The exchange, known as the International Democracy Summit Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), builds on the December 2021 Democracy Summit and supports the Year of Action leading to the second Summit for Democracy in 2023.
IVLP participants include mayors and municipal leaders from Argentina, Botswana, Gambia, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Republic of Kosovo, Mozambique, Philippines, Poland, Slovakia and South Africa. The mayors will kick off their in-person program today with consultations in Washington, DC, followed by meetings in Denver, Colorado and Phoenix, Arizona.
City leaders will begin their in-person program in early July, meeting with their counterparts in Kalamazoo, Michigan, San Antonio, Texas, and Los Angeles, California.
Upon completion of their time in the United States, participants will continue the program virtually from their home communities and complete their Action Plan projects in November. The Action Plans will focus on the priority issues of the Summit: strengthening democracy and defending against authoritarianism; fight against corruption; and promote respect for human rights.
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