citizen diplomacy

More than 300 rabbis sent a letter to the US Congress, calling on lawmakers to endorse the conclusion of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers, a report said.

Every year citizen diplomats, business influencers, municipal leaders and other luminaries from around the world converge at Sister Cities International's annual conference. Building on President Eisenhower's original vision, Sister Cities International is an organization dedicated to fostering world peace by building global relationships one city at a time.

Two days ago Australian website news.com.au ran pictures of an elderly Greek man slumped on the pavement outside a bank in Thessaloniki. He was openly weeping. James Koufos, a finance CEO based in Sydney, recognised him as Giorgos Chatzifotiadis, an old friend of the family, and decided he had to do something.

Thousands have taken to Twitter as the hashtag #WalkTogether trended across London on the 10th anniversary of the London 7/7 bombings in which 52 people were killed. It urges commuters to leave their Tubes a stop early and walk, remembering the afternoon of the attack when thousands took to London’s streets as public transport network shut.

Photo courtesy of Texas A&M University Commerce, Marketing and Communications via Flickr Creative Commons

From student exchanges to standing up to Trump, citizen diplomacy featured prominently.

Today, we have a generation of young change-makers, including Muslim millennials, who are participating, positively, in addressing societal problems through nonviolent approaches to economic, social and political issues. We need to pay close attention to these voices.

International exchange students who have a good experience while in the country become friends of the United States. “That’s the goal of the J-1 Visa Program,” said Sharon Peters, Council for Education Travel manager.

Formal diplomacy and tiptoeing around protocols are not going to help the Philippines thwart a bristling giant encroaching on its waters and islands, according to former senator and veteran diplomat Leticia Ramos-Shahani. Shahani, who is ailing, delivered a fiery speech at the launch of P1NAS, a new alliance to defend Philippine sovereignty and territorial integrity, and strengthen efforts to forge an independent foreign policy.“We need a mass movement,” she said. “Citizen diplomacy is needed to thwart the power play in the West Philippine Sea.”

Pages