GlobalPittsburgh Coordinating Local Itineraries for International Leaders from Eastern Europe, Middle East, Indonesia and Other Countries

Groups of international leaders coordinated by GlobalPittsburgh through the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program and other agencies include:

Visitors at a shale gas drilling site.

October 5-11, 2011 – "The Spirit of Volunteerism: Honoring 50 Years of Peace Corps.” - Visiting leaders from Botswana, the Gambia, Guyana, Uganda, and Vanuatu examined the impact of volunteerism in U.S. communities and how volunteers, particularly young people, are inspired to help foster a culture of service and civic responsibility. They visited Avonworth High School, Brother’s Brother Foundation, Office of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Global Links, Pittsburgh Cares, Duquesne University, Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh, and were honored at GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays networking event on October 6, and joined GlobalPittsburgh host families for home hospitality dinner. (IVLP)

October 9-13, 2011 - "NGO Management" - Thirteen leaders from Saudi Arabia came to Pittsburgh to learn about women’s rights in the United States They met with representatives of the Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics, Chatham University, Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management, Robert Morris University; League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh and other local non-profit organizations, universities and companies, and joined GlobalPittsburgh host families for a home hospitality dinner. (IVLP)

October 26-30, 2011 - "Global Shale Gas Initiative" - The purpose of the project was to introduce Latvian, Estonian, and Lithuanian policymakers to legal, economic, policy and technical issues related to shale gas exploration, regulation, concessions, and development. The leaders met with Group Against Smoke and Pollution (GASP), University of Pittsburgh Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chesapeake Energy, Leech Tishman, and Duquesne University's Energy, Policy and Research Group. (IVLP)

October 31, 2011 - Ahmadkhon Yusupkhanov, Open World program alumnus. Mr. Yusupkhanov is a Consultant to a Member of the Parliament, Kyrgyz Republic. His supervisor is the Chairman of the Human Rights Committee who mainly deals with human rights issues, the protection of women, children and other vulnerable social groups, and the promotion of the rights of ethnic and other minorities. Mr. Yusupkhanov is currently studying conditions at detention centers throughout Kyrgyzstan. In June 2011, he participated in the program “Accountable Governance: Kyrgyz Parliamentarians” sponsored by Open World Leadership Center at the Library of Congress and hosted by GlobalPittsburgh. Mr. Yusupkhanov returned to visit his homestay hosts from June.

November 8-11, 2011 - Silvio Gonzato of Italy, who is the Head of Secretariat, Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament, is visiting Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Pittsburgh. Themes for the Pittsburgh segment of the program are local government elections, the operations of House or Senate district office, political party activities and museum operations. (IVLP)

November 9-11, 2011 - "Promoting Civil Society Through New Media" - In Pittsburgh, the five young leaders from Belarus will be studying the role of digital media in civil engagement, new media and advocacy, blogging and other forms of media on behalf of the community. (IVLP)

November 10-15, 2011 - “Outstanding Students for the World," - A project for Indonesia sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy in Jakarta. The 22 students participating in the program are some of Indonesia’s highest achieving students and represent winners or finalists in national and international science and technology competitions, including the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the International Exhibition for Young Inventors, the International Biology Olympiad, the International Robotic Olympiad, and the World School Debating Championship. In a program jointly funded by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Department of State and implemented by the Indonesian embassy and Meridian International Center in Washington, DC, participants will visit Washington, New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco to examine science and technology education in the U.S. at both the high school and college levels and the role of advanced and entrepreneurial technology companies in the U.S. and global economies. They will also discuss their research with U.S. student peers.