Dear Friends & Supporters of Business for Diplomatic Action,
So far, 2010 has been a very busy year for BDA with several new initiatives underway. Given the current administration’s emphasis on global engagement, we see our mission as more relevant than ever.
Although the rise of anti-Americanism has recently slowed in parts of the world, high levels of resentment against the United States continue to exist in many strategic areas. The challenge, BDA believes, is to focus the global conversation on issues other than foreign policy, about which we remain nonpartisan, and to concentrate on shared values of civil societies, with U.S. business taking the lead.
Our continuing mission, then, is to enlist the U.S. business community in a variety of actions that, by pursuing shared interests and reversing negative perceptions, build new bridges of mutual respect and confirm America’s position as the world’s leader in the pursuit of peace and prosperity for all people.
The following is a brief update on our recent events and activities.
BDA PARTNERS WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND ENTREPRENEURS ORGANIZATION (EO) ON GLOBAL FELLOWSHIP EXCHANGE PROGRAM
This fall BDA will launch a new exchange program in partnership with the U.S. Department of State and Entrepreneurs Organization (EO). Entitled A New Beginning: Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation, the program features entrepreneurs from 30 countries who will visit the U.S. for three weeks to meet with American entrepreneurs and businesspeople, share best practices, and participate in intensive EO-led educational seminars in San Francisco, Phoenix, New York, and Washington, DC. Sponsorship opportunities are available for receptions and media events with the delegates and VIPs from the private and public sectors in all four cities. For more information on this program please download the link on our homepage, or contact BDA Vice President Tom Miller at Thomas.Miller@ddb.com.
2010 ARAB & AMERICAN BUSINESS FELLOWSHIP LAUNCHES
In partnership with Young Arab Leaders and the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy, Business for Diplomatic Action is also rolling out the 2010 Arab & American Business Fellowship this fall. Now in its fourth year, this three-week business exchange program is the most successful private-sector-led exchange program for young, high-potential executives in the U.S. and the Middle East.
We continue to seek sponsors for this unique program to bring as many young Arab executives to the U.S. as possible. Sponsorship costs $15,000 for each "fellow," and there really is no better investment for anyone doing business with the Middle East. This experience is not only a transformative one for participating fellows, but yields countless benefits to the companies who host them. For more information on the program, please visit http://www.businessfordiplomaticaction.org/files/AABF_2010.pdf or contact BDA Vice President Tom Miller at Thomas.Miller@ddb.com.
CULTIVATING A GLOBAL MINDSET -- BDA OFFERS CULTURESPAN
Do You Have a Global Mindset? It is an essential question for global business today, and the Thunderbird School of Global Management is at the cutting edge when it comes to developing effective cross-cultural skill sets that are critical to maintaining an edge in the global marketplace. In response to the growing demand for cross-cultural fluency and the development of a global mindset in business, Business for Diplomatic Action and the Thunderbird School of Global Management are pleased to offer CultureSpan: The Workshop on Global Corporate Diplomacy. This one-day intensive program will help U.S. multinational corporations and their executives develop more effective global teams, best global practices, and truly global mindsets. Based on the powerful GLOBE research system, it's the only cross-cultural workshop of its kind. For more information, please go to http://www.businessfordiplomaticaction.org/files/culturespan_brochure_for_printer.pdf or contact Tom Miller at Thomas.Miller@ddb.com.
BDA CONTINUES PARTNERSHIP WITH NCIV FOR SERIES OF GLOBAL CORPORATE ROUNDTABLES
As part of an effort to engage a broader cross-section of the U.S. corporate community in citizen diplomacy and private-sector-led public diplomacy initiatives, BDA has continued our partnership with the National Council for International Visitors. Various roundtables and town halls have already been conducted in Montana, Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada, Florida, and Massachusetts, with more planned for this fall. The themes for the co-hosted events center around the issues of global engagement and business initiatives to promote cross-cultural understanding, public diplomacy, and corporate and citizen diplomacy efforts. For more information please contact Cari Guittard at Cari.Guittard@sf.ddb.com.
BDA CO-CHAIRS BUSINESS TASK FORCE FOR UPCOMING SUMMIT ON GLOBAL CITIZEN DIPLOMACY
BDA strongly believes that the U.S. business community has a vested interest in encouraging Americans to become more involved in international affairs, and to this end we are helping to organize the U.S. Summit for Global Citizen Diplomacy, which will be held in Washington, DC, November 16-19. Organized in partnership with the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy and the U.S. Department of State, this Summit will bring together leaders from the private, public and nonprofit sectors to develop strategies to promote citizen diplomacy and global engagement among the American people. “Best-in-class” proposals from the business community and civil society groups will be showcased; plenary sessions and roundtable discussions will flesh out the issues. For more information or to register for the Summit, please visit www.uscenterforcitizendiplomacy.org/summit/ or contact BDA VP Tom Miller at Thomas.Miller@ddb.com.
We recognize that this is a challenging period for all Americans and the global community. We continue to believe there has never been a more compelling time in our nation's history than now for each of us to resolve to help build bridges of respect and mutual understanding. BDA is committed to finding ways business and the private sector can take the lead in public diplomacy efforts and we hope you'll join us.
Warmest personal regards,
Keith
