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Mary Robinson Featured Speaker at Launch of Citizen Diplomacy Discussion Series
WASHINGTON, DC (March 11, 2008) -- Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, is the featured speaker at the launch of World Learning's Citizen Diplomacy Discussion Series on March 14. The event, "Citizen Diplomacy in a Fast-Moving World," co-sponsored by Georgetown University's Mortara Center for International Studies and the Aspen Institute, is the first of a three-part series exploring the need for a reactivated and reinvigorated commitment to citizen diplomacy in shaping global understanding and dialogue. The event takes place at Georgetown's ICC Auditorium on March 14, 11:00-12:30.
A number of recent global polls indicate that America's reputation abroad has witnessed a steady decline in recent years. While the Iraq war and the global war on terror have clearly played a central role in this decline, the reasons behind it are more complex and remain poorly analyzed and understood. What is clear is that America's ability to influence, lead, build alliances and conduct business internationally is compromised by negative perceptions of our role and impact in the world. The series will convene NGO leaders, legislators, leaders of business and media and other civic leaders for a non-partisan public discussion on the role citizen diplomacy should play in future foreign policy, with an emphasis on real-world examples, strategies and results.
In her March 14 remarks, Mary Robinson will draw on lessons from her experience as a world leader and global diplomat to offer particular insights to Americans as they consider how international migration and cultural exchange enriches societies and impacts the way cultures and governments interact.
"Mary Robinson has been a real leader on so many important global issues," said Carol Bellamy, president and CEO of World Learning. "We hope this series can generate productive dialogue on the role of citizen exchange in shaping better understanding among nations."
The series continues April 22 with a half-day panel on "The Promise of Citizen Diplomacy," featuring a keynote by Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas. That event is to take place at Georgetown's Copley Hall, 8:45 am – 12:45 pm.
World Learning, a global nonprofit based in Vermont and Washington, DC, has been focused for 75 years on bridging cultures and transforming lives. Today, World Learning runs study abroad and international development programs in 77 countries, directly impacting the lives of tens of thousands of people each year. Since 1932, when the first group of students traveled abroad, more than 100,000 people have participated in World Learning programs. -- http://www.worldlearning.org/
Georgetown University's Mortara Center for International Studies seeks to advance scholarship and inform policy by combining the expertise of scholars and the experience of international affairs practitioners to illuminate the fundamental forces -- political, economic, cultural, ideological -- that shape international relations. To realize this mission, the Center organizes and co-sponsors lectures, seminars, and conferences and provides support for research and publications. -- http://www12.georgetown.edu/sfs/mortara/
The Aspen Institute's Global Interdependence Initiative encourages US policies that respond more ably to issues that the US can’t or shouldn’t handle by itself: global warming, for example, or the HIV/AIDS epidemic. And we believe that visionaries who share this goal will benefit from careful thinking -- not just about where they want to go but about how they will get there. -- www.aspeninstitute.org/gii