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Cultural Property Advisory Committee Meeting October 27-29, 2020

The Cultural Property Advisory Committee will meet October 27-29, 2020, to review the request by the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria seeking import restrictions on archaeological and ethnological material.

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Partnerships

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) recognizes that achieving progress when it comes to advancing women’s economic empowerment requires us to work in collaboration with partners. ECA partners with the private sector, academia, and other public entities where there is strong alignment to meet program objectives.

Ellada Mustafayeva

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Ellada

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Content created by Virtual Intern Chhim Sokkunthea

Ellada Mustafayeva is a media project manager, trainer, and highly respected public relations professional working with both public and private sector clients in Azerbaijan. Mustafayeva graduated from Baku State University with a Master’s degree in International Journalism and was selected to participate in a 2017 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on Sports Management and Sports as a Tool for Social Change in the United States. Mustafayeva says her IVLP was a life-changing experience, and she returned home bursting with new ideas and the confidence to take on the biggest challenge of her career – co-founding the first Master’s in Sports Journalism program in the Caucasus region.

Since its inception, the program has made significant progress on its main three goals: to deliver world-class English-language journalism education, to meaningfully assist the development of Azerbaijan's sports sector, and to establish Baku as an international center of excellence for sports journalism. Graduates of the program have secured positions with media outlets, and the overall master’s program has won awards for innovation in education.

Mustafayeva maintains contact with many of her fellow participants from the IVLP and looks forward to returning to the United States to renew connections. As a member of the U.S.-Educated Azerbaijani Alumni Association, Ellada Mustafayeva is using sports journalism as a platform to build effective networks and bring our countries closer together.

Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra

Blog Post

Ellada's IVLP was about Sports Management and Sports as a Tool for Social Change in the U.S. Her objectives were to gain exposures to federal laws to ensure representation from disadvantages populations, examine the best practices for public private partnerships in developing local sport leagues, fundraising strategies, and the role of sports media in events, explore the role of sports education programs in the sports industry, and observe programs that are aimed at women/people with disability representation.

Through IVLP, she has gained skills that helped her with managing the first Sports Journalism master's program in Caucasus.

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Azerbaijan

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IVLP Alumni

Nesrine Dib

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Nesrine

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Content created by Virtual Intern Regina Navarro-Gomez

As part of the educated and driven younger generation of Algeria, Nesrine Dib is a strong advocate for the U.S. business model.

In 2014, Dib participated in an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) project titled, "Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development." What she learned during the IVLP gave her the confidence to navigate the challenges presented when leading a marketing department. She was also inspired to use the ecological business development model as a way to support the Middle East and North Africa region. Dib said, "the IVLP allowed me to acquire the sense of giving, allowing mistakes, identifying others' needs, following through, and asking for help."

Since her IVLP, Dib has been appointed as a Sales and Marketing Manager at Unicity International, a global provider of products with offices in the United States, Canada, Venezuela, and countries in Europe and Asia. Dib became the first manager to lead their multi-level marketing department during its startup phase in Algeria.

As an entrepreneur, Nesrine Dib builds networks and innovates to make a difference.

Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra

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Algeria

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Dib

IVLP Alumni

Alexander Shmidt

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Alexander

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Content created by Virtual Intern Helen Zeidman

Alexander Shmidt is a social entrepreneur and leader who works to provide opportunities for communities in Israel and overseas. As a social business specialist, consultant, and lecturer, Shmidt is a connector of people.

In 2013, Shmidt participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), focusing on Community Leadership Development. Shmidt gained an appreciation for creating partnerships with other people by visiting four different states and meeting with over 60 socially responsible organizations. Shmidt says, "I came back from the IVLP as a different person... changed by witnessing the power of diverse teams in changing the world."

Shmidt uses knowledge of team-building gained during IVLP in his work today. Through facilitating incubators, he encourages the development of socially conscious businesses and non-profit organizations. His human-centered approach focuses on promoting people before businesses. Shmidt teaches project managers how to think like designers and build business models that will build community.

Shmidt currently serves as the Representative of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) in Belarus. JDC has been on the ground in the former Soviet Union for decades, caring for the region’s elderly Jews when the majority of the world didn’t even know they existed. Alex and his team, through JDC network of Hesed Social Welfare Centers, works on a massive scale to ensure that the former Soviet Union’s Jews in need are able to not only to survive, but age with dignity and with support of a caring Jewish community.

As a socially-oriented entrepreneur, Alexander Shmidt helps aspiring businesses and community organizations develop plans to change the world one community at a time.

Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra

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Israel

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Shmidt

IVLP Alumni

Dr. Katrine Camilleri

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Katrine

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Content created by Virtual Intern Bridget Raymundo

Dr. Katrine Camilleri is a Maltese lawyer and Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Malta. She advocates for migrants, often at personal risk and is known for her work with boat refugees. Dr. Camilleri was awarded the United Nations Nansen Refugee Award in 2007 and the Roland Berger Human Dignity Award in 2015. This year, she was awarded the Julia Taft Refugee Fund award by the U.S. Embassy in Malta. She is often sought-after as a tough yet compassionate voice on migration and her work provides professional services, including information, legal assistance, and psychosocial support to migrants and asylum seekers arriving in Malta.

In 2008, Dr. Camilleri participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) project "Managing Integration of Refugees and Asylum Seekers with Emphasis on African Migrants." During the exchange, she noted that "Beyond and in spite of the huge differences between the United States, and my country Malta, which is a tiny island in the Mediterranean, public and political discourse on immigration could sound eerily similar.”

Dr. Camilleri found that public opinion, law, and policy are shaped not just by objective considerations like the availability of resources, but by fear. This is why she steadfastly continues her work to counter negative stereotypes about migration. As mentioned in her Politico highlight, Dr. Katrine Camilleri is "a longtime advocate of creating safe routes of passage for those fleeing war zones and hardship, and seeking a better life in Europe."

Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra

Home Country

Malta

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Camilleri

IVLP Alumni

David Ríos Duran

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David

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Content created by Virtual Intern Regina Navarro-Gomez

Working in the law enforcement field in Panamá, David Ríos Duran has been an advocate for building relationships across Latin America and the United States. Ríos Duran's leadership is built on the foundations of interpersonal relationships and communication as he works to maintain the security and well-being of Panamanians.

Ríos Duran says, "there is a before, during, and after an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP)." In 2012, Ríos Duran participated in the "Administration of Justice" IVLP, during which he attended workshops and court hearings focused on human trafficking, money laundering, and the rule of law.

Following his IVLP, Ríos Duran built a strong relationship with other IVLP participants. "There was a richness of connections that were made after the program," says Ríos Duran, noting that some of those contacts had been useful in the resolution of several important cases he handled while managing a regional immigration office. Years later, in 2018, he traveled back to Washington D.C. and completed a one-year-long Master's of Science in Inter-American Defense and Security at the Inter American Defense College. He attributes his IVLP to his acceptance into the Master's program and says, "my IVLP project opened the doors to millions of opportunities."

David Ríos Duran brings his enthusiasm, drive, and leadership to law enforcement initiatives in Panamá.

Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra

Home Country

Panama

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Ríos Duran

IVLP Alumni

Dr. Liliya Hrynevych

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Liliya

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Content created by Virtual Intern Adelle Barkhuizen

Dr. Liliya Hrynevych, a Ukrainian educator, politician, former Member of Parliament, and ex-Minister of Education and Science, has devoted her career to eliminating corruption in and developing the Ukrainian education system.

Through her visit to the United States on the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), Dr. Hrynevych immersed herself in American culture and history leading her to re-evaluate how she approached her own work in Ukraine. She took particular note of the issues that arose because of educational policies and the importance of transparency and integrity in universities. During her exchange, Dr. Hrynevych recognized the value of ensuring that quality education is available to people across Ukraine.

Since returning to Ukraine, Dr. Hrynevych advanced fundamental reforms in Ukrainian secondary and higher education and introduced standardized testing to decrease corruption in admissions to higher education institutions. Dr. Hrynevych also initiated the first reform of secondary education since Ukrainian independence, improving the quality of education across Ukraine in rural and urban schools. She has actively promoted academic integrity and been a crucial advocate for legislation to reduce corruption, plagiarism, and cheating in Ukrainian education and science. Additionally, Dr. Hrynevych was instrumental in adding media literacy as a core subject in the Ukrainian education curriculum.

The impact of her work in education reform was documented in a sociological study showing a decrease in corruption at the entry-level of higher educational institutes and, in her own words, "the introduction of a transparent admission process in Ukraine is considered one of the most successful educational reforms and is supported by 70% of the population."

Dr. Liliya Hrynevych is an education innovator who has made higher education more accessible to Ukrainian students and brought the Ukrainian education system more in line with western standards.

Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra

Home Country

Russia

Last name

Hrynevych

IVLP Alumni

Resources for AWE Alumnae

Alisi Koroveibau: A Small Business Entrepreneur Finds Her Calling

When the COVID pandemic started to affect the hotel industry in Fiji, Alisi Koroveibau made a bold decision to adapt to this unanticipated challenge.

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