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Cultural Property Advisory Committee Meeting July 31-August 2
The Cultural Property Advisory Committee will meet to review Algeria’s request for U.S. import restrictions on archaeological and ethnological material.
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“Let Leaders Lead - IVLP Exchange Alumni Advance Interfaith Relations” Multi-Regional Project
The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), Let Leaders Lead: IVLP Exchange Alumni Advance Interfaith Relations multi-regional project, includes faith, community, private sector, and academic leaders hailing from 17 countries.
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Alain Akouala Atipault
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Alain AkoualaParticipant Headshot
Short Biography
Content created by Virtual Intern Melanie Ourhaan
Alain Akouala Atipault, a proud son of Africa has served as a politician in the government of the Republic of Congo for 15 years. In his current role as communications advisor for the National Council of Dialogue, he directs public and diplomatic relations for his government. As a founding member of a French think tank, he simultaneously works to improve relations between France and Africa.
In 1997, Akouala Atipault participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) with a group of young African professionals. On that visit to the United States, he discovered new possibilities for advancement of his country and was inspired to be a leader for positive change in the Congo.
Akouala Atipault recalls his group's discussion with U.S. Representative John Lewis, the renowned civil rights leader and former companion of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. That exchange was an epiphany for him, and he remembers sharing with Representative Lewis the myriad difficulties he faced trying to establish himself as a young entrepreneur, only to have Representative Lewis encourage him to drop everything and invest himself heavily in politics if he wanted to profoundly effect change in his country.
Today, after a decade and a half of active political involvement, Alain Akouala Atipault is still working to end entrenched poverty and create opportunities for Congolese youth and ensure a brighter future for his African homeland.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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AtipaultIVLP Alumni
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Dr. Valeria Klitsounova
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ValeriaParticipant Headshot
Short Biography
Content created by Virtual Intern Shayna Canty
Raised by her aunt and grandmother, Dr. Valeria Klitsounova grew up thinking critically and developed her independence and leadership skills at a young age. As a board member for a museum of history and rural culture in Belarus that she and her husband owned, she was passionate about sharing Belarusian history. After the selling the museum, she looked for other opportunities to bring information about Belarus to the world. In 2002, Dr. Klitsounova introduced the idea of agritourism to Belarus and has been working to provide more income opportunities to rural communities throughout the country. She founded the Belarusian Association of Rural and Ecotourism “Country Escape,” a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Belarus as a tourist destination. Dr. Klitsounova traveled to the United States in 2003 to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) that was focused on NGO management. During her exchange she discovered many concepts that she could use to support entrepreneurs who were members of her nonprofit. She directly credits the IVLP for improving her negotiating skills that, in turn, persuaded the Belarusian government to increase funding and expand programming in other villages.
Today “Country Escape” has more than 800 members and is shaping the rural tourism sector in Belarus. Between running her nonprofit, teaching and developing courses about ecotourism, and publishing books, Dr. Valeria Klitsounova has become the “mother of agritourism” in Belarus!
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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KlitsounovaIVLP Alumni
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U.S. Returns Stolen Artifacts to China: Photo Gallery
After making its largest discovery of cultural property ever — 42,000 artifacts from around the world — at one U.S. home, the FBI has begun packing up and sending many of the items to the People’s Republic of China, where they belong.
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Anouk Vos
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AnoukParticipant Headshot
Short Biography
Content created by Virtual Intern Benjamin Bosland
Anouk Vos works as a cyber security and innovation leader at a Dutch consulting firm focusing on high-tech issues. In addition, she serves as chair and co-founder of Cyberworkplace, a nonprofit in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, dedicated to helping vulnerable youth develop the skills they need for finding cybersecurity positions, internships, and training.
After an introduction during her International Leadership Visitor Program (IVLP), Vos now collaborates with Cultivating Coders, an organization based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Together, the two organizations created an in-depth ethical hacking course called "Cyberheroes," which brought American students to the Netherlands to learn about cybersecurity best practices. They are working on several follow-up projects to train additional trainers and students from New Mexico and increase their impact in Albuquerque and with youth from the surrounding Navajo nation.
Vos has won multiple awards, including the Lof Spotlight Prize for Female Leadership in 2015 and was voted one of the 50 most influential women in cyber security by SC Magazine.Anouk Vos is a Dutch cyber security specialist committed to ensuring that women and vulnerable youth can obtain valuable 21st century skills.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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VosIVLP Alumni
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Arina Araratian
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ArinaParticipant Headshot
Short Biography
Content created by Virtual Intern Erick Bonne
Arina Araratian is an Armenian choreographer and founder of the professional dance studio Pictures from Exhibition. She has organized masterclasses for professional dancers and produced international dance projects. In 2008, Araratian participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on a "Performance Arts Management" project where she and five other participants traveled throughout the United States to view American productions, learn about intellectual property rights protections, and study the challenges of producing, organizing, and securing sponsorship for the arts.
After her experience with IVLP, Araratian gained a new perspective on art production strategies and an expanded network. She returned to Armenia to create two exceptional works—Girl on the Moon and Unlimited Movement. Both projects featured performers with disabilities to raise awareness of inclusion in Armenian society. Next year, Araratian hopes to create a new project focusing on the theme of Women, Peace, and Security.
Arina Araratian demonstrates the cultural traditions of Armenia and showcases the integration of people with disabilities in everyday activities and particularly through the performing arts.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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AraratianIVLP Alumni
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Martha Yamilett Martinez Briseno
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Martha YamilettParticipant Headshot
Short Biography
Content created by Virtual Intern Mira Yu
Before her IVLP, Yamilett Martinez Briseño was the Director General of the Office on International Affairs and Exchanges program at the Sonora Ministry of Education when in 2004, Briseño participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) project, "Leadership Development for Women." During her project, she was exposed to new critical thinking methodologies and met women working in different professional sectors in the federal government and at a number of nonprofit and private sector organizations.
Briseño currently serves as the General Director of Sonora's Office of International Cooperation (OFECI) and credits her participation in the IVLP for enhancing her leadership skills and showing her new approaches she could use to strengthen economic development, border community initiatives, and cross-border relationships.
Briseño has been the catalyst for growth of many Sonoran programs and she credits the IVLP as the foundation for many of these bilateral initiatives between Arizona and Sonora. She created opportunities to combat crime through binational training and information exchanges, expanded the Chief Science Officers (CSO) Program, and increased gastronomic tourism visits to the area.
Yamilett Martinez Briseño is a leader who has successfully used her networks to build opportunities and works tirelessly to improve the lives of citizens in Sonora.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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Martinez BrisenoIVLP Alumni
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Virtual Fitness Session with Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Alumna, Tracy Sena Yeboah!
“We are very grateful to the AWE program for giving us a platform to improve our business strategy and becoming a successful brand” – Tracy Sena Yeboah, AWE Alum Ghana 2019
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Adzoavi Tatey
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AdzoaviParticipant Headshot
Short Biography
Content created by Virtual Intern Mira YuAdzoavi Tatey is an advocate who has dedicated her career to improving the welfare of women and youth in Togo. Before participating in the International Leadership Visitor Program (IVLP), Tatey was a dedicated middle school teacher. After returning to Togo, she founded an NGO called Alafia, which works to expand women's empowerment and youth education. In addition, Tatey was inspired during her IVLP to continue her own education and subsequently earned her degree in sociology.
Through Alafia, Tatey has worked to eliminate harmful and demeaning cultural practices by working directly with traditional community leaders. They have worked to eradicate demeaning practices that impact widows, most importantly reducing the practice of depriving widows from their inheritance in the Aneho Region of Togo. Following the success of this flagship program, Alafia has broadened its horizons to advocate for women and youth education on a larger scale.
Adzoavi Tatey continues to collaborate with fellow IVLP alumni and contacts she met in the United States during her IVLP to make meaningful and sustainable advancements for women and girls in Togo.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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TateyIVLP Alumni
