How the African Union is Working Towards Eradicating Hunger and Malnutrition 

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The Power of International Collaboration Through Exchange  By Colin Blais, Senior Program Associate, International Visitor Leadership Program    On July 31, 2023, seven representatives from the United States Permanent Mission to the African Union arrived in Washington, DC, to begin their two-week exchange in the U.S. as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). The “Best Practices to Improve Food Security” program focused on international food policy and convened networks of peers and professional counterparts in Sacramento, California and Detroit, Michigan.   Representing various offices and subdivisions within the African Union, African Union Commission and African Union Development...

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Adding Value into Education: Transforming Leaders

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To celebrate International Education Day, we are highlighting our many inspiring alumni from our Study of U.S. Institutes (SUSI) for Global Student Leaders program. Through partnerships with five U.S. universities and a series of interactive classroom activities, community-based projects and site visits to U.S. cities of all sizes, SUSI students experience an in-depth investigation into program themes and enhance their understanding of American values. Rishitha Jaladi of India spoke with Meridian’s Center for Global Leadership to reflect on his experience and its impact. Jaladi participated in the Summer 2021 virtual Institute on Youth, Education, and the Future of Work...

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Discovering Your Potential: From SUSI Participant to Community Leader

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To celebrate International Education Day, we are highlighting our many inspiring alumni from our Study of U.S. Institutes (SUSI) for Global Student Leaders program. Through partnerships with five U.S. universities and a series of interactive classroom activities, community-based projects and site visits to U.S. cities of all sizes, SUSI students experience an in-depth investigation into program themes and enhance their understanding of American values. Xavier Nhaule of Mozambique spoke with Meridian’s Center for Global Leadership to reflect on his experience and its impact. Nhaule is the Executive Director of Banco de Alimentos de Moçambique Association. This year’s International Day...

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Public Diplomacy Strengthens Democracies

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It has been one year since the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and the day still looms over the diplomatic community. Dozens of countries and international institutions condemned the violence. Foreign leaders and diplomats followed suit with many calling it for what it was – an attack on democracy.      Eleven months later, U.S. President Biden emphasized the need to restore democracy in all its facets, calling it the defining challenge of our time at the inaugural Summit for Democracy in December 2021. However, his tone remained largely optimistic, saying, “Democracy — government of the people, by the people, for the people — can...

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Improving Partnerships and Collaboration in Cybersecurity

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Cybersecurity experts from Africa celebrate the completion of their IVLP project

In May of this year, for the first time ever the GasBuddy mobile app earned the achievement of most downloaded on the U.S. App Store. Overall, total downloads increased almost 20 fold compared to an average day earlier in the year. This was not simply a huge influx of people who wanted to see if they could save an extra three cents a gallon. Rather, a cyber attack on the Colonial Pipeline, the largest fuel pipeline in the U.S., caused a surge of panic buying amidst fears of an impending gas shortage. In early September, Howard University in Washington,...

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