III 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 603 

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the National Council for International Visitors, and designating February 16, 2011, as ‘‘Citizen Diplomacy Day’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 30, 2010 

Mr. SPECTER (for himself, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. BURR, Mr. BAYH, 

Mr. PRYOR, Mr. BURRIS, Mrs. LINCOLN, Mr. DORGAN, Mrs. 

GILLIBRAND, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. BOND, Mrs. MCCASKILL, Mr. BENNETT, 

Mr. CASEY, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, 

Mrs. MURRAY, Ms. CANTWELL, Mrs. HAGAN, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Mr. 

ISAKSON, Mr. COBURN, Mr. BINGAMAN, Mr. MERKLEY, and Mr. SANDERS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010 

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the National Council for International Visitors, and designating February 

16, 2011, as ‘‘Citizen Diplomacy Day’’. 

Whereas the year 2011 marks the 50th Anniversary of the 

National Council for International Visitors (referred to in 

this preamble as the ‘‘NCIV’’), originally founded as the 

National Council for Community Services to International Visitors (commonly referred to as ‘‘COSERV’’) 

in 1961; 


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Whereas the mission of NCIV is to promote excellence in citizen diplomacy—the concept that the individual citizen 

has the right and responsibility to help develop constructive United States foreign relations ‘‘one handshake at a 

time’’; 

Whereas citizen diplomacy has the power to shape perceptions in the United States of foreign cultures and international perceptions of the United States, effectively 

shattering stereotypes, illuminating differences, underscoring common human aspirations, and developing the 

web of human connections needed to achieve more peaceful relations between countries; 

Whereas NCIV is the private sector partner of the United 

States Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (referred to in this preamble as the 

‘‘IVLP’’), a public diplomacy initiative that brings distinguished foreign leaders to the United States for shortterm professional programs under the authority of the 

Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 

(22 U.S.C. 2451 et seq.; also referred to as the ‘‘Fulbright-Hays Act’’); 

Whereas the NCIV network comprises individuals, program 

agencies, and 92 community organizations throughout 

the United States, including approximately 80,000 volunteers who are involved in NCIV member activities each 

year as host families, professional resources, volunteer 

programmers, board members, and other supporters; 

Whereas the network of citizen diplomats in NCIV has organized professional programs, cultural activities, and home 

visits for more than 190,000 foreign leaders participating 

in the IVLP, 285 of whom went on to become chiefs of 

state or heads of government in their countries; 


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Whereas the NCIV network has hosted and strengthened the 

relationships of the United States with notable foreign 

leaders who are alumni of the IVLP, including: Abdullah 

Gul, President of Turkey, Nicolas Sarkozy, President of 

France, Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, Morgan Tsvangarai, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, and Alvaro 

Uribe Velez, President of Colombia, as well as Willy 

Brandt, former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of 

Germany, Kim Dae-Jung, Former President of South 

Korea, Frederik W. de Klerk, former President of South 

Africa, Indira Ghandi, former Prime Minister of India, 

Anwar Sadat, former President of Egypt, and many others; 

Whereas United States ambassadors have in repeated surveys 

ranked the NCIV network-facilitated IVLP first among 

63 United States public diplomacy programs; 

Whereas in 2001, Senator Arlen Specter nominated the 

NCIV network of citizen diplomats to receive the Nobel 

Peace Prize, stating that they ‘‘have done . . . the best 

work for fraternity between nations’’; 

Whereas all Federal funding for the citizen diplomacy of the 

NCIV network is spent in the United States, where it has 

leveraged $6 in local economic impact for every Federal 

dollar expended; 

Whereas NCIV member organizations provide invaluable opportunities for United States students to develop global 

perspectives and vividly experience the diversity of the 

world by bringing foreign leaders into local schools, loaning teachers cultural artifacts, and developing internationally focused curricula; 


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Whereas participation of United States communities, businesses, and universities in the international exchange programs implemented by the NCIV network strengthens 

the ability of the United States to produce a globally literate and competitive workforce; 

Whereas NCIV celebrates excellence in citizen diplomacy and 

has honored 7 individuals—Senator J. William Fulbright 

in 1987, the Honorable John Richardson in 1990, Maya 

Angelou in 1993, Richard Stanley in 2000, Keith 

Reinhard in 2007, Garth Fagan in 2008, and Rick 

Steves in 2009—with the NCIV Citizen Diplomat Award 

for their exemplary work towards transcending barriers 

between the peoples of the world in visionary ways; 

Whereas NCIV provides leadership at the national level having convened leaders of sister organizations for 2 national 

Summits on Citizen Diplomacy and providing funding to 

its member organizations for Summits on Citizen Diplomacy in communities throughout the United States, giving those organizations the opportunity to foster internationally focused dialogue and to cultivate lasting partnerships with like-minded organizations in their own communities; and 

Whereas NCIV member organizations serve as international 

gateways, sharing their communities with the world and 

the world with their communities—welcoming strangers 

and sending home friends: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 

3 National Council for International Visitors and its 

4 extraordinary efforts to promote excellence in citizen 

5 diplomacy; 


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1 (2) commends the achievements of the thou2 sands of citizen diplomats who have worked for gen3 erations to share the best of the United States with 

4 foreign leaders, specialists, and scholars; 

5 (3) thanks the National Council for Inter6 national Visitors citizen diplomats for their service 

7 to their communities, our country, and the world; 

8 and 

9 (4) designates February 16, 2011, as ‘‘Citizen 

10 Diplomacy Day’’. 

Æ 


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