In partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), international mayors and municipal leaders will travel to the United States to develop action plans to strengthen democracy in their home communities with U.S.-based experts, ranging from American local government officials to technical specialists to civil society leaders and organizations. This exchange, known as the Summit for Democracy International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) builds on the December 2021 Summit for Democracy and supports the Year of Action leading to the second Summit for Democracy in 2023.
The IVLP participants include mayors and municipal leaders from Argentina, Botswana, The Gambia, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Republic of Kosovo, Mozambique, Philippines, Poland, Slovakia, and South Africa. The mayors will begin their in-person program today with consultations in Washington, D.C., followed by meetings in Denver, Colorado and Phoenix, Arizona. The municipal leaders will begin their in-person program in early July and will meet with counterparts in Kalamazoo, Michigan, San Antonio, Texas, and Los Angeles, California.
At the conclusion of their time in the United States, participants will continue the program virtually from their home communities and complete their Action Plan projects in November. Action Plans will focus on the Summit’s priority issues: strengthening democracy and defending against authoritarianism; fighting corruption; and promoting respect for human rights.
Follow the program on Facebook or Twitter using #S4DIVLP. For media inquiries, please contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at ECA-Press@state.gov.
Office of the Spokesperson