|
||||
|
||||
 |
| |
Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs Keynote Address by Opening Plenary of NCIV Annual Meeting
Thank you. Good morning. It is great to see all of you again — president Sherry Mueller; Board Chair, Alan Kumamoto; Chas Moore. I cannot believe it has been one year since the last NCIV annual meeting. A year in which NCIV has again proved how critical your efforts are to increasing mutual understanding through the International Visitor Program, increasing the numbers of men and women who believe in the non-negotiable demands of human dignity, who will work for a civil society, for women's right to a seat at the leadership table, for peace, prosperity, democracy and freedom. As a result of my travels, and meeting with you and our international visitors, the words "citizen diplomat" mean far more than a catchy phrase in a brochure. It is what you do and who you are. I believe that if you don't go, you don't know, so my traveling has intensified — within two years I have been to Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Turkey, Morocco, The Hague, Rome, UK, Mexico, Germany — Iraq, which I will talk about in a few minutes, Paris for the historic U.S. re-entry into UNESCO, and coming up: Pakistan, India, Oman, Jordan, Russia, Cyprus, Panama and Poland. Not necessarily in that order. On the domestic side Chas Moore and I went to San Francisco, and New Orleans where I had the chance to meet with members of NCIV within their own communities and observe first hand the dedication, expertise and friendship you provide for our international visitors. The success of the IV Program is why year after year, our people in the field consistently ask for one thing: Give us more IV's. That is what Tom Farrell hear in GOA, I heard at the NEA PAO conference in Rome, and Travis Horel heard at the EAP PAO conference in Honolulu. Our public affairs officers and our ambassadors know that an increase in the numbers of international visitors means an increase in the numbers of alumni who return to their country and contribute at all levels of society. People such as Ms. Nadia Hashem Aloul, president of the National Society for the Enhancement of Freedom and Democracy from Amman, Jordan. In 1999, she participated in a "Peace Partners Project" on women's issues. Or Jeremy Dwyer, president of Sister Cities New Zealand, who in 1996 participated in an individual project on economic development initiatives of local governments. The IV Program is a team effort and there are so many people behind the scenes — in the field, without whom we just could not effectively conduct these programs — volunteers, including alumni, grassroots organizations, NGO's, State Department personnel, including of course the dedicated people in ECA — and international, FSNs. Speaking of FSNs, some of them are with us today so I would like to recognize the 18 foreign service nationals from 17 countries, who are in the U.S. for a four-week training program on exchanges. All of them work in our embassies overseas on educational and cultural programs of all varieties. They are our connectors to communities and we're so happy to have them here and I'd like to thank them for their service and sacrifices, and commitment. From my own perspective, as I travel, when the official meetings are over, I turn to the FSNs to get a better understanding of issues specific to that country, peoples' attitudes, and how we in ECA can work more effectively through our programs such as Partnerships for Learning and CultureConnect. This morning we have two groups of international visitors with us, including five diplomatic correspondents and senior reporters from Bangladesh to look at the "U.S. Political Process"; and a group of higher education officials from six countries in Africa here to look at "University Administration." Welcome. This morning, I would like to spend our time together giving you an update on ECA's focus since 2001 and now into 04 and beyond — As you know I was sworn in shortly after September 11, 2001, and since
that time our dual objectives have been to increase the numbers of men
and women of good will who will join us in fighting the war on terrorism
— which is our common enemy, and work in partnership to increase
peace prosperity and democracy — freedom — our common values.
In those areas of the world where young people face a future of underemployment and lack of education — the future seems bleak, there are no mentors of good will, no jobs or school opportunity, and so these young people are susceptible to the siren song of radical extremists. Through the work you do and the exchange process we offer a vision of life beyond the narrow boundaries of despair. And when we are able to connect with younger age groups we are able to dispel misconceptions, stereotypes and harmful caricatures head on and early on. Our emphasis on youth means we need to increase the numbers of IV's who work with youth, who teach or coach or counsel. In this way, we can close what Queen Rainia of Jordan calls the hope gap. For the past two years, we have focused on being in a significant way where we have not been before. Namely, in the Arab and Muslim world. We are reaching younger and more diverse audiences, beyond the elites because we must connect now with people who have a distorted view of Americans and American values. But let's not forget that the value of the IV Program is a two way street. Our international visitors impact each and every American they meet, breaking down our misconceptions as well. Recently, I spoke to a group of young people here in this country as a part of a Future Leaders Exhange Program from the countries of the former Soviet Union. I asked them as they traveled through Washington, to look beyond the marble monuments and learn about some of our country's leaders beyond the stone inscriptions. To understand that when FDR said the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — we can apply this today as we work to break down the fear that prevents us from connecting with one another, to have dialogues with people from different cultures and backgrounds and realize that it is fear on both sides that cause the demonization of people, the shorthand that can condemn someone for their religion, their race, their economic status. As one high school student from Turkey told me — I don't want people to look at me like I am a terrorist. I am a Muslim and most of us are good people. Another young woman, in response to my question "How do you like it here so far?" smiled and said, "I love it. But why do Americans keep asking me what it is like to ride a camel. I am from Cairo and have never been on a camel in my life." Secretary Powell said "2004 has every possibility of being a year when we harvest some of the seeds we have laid out there, which will lead us to a more peaceful world, a world with more freedom in it, a world where people understand that the United States and our foreign policy constitutes a force for good, a force for freedom, a force for human rights." Last September I traveled to Iraq with my colleagues from ECA and NEA. We listened to the Iraqi people tell us what they needed, and we determined that this trip was going to be about delivering — responding to those needs. One woman who had taught at a university told us — you don't understand. The people who say Saddam was a bad man but have no idea what they are talking about. There are no buts...We lived in what was an insane asylum never knowing if our husbands or children would come home after work or school. We lost our ability to trust, to even think about the future. We met with rectors of universities who were using textbooks from the fifties, and whose classrooms were filled with young men not even qualified to be in college but who were there because Saddam wanted them off the street. Diplomas had no value. Real education was de-valued. Thinking was discouraged and in many cases could get you in serious, terminal trouble. We met with the men and women who comprise the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra who, against great odds, had kept together, and were using handwritten and copied sheet music, and in some cases, instruments that could not be tuned. They wanted to come to the U.S. to show the world that Iraqi had a rich culture before Saddam; a culture of learning and the arts. Within two months, on December 6, the Iraqi National Orchestra, as part of our CultureConnect program, performed at the Kennedy Center before President Bush and Secretary Powell, with our National Symphony Orchestra and CultureConnect Ambassador Yo-Yo Ma. This performance was attended by people from throughout the United States who had waited on line for more than three hours for the free tickets. On one of the days when the orchestra was sightseeing in Washington they stopped at a local Starbucks and were overwhelmed by the response from non-official Americans who hugged and cried with them and welcomed them. As Hisham, the manager of the orchestra said, "This was a very special moment, we did not know if you Americans would like us." Our Baghdad trip also was the impetus for the first group of Iraqi Fulbrighters to come to the U.S. in fourteen years. Their one-week orientation in Washington included meetings with Secretary Powell and the President. I accompanied the group of Fulbrighters to a meeting with President Bush. This was a day in which they had met Secretary Powell, Kofi Annan, Condoleezza Rice — I told them, we can't keep this pace up, tomorrow it is just me and my DAS Tom Farrell. You have met more leaders in one day than most people in the country ever will. They had over an hour of conversation with the President of the United States. It was a very emotional meeting and he congratulated them and told them he knew they would have days when they felt alone, missed their families and friends, but what they were doing now will have a positive impact when they return. One of the Fulbrighters said that the opportunity to come here and learn was like someone opening the gates to his future. He vowed to go back and to teach and to help create the perfect society. We hosted recently, the first Iraqi international visitor — a woman member of the provincial council — just completed her program here last Friday on teaching English as a second language. In her evaluation session, she made the following comments: "My experience was different from my colleagues. This is my first visit outside of Iraq and coming to the U.S. was like a breath of freedom. This was a golden chance for me to learn about America and about education. I learned a lot. I learned that the U.S.A. is a great country... I will return home and will work to rebuild my country and will begin with education. I will propose ideas for schools to teach English... For me the most interesting part of the program was to see how Americans live and to speak with common Americans. The home hospitality was wonderful... I suggest that many other Iraqis have the opportunity to come on a program like this to see the real America." Then there was the visit of Afghan women teachers, and Afghan judges. The Iraqi museum specialists who are here are very proud that we are recognizing that their culture, which was perverted, almost destroyed by Saddam Hussein, is valued by Americans. And that through the American taxpayer we are helping Iraqis reclaim their heritage through improving the Baghdad Museum, codifying the artifacts, preserving archeological sites. After you meet these very brave young men and women who have left their country, left their homes and families, whether they are musicians or Fulbrighters or women entrepreneurs from Iraq, or teachers from Afghanistan or IVs from Africa — in the hope of being able to return and make a measurable contribution, you can't help but want to do all you can to help them. And that is really the story of NCIV. As I mentioned, since September 11, we have been devoting an increasing amount of resources to reaching out to countries with significant Muslim populations, particularly in the Near East and South Asia. The percentage of programming from ECA's overall budget going to those areas has grown from 16% in 2001 to 25% this year. The percentage of the programming from the IV budget has grown from 14% to 18% during that same period. In line with our emphasis on reaching youth, particularly high schoolers, we launched the Partnerships for Learning, or P4L, which is the first global U.S. government high school exchange program with the Arab and Muslim world. The idea behind P4L is that people of goodwill everywhere want only the best for their children and they realize that in a child's life every educational year counts. Our first P4L Youth Exchange and Study Program, or YES, began with 131 students from Nigeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza, Egypt, Kuwait, Syria, Yemen, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia. This year, the program expands to over 450 students from the same countries, as well as Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Bangladesh. I have been particularly pleased with the contributions to P4L that so many of you have made through your programming and hosting of international visitors. Beginning last fiscal year, the Office of International Visitors implemented sixteen P4L projects on student leadership and civic responsibility, democracy and human rights. The bureau also intends to increase the number of participants in the P4L Undergraduate Program. Under this program, 66 economically disadvantaged students from the Middle East and North Africa are coming to the U.S. For pre-academic English language training and two years of undergraduate study at universities throughout the country. Following their academic study the students will receive a bachelors degree. As Assistant Secretary I have had the opportunity to speak personally with many IVs in person. They have marveled at the generosity and energetic spirit of Americans. They have seen for themselves that, like them, we care about family and faith, about educating our children, about economic opportunities, about freedom and peace, and that we are a tolerant, embracing people. They have noted that we seem to be impatient with fast food and want it to be available even faster, that we are constantly working but somehow find the time to volunteer — and it is this last quality that impresses them the most. Many of you hosted those visitors in your communities. What so many of these seasoned journalists shared with us was their observation that the U.S. Was not monolithic, that Americans were engaged, interested, and, yes, concerned about developments in the world, and that they wanted to reach out, to understand better and to be better understood. I met with the group of editors from the Middle East at the beginning of their program. They told me "Please stop asking the question —' Why do you hate us?' It assumes we all do and it makes us feel so wrong." An Egyptian journalist who had visited here many many times wanted to find out for herself if Americans still say have a nice day or are we fundamentally changed since September 11. The answer is yes and yes. We are hopeful and optimistic but now, wary. That is the product of terrorism — and we see this in Iraq where brave Iraqis are volunteering to run their own communities as policemen, bus drivers, teachers; and terrorists who build nothing and destroy everything, attack so that fear, not optimism, prevails. They will not prevail of course, but because they are out there, what each of you do to strengthen those who are builders of society, is so very very important. We have so many wonderful stories of IV alumni maintaining contacts with people and institutions they met while on their visits to further their work at home and exchange with this country. Rather than go through them all, let me just thank you for all your dedication, hard work, and your commitment to exchanges and building international understanding. One day when you look back and someone asks you what did you do for your community and country and the world in the year 2004, you will be able to tell them. And it will be quite a story. Thank you.
|
 | |||
|
