEATBOX AND MOVING FORWARD FOR THE PARTICIPANTS

The Cultural Property Advisory Committee will meet October 29 – 30, 2019, to review new requests for cultural property agreements from Morocco and Yemen. The Committee invites public comment on the requests. The public may participate in the virtual open session of the meeting on October 29, 2019, from 1:30 to 2:30 pm EDT.

Morocco’s Request

The Government of Morocco has requested U.S. import restrictions on archaeological and ethnological material. This request was submitted pursuant to Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property as implemented by the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act. More information on Morocco’s request can be found here.

Yemen’s Request

The Government of Yemen has requested U.S. import restrictions on archaeological material and ethnological material. This request was submitted pursuant to Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property as implemented by the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act. More information on Yemen’s request can be found here.

The Review Process

The State Department will follow these procedures as it weighs responses to the requests for agreements from Morocco and Yemen.

Comments on the Morocco and Yemen Requests

Public comments on these requests should focus on the four determinations described in the procedures above. All comments must be submitted in writing no later than October 15, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. (EDT). Use regulations.gov, enter docket DOS-2019-0031, and follow the prompts to submit written comments.

Participate in the Virtual Open Session

The virtual open session of the Committee meeting will be held on October 29 from 1:30 pm to approximately 2:30 pm EDT using Zoom, a web conferencing service. Anyone may attend and/or participate. If you are new to Zoom, these tips will help you get started. If needed, please request reasonable accommodation not later than October 15 by contacting the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at culprop@state.gov. Requests made after that date will be considered, but it may not be possible to fulfill them.

To participate

If you wish to participate in the open session at the meeting, you must request to be scheduled by October 23, 2019, via email (culprop@state.gov) in order to be guaranteed a slot. Please submit your name and organizational affiliation in this request. After you pre-register, you will be provided with instructions on how to participate.

The open session will start with a brief presentation by the Committee, after which participants should be prepared to answer questions on any written statements they may have submitted. Finally, participants may provide additional oral comments for up to five (5) minutes per participant. Due to time constraints, it may not be possible to accommodate all who wish to speak.

To observe

It is not necessary to pre-register. The webinar will include a chat space for conversation among observers. The chat space will not be monitored by the Committee and will not be incorporated into the record of the meeting.

To join as an observer:
Click the link to join the webinar: https://eca-state.zoom.us/j/657529950

Or by Telephone:
Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

US: +1 646 876 9923 or +1 669 900 6833

Webinar ID: 657 529 950

International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/aciF0sNigl