IVLP Programs: December 2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of State's Office of International Visitors has postponed in-person exchange programs for the rest of 2020. Virtual meetings will instead be arranged for the following programs:

IVLP Gold Star - ADA 30th Anniversary: Vianney Sierralta who visited the United States on an IVLP in 2017 will participate in a speaking event to discuss the impact of the IVLP experience and share updates on her work to support the rights of people with disabilities in Chile.

Towards a More Safe and Secure World: A group of 35 participants from around the world will hear from a panel of speakers from communities across the United States about the recent protests for racial justice and renewed efforts to reimagine policing.

Open World Alumni Event: Kosovar delegates from the 2019 Open World Leadership Center program, Community-Led Tourism, will reconnect with the Seattle community to provide updates on how the program impacted their work and to hear from representatives of Seattle's tourism sector about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local tourism industry.

Transparency and Accountability in Government: A group of 15 participants from the Near East and North Africa region will have virtual meetings to explore the role of citizens, traditional and new media, academia, and civil society in fostering transparency and accountability in government. Their meetings with their Seattle counterparts will also highlight the mechanisms that enable citizens to foster good governance, ethical standards, and accountability at the local, state, and federal levels.