Notice of Meeting: U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy

Office of the Spokesperson

The U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy (ACPD) will hold a public meeting from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Thursday, January 23, 2020, at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Room SVC 203-02 (First St NE, Washington, D.C.).

This public meeting will focus on the ACPD’s 2019 Comprehensive Annual Report on Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting, which marks the 70th anniversary of ACPD reporting. Since the publication of the first ACPD annual report in 1949, the Commission remains dedicated to producing a quality, highly vetted document of record each year and welcomes the opportunity to get a closer view of the many informational, educational, and cultural activities the U.S. government supports worldwide.

In keeping with the field-focused nature of public diplomacy activities, this meeting will feature a

panel with all seven directors of the Department of State’s Regional Public Diplomacy offices. These experienced public diplomacy practitioners will discuss current challenges and opportunities associated with public diplomacy programming in the field.

This meeting is open to the public, Members and staff of Congress, the Department of State, Department of Defense, the media, and other governmental and non-governmental organizations. Attendees should plan to arrive for the meeting by 9:30 a.m. to allow for a prompt start.

The U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy is a bipartisan panel created by Congress in 1948 to appraise U.S. government activities intended to understand, inform, and influence foreign publics. The Commission may conduct studies, inquiries, and meetings as it deems necessary. It may assemble and disseminate information and issue reports and other publications, subject to the approval of the Chairperson, in consultation with the Executive Director. The ACPD may undertake foreign travel in pursuit of its studies and coordinate, sponsor, or oversee projects, studies, events, or other activities that it deems desirable and necessary in fulfilling its functions.

For more information on the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, please visit https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-public-diplomacy-and-public-affairs/united-states-advisory-commission-on-public-diplomacy/.  For more information on the upcoming public meeting, please contact the Commission’s Executive Director, Vivian S. Walker, at WalkerVS@state.gov, or ACPD Senior Advisor Shawn Baxter, at BaxterGS@state.gov.