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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 569 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 569

Supporting the work of citizen diplomacy organizations and encouraging 
  the convening of a Presidential Summit on Global Citizen Diplomacy.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 19, 2009

   Mr. Moran of Virginia (for himself, Mrs. Myrick, Mr. Latham, Ms. 
 DeLauro, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Loebsack, Mr. Braley of Iowa, Mr. Hinchey, 
    and Mr. McGovern) submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Supporting the work of citizen diplomacy organizations and encouraging 
  the convening of a Presidential Summit on Global Citizen Diplomacy.

Whereas citizen diplomacy is the initiative of individual people in the United 
        States and nonprofit groups to interact with citizens of other countries 
        in a spirit of goodwill and mutual understanding;
Whereas millions of people in the United States have participated in citizen 
        diplomacy efforts in many different ways, such as by hosting foreign 
        students, participating in medical missions, joining sports or artistic 
        exchanges, and participating in significant discussions with citizens of 
        other countries when traveling abroad;
Whereas the number of private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and faith 
        communities involved in citizen diplomacy has increased significantly 
        over the past decade, encouraged by the increased ease of international 
        communications between citizens in different countries;
Whereas organizations such as Sister Cities International, Partners of the 
        Americas, World Affairs Councils of America, and the National Council 
        for International Visitors, among others, have distinguished records in 
        promoting citizen diplomacy between people in the United States and 
        citizens of other countries;
Whereas these organizations seek to expand opportunities for people in the 
        United States of all backgrounds to engage with the rest of the world 
        through exchanges in education and business, through churches and 
        nonprofit organizations, and through a diverse array of other programs;
Whereas many people develop their most powerful impressions of this Nation 
        through face-to-face encounters with people in the United States when 
        they visit this country or when United States citizens travel abroad;
Whereas effective citizen diplomacy promotes the best of American values, 
        generosity, and community service to citizens of other countries, which 
        is a powerful projection of a key goal of United States foreign policy;
Whereas the global spread of information and communications technology has 
        empowered individuals around the world to participate in the 
        international exchange of ideas and to influence the policies of their 
        governments;
Whereas the Peace Corps is an extraordinary example of how citizen diplomacy can 
        make lasting differences in relations between nations, with its nearly 
        five decades of success in building bonds of friendship between people 
        in the United States and citizens of other lands;
Whereas United States public diplomacy programs, such as International Visitors, 
        Fulbright academic exchanges, student exchanges, the United States 
        Speaker and Specialist program, sports diplomacy, and cultural 
        exchanges, build ties of mutual understanding between individuals and 
        lay the groundwork for international cooperation;
Whereas the National Lieutenant Governors Association has issued a resolution 
        titled ``Smart Power Public Diplomacy: Using Citizen Diplomacy to 
        Strengthen U.S. World Standing'', calling for expanded public diplomacy 
        activities and greater focus on the contributions of citizen diplomacy;
Whereas the United States Center for Citizen Diplomacy actively promotes the 
        activities of some 400 outreach organizations throughout the United 
        States;
Whereas the non-partisan United States Center for Citizen Diplomacy, in support 
        of its mission to dramatically increase our global engagement, has 
        issued a ``Call to Action'' that urges all people in the United States 
        to become globally conscious and engaged through education and study 
        abroad, development programs, commerce, exchanges in the arts and 
        sports, international volunteer service, and educational tourism;
Whereas the United States Center for Citizen Diplomacy has called on President 
        Obama to establish an ``Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy'', and 
        to help support this effort by participating in a Presidential Summit on 
        Global Citizen Diplomacy, in cooperation with the State Department, 
        which would be the first such summit since 1956;
Whereas 70 leaders and stakeholders who met at White Oak under the auspices of 
        the Howard Gilman Foundation issued 10 recommendations on fundamental 
        public diplomacy needs for the 21st century, including the vital 
        importance of citizen diplomacy; and
Whereas citizen diplomacy is undeniably one of the most powerful and effective 
        means to present the human face of the United States to the rest of the 
        world: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) enthusiastically applauds the outstanding work of 
        citizen diplomacy organizations and individual citizen 
        ambassadors who deepen friendships and mutual understanding 
        through their volunteer service;
            (2) endorses the goals of the ``Call to Action for Global 
        Citizen Diplomacy'' launched by the United States Center for 
        Citizen Diplomacy, in order to encourage people in the United 
        States to become more involved in community-based citizen-to-
        citizen international activities, including those focused on 
        education, environmental protection, health care, economic 
        development, gender discrimination, poverty alleviation, and 
        the arts;
            (3) encourages President Obama to convene a Presidential 
        Summit on Global Citizen Diplomacy that would commend the 
        activities of citizen diplomacy organizations and citizen 
        ambassadors, and that would seek to inspire other people in the 
        United States to participate in these opportunities for 
        national and international service;
            (4) recommends that the State Department encourage citizen 
        diplomacy programs as part of its public diplomacy mission; and
            (5) calls on people in the United States of all ages and 
        backgrounds to seek out ways to engage with citizens from other 
        countries in order to establish global partnerships and to help 
        better our own communities, the Nation, and the world.
                                 <all>
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