The U.S. Center strives to promote opportunities for all Americans to be citizen diplomats and strengthen the value and awareness of citizen involvement in international relations. In an era of increasing globalization, many develop their most lasting impressions through face-to-face encounters when people visit the United States or when Americans travel abroad. In this context, the ‘citizen diplomat’ is a powerful and influential force in defining the United States to the rest of the world.  

The Center works to increase opportunities for Americans by supporting and promoting existing non-profit organizations and their programs that send individuals overseas or provide opportunities to engage the world at home.  

Initiative on Global Citizen Diplomacy-

National Launch During a special event held on February 5, 2009 at the National Press Club in Washington DC, the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy and a national coalition released a Letter to President Barack Obama asking for his endorsement of and involvement in a campaign to mobilize and engage more Americans in building strong person-to-person relationships with citizens from other countries. A "Call To Action" was announced to encourage Americans of all ages and backgrounds to join with the President and become citizen diplomats of the highest order for their communities, our country and the world.

Arab-American Business Fellows (AABF)

The AABF is a partnership between the Young Arab Leaders (YAL), Business for Diplomatic Action (BDA), the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy (USCCD), and the National U.S. Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC) designed to foster mutual understanding and respect between the American and Arab business communities. By developing a dialogue between the cultures of two critical and different regions of the world, participants hope to create an environment in which information, opinions and knowledge flow both directions, ultimately helping to shape the future of the economic relations between the U.S. and the Arab world.

Forums

The U.S. Center facilitates the public discussion of citizen diplomacy via forums and special events that draw private citizens interested in diplomacy, business people who travel abroad, politicians and the media.

2007 Congressional Forum on Citizen Diplomacy in the 21st Century 

The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy presented a Congressional Forum Thursday, Oct. 4, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. A series of speakers presented their views on the importance of citizen diplomacy then a panel of experts discussed the impact citizen diplomacy has on their organizations. Speakers included: Ambassador John Menzies, Sen. Charles Grassley, Rep. Leonard Boswell, Rep. James Moran, Rep. Darrell Issa, Alina Romanowski, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Aaron Williams, Vice President, RTI International, David Hamod, President, National U.S. Arab Chamber of Commerce, Hon. Harris Wofford, Building Bridges Coalition, Tim Kernan, Managing Director, U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, Barbara Propes, President, World Affairs Councils of America, Ted Townsend, President, Townsend Vision, Inc., and Dr. David Roe, President, Central College Pella, IA.

2007 Presidential Candidate Forums on International Relations

Presented as a cooperative effort of the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy and the Greater Des Moines Committee on Foreign Relations, these forums provide presidential candidates with an opportunity to present their philosophies and plans for international relations, as well as provide a question-and-answer period in which forum attendees may present specific questions to the candidates. These forums occurred during the months prior to the 2008 Presidential Election.  Presidential candidates that participated: Joe Biden, Sam Brownback, Chris Dodd, John McCain, Bill Richardson,  and Tommy Thompson.

Leadership Forum on Citizen Diplomacy: Strengthening U.S. International Relationships

The forum brought together 40 experts in international relations and citizen diplomacy, who were invited to develop a strategic plan to dramatically increase the number of Americans who are engaged globally - via international education, business, volunteer service, and community-based exchanges and initiatives. The strategic plan will be presented to the new administration and congress and will serve as the foundation to the Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy.

Who Speaks For Islam? What A Billion Muslims Really Think.

The U.S. Center, in partnership with Gallup and the World Affairs Council of America, is putting on the forum: Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think, around the country.  The book, Who Speaks for Islam?, is the culmination of a multi-year polling effort in 35 countries that disproves Western myths about Muslims.  The forum has taken place in Des Moines, IA Omaha, NE, Naples, FL, and Springfield, IL and is scheduled to take place in San Francisco, CA, Missoula, MT and Milwaukee, WI later this year.

Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy

During a special event held on February 5, 2009 at the National Press Club in Washington DC, the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy and a national coalition released a Letter to President Barack Obama asking for his endorsement of and involvement in a campaign to mobilize and engage more Americans in building strong person-to-person relationships with citizens from other countries. A "Call To Action" was announced to encourage Americans of all ages and backgrounds to join with the President and become citizen diplomats of the highest order for their communities, our country and the world.

National Awards for Citizen Diplomacy

On February 12, 2008, the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy presented the National Awards for Citizen Diplomacy. The National Awards for Citizen Diplomacy “expands the face” of Americans by refining America’s perception of a citizen diplomat, and is an opportunity to encourage and inspire others, as well as to recognize, honor, and benchmark exemplary work in the field. The February 2008 celebration awarded Anjali Bhatia, Tarik Daoud, Khris Nedam, Greg Mortenson, Jillian H. Poole, and Donna Tabor.

National Global Education Institute

The U.S. Center and the Fulbright Center are collaborating to propose this National Global Education Institute, which will benefit students, families and educators in selected states, and will provide an opportunity for both centers to leverage their combined assets with nationally and internationally recognized staff and experience. They will expand international and global education for our nation’s youth and strengthen the development of our international intellectual capital. The Institute will reflect the current global education goals of each participating state (Iowa, Wisconsin, New Mexico, and Connecticut).  The programs offered to the states will substantially increase the focus on international concepts throughout the curriculum, increase the study of foreign languages and support the expansion of international exchange opportunities for both students and teachers.

National Summits on Citizen Diplomacy

July 12-14, 2006 and February 12-13, 2008

The first Summit represented the focal point of a national campaign to increase dramatically the ability of Americans to engage with the global community through people-to-people contacts that foster international dialogue and exchanges. The National Summit gave visibility and voice to organizations and American citizen diplomats around the country who are committed to building a world of peace, mutual respect and mutual understanding through greater global interaction. The National Summit was preceded by a series of Community Summits.  The second National Summit on Citizen Diplomacy featured keynote speaker Dick Martin, author of the book Rebuilding Brand America. Published in January 2007, the book presents case studies of American business abroad and establishes what America must do in order to restore our international reputation. The Second National Summit on Citizen Diplomacy featured a number of other speakers, representing a variety of interests but all dedicated to the promotion of citizen diplomacy.

Research

In order to increase the effectiveness of our outreach efforts, the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy is undertaking a study of the impact of citizen diplomacy on people and communities in the U. S. and abroad. The initial phase of this research involves compiling and analyzing existing evaluations of government- and privately-funded exchange programs of various types [e.g. professional and political, development assistance, and k–12- and university-level international education]. Besides attempting to assess the impact of such programs, the study will also assess the strengths and weaknesses of existing research and make recommendations for future studies.

n March of 2004, 33 national leaders from international exchange organizations — including the business and academic communities —convened in Racine, Wisconsin, with the expressed intent of pursuing strategies to strengthen America’s commitment to citizen diplomacy. From that meeting emerged a national campaign of state and local summits on citizen diplomacy, culminating in a national summit in Washington, D.C., July of 2006. The Coalition for Citizen Diplomacy, representing more than 120 U.S. organizations, was formed to implement this campaign. This movement underscored the importance of positive and sustainable engagement of Americans in a host of international exchange and educational initiatives through innovative public and private partnerships.

At the same time emerged the need to turn a nationwide spotlight on the importance and value of citizen diplomacy. As a result, the only center of its kind in the nation—the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy—was formed as a strategic focal point for citizen diplomacy. Launched in July of 2006, the Center is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa.