Meridian International Center

MERIDIAN INTERNATIONAL CENTER IS A NONPARTISAN, NONPROFIT DIPLOMACY CENTER FOUNDED IN 1960 WITH THE VISION THAT GREATER UNDERSTANDING AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE WORLD LEADS TO A MORE SECURE AND PROSPEROUS FUTURE FOR ALL. HEADQUARTERED IN WASHINGTON, DC, ON A FOUR-ACRE CAMPUS WITH TWO HISTORIC PROPERTIES, MERIDIAN HAS LONG SERVED AS A PLACE WHERE GLOBAL LEADERS GATHER, FUTURE LEADERS ARE FOUND, AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION THRIVES.

INTERNATIONAL VISITOR LEADERSHIP PROGRAM - FOR OVER 60 YEARS, MERIDIAN HAS BEEN A PRINCIPAL PARTNER IN IMPLEMENTING THE INTERNATIONAL VISITOR LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (IVLP), THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE'S PREMIER PROFESSIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM. DURING 2023, MERIDIAN DEVELOPED IVLP PROJECTS FOR OVER 1,551 EMERGING INTERNATIONAL LEADERS THROUGH 174 PROJECTS. PROGRAM TOPICS RANGED FROM THE RULE OF LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS TO YOUTH ENGAGEMENT, U.S. FOREIGN POLICY, CYBERSECURITY, AND COUNTERING DISINFORMATION. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED:1) THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE EXCHANGE, AN ANNUAL PROJECT HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE. THIS YEAR'S ELEVEN PARTICIPANTS WERE PRESENTED WITH THEIR AWARDS DURING A WHITE HOUSE CEREMONY HOSTED BY FIRST LADY DR. JILL BIDEN AND SECRETARY OF STATE, ANTONY BLINKEN. 2) THE MULTI-REGIONAL IVLP PROJECT, EMERGING SPACE NATIONS, BROUGHT REPRESENTATIVES FROM TWELVE COUNTRIES AND THE UNITED NATIONS TOGETHER TO EXPLORE STANDARDS FOR GLOBAL COOPERATION IN SPACE. 3) FOR THE 8TH YEAR, MERDIAN IMPLEMENTED THE SUCCESSFUL TIP (TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS) HEROES PROJECT. ON JUNE 15, SECRETARY OF STATE BLINKEN PRESENTED EIGHT ANTI-TIP ACTIVISTS WITH THE 2023 TIP REPORT HEROES AWARD. BY STRENGTHENING THE TIP REPORT HEROES' NETWORKS AND ALLOWING FOR THE SHARING OF BEST PRACTICES, THE PROJECT HELPS ENSURE THAT INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS COMBATTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING HAVE THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO CONTINUE THE FIGHT. 4) MERIDIAN ALSO CONTINUED TO ADMINISTER THE IVLP IMPACT AWARDS, AWARDING 258 PROGRAM ALUMNI FROM 103 COUNTRIES TO DEVELOP COMMUNITY IMPACT PROJECTS THAT BUILD UPON THEIR EXCHANGE EXPERIENCE.

DIPLOMACY PROGRAMS - MERIDIAN'S CENTER FOR DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENT IS AN EDUCATIONAL AND NETWORKING HUB PROMOTING COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC CORPS AND THE U.S. PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS ON EMERGING ISSUES IN DIPLOMACY.DURING 2023, OVER 630 INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATS FROM 130 EMBASSIES, ALONGSIDE REPRESENTATIVES FROM GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS AND CIVIL SOCIETY, PARTICIPATED IN OVER 30 DIALOGUES AND OTHER ENGAGEMENTS, INCLUDING WORKSHOPS AND ROUNDTABLES. PROGRAMS IN 2023 INCLUDED DISCUSSIONS ON U.S. FEDERALISM, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING, SUBNATIONAL DIPLOMACY, ENERGY TRANSITION, GLOBAL HEALTH, AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE. MERIDIAN'S FLAGSHIP EVENTS ARE THE ANNUAL GLOBAL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT AND DIPLOMACY FORUM. THE OCTOBER 2022 SUMMIT EXPLORED THE INTERSECTION OF DIPLOMACY AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGY TO FOSTER POLICIES THAT DEVELOP TRUST AND ALLOW INNOVATION TO FLOURISH. THE 2023 DIPLOMACY FORUM "ALL DIPLOMACY IS LOCAL" UNDERSCORED THE VITAL ROLE OF CITIES AND STATES IN SHAPING DIPLOMACY AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS. DIPLOMACYRISE IS MERIDIAN'S INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE OF DIPLOMACY WHICH FOCUSES ON DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS WHO REFLECT AMERICA'S DIVERSITY AND ARE PREPARED FOR 21ST CENTURY STATECRAFT. THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE GLOBAL AFFAIRS FELLOWSHIP IN 2023 PROVIDED 30 AMERICAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND TRANSFER STUDENTS WITH A TWO-WEEK SUMMER IMMERSION PROGRAM IN WASHINGTON, DC, INDIVIDUAL MENTORSHIPS, AND VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS.

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS - AS A PARTNER TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, MERIDIAN WORKS WITH BUREAUS AND EMBASSIES TO FOSTER GREATER COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE U.S. AND THE WORLD. FROM OCTOBER 2022 TO SEPTEMBER 2023, THE CUSTOMIZED EXCHANGES TEAM CONDUCTED 90 PROJECTS FOR 842 PARTICIPANTS FROM 140 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. THESE PARTNERSHIPS PROVIDE GLOBAL CHANGEMAKERS WITH TRANSFORMATIVE OPPORTUNITIES THAT AMPLIFY COLLABORATIVE NETWORKS, DRIVE INNOVATION, AND RESULT IN SUSTAINABLE IMPACTS. OUR PROGRAMS ARE FOCUSED IN THREE THEMATIC AREAS: 1) SCIENCE, INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS FOSTER GLOBAL COLLABORATION ON EMERGING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND INNOVATION ISSUES BY ADDRESSING CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES SUCH AS CLIMATE CHANGE, HEALTH CRISES, CYBER AND DISINFORMATION, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THIS YEAR, MERIDIAN LAUNCHED THE GLOBAL EMERGING LEADERS IN INTERNATIONAL CYBERSPACE SECURITY (GEL-ICS) FELLOWSHIP. THE PROGRAM EQUIPS LEADERS FROM LIKE-MINDED FOREIGN PARTNERS TO BE EFFECTIVE ADVOCATES OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY-AFFIRMED FRAMEWORK OF RESPONSIBLE STATE BEHAVIOR IN CYBERSPACE. 2) JOURNALISM & MEDIA PROGRAMS SUPPORT FREE AND FAIR JOURNALISM, PROMOTE MEDIA LITERACY, AND COUNTER MISINFORMATION. MERIDIAN COLLABORATES WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE'S FOREIGN PRESS CENTER ON REPORTING TOURS AND MEDIA CO-OPS. OUR PROGRAMS EMPOWER TODAY'S LEADING FOREIGN JOURNALISTS THROUGH TWO PRIMARY APPROACHES: 1) REPORTING OPPORTUNITIES THAT CONNECT INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISTS WITH U.S. POLICYMAKERS AND DIVERSE EXPERTS TO SUPPORT STRONGER FACT-BASED REPORTING; AND 2) CAPACITY-BUILDING TRAINING AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD THE PROFESSIONALISM, SKILLS, AND ETHICS OF JOURNALISTS. 3) YOUTH & EDUCATION PROGRAMS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STATE DEPARTMENT'S BUREAU OF EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS, BRING STUDENT LEADERS TO THE U.S. TO ENGAGE WITH THEIR AMERICAN PEERS, EXPERIENCE U.S. CULTURE. AND DEVELOP GLOBAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS. OUR THREE FLAGSHIP PROGRAMS INCLUDE: STUDY OF THE U.S. INSTITUTES (SUSI) FOR GLOBAL STUDENT LEADERS AS WELL AS STUDENT LEADERS FROM EUROPE, AND THE PAN AFRICA YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM.

CULTURAL PROGRAMS - FROM VIBRANT VISUAL ART EXHIBITIONS TO FILM SCREENINGS, AND CONCERTS, MERIDIAN'S CULTURAL PROGRAMS STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPS BY BRINGING TOGETHER PEOPLE FROM DIVERSE GLOBAL COMMUNITIES TO CELEBRATE SHARED INTERESTS AND COMMON VALUES. MAJOR CULTURAL PROGRAMS DURING 2023 INCLUDED THE BUILDING IDENTITY: MODERN ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE OF THE EMIRATES EXHIBITION, WHICH WAS EXHIBITED DURING MODERNISM WEEK IN PALM SPRINGS, CA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH U.S. EMBASSY ABU DHABI. ADDITIONALLY, MERIDIAN DEVELOPED ROOTS OF FRIENDSHIP: 50 YEARS OF U.S.-BANGLADESH RELATIONS. MERIDIAN ARRANGED RESIDENCIES IN ROMANIA, PORTUGAL, THE PHILIPPINES, IRELAND, NIGERIA, CHILE, AND THE NETHERLANDS THROUGH NEXT LEVEL, A PROGRAM ORGANIZED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL. OTHER CULTURAL PROGRAMS INCLUDED PARTNERING WITH THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION ON AN EXCHANGE TO BRING SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS TO WASHINGTON, DC, AN EXCHANGE WITH THE U.S. EMBASSY ASHGABAT, AND A PANEL DISCUSSION TITLED "JAZZ TO HIP HOP: IMPACT OF UNITED STATES' BEST CULTURAL EXPORTS".AS PART OF THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES INITIATIVE WITH THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES, MERIDIAN DEVELOPED A PANEL DISCUSSION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ MUSEUM ON COLD WAR JAZZ DIPLOMACY, A PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE AND FRANCE WITH A MUSICAL PERFORMANCE AT THE HARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS AND PRODUCED A SERIES OF PODCASTS ON CULTURAL DIPLOMACY.