T H E   W H I T E   H O U S E

Fact Sheet: President Clinton Hosts First White House Conference on Culture and Diplomacy (11/28/00)

Help Site Map Text Only

                       PRESIDENT CLINTON HOSTS FIRST
              WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON CULTURE AND DIPLOMACY
                             November 28, 2000

Today, President Clinton, Mrs. Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright will convene the first White House Conference on Culture and
Diplomacy to focus on the critical role of culture in the formulation and
conduct of foreign policy in this era of globalization.  The conference
will bring together diplomats, artists, scholars and representatives from
the private and non-profit sectors, for a discussion on how to better
integrate cultural concerns into the day-to-day conduct of American foreign
policy and strengthen cultural exchange programs that serve as invaluable
forms of international communication.

Integrating Cultural Concerns Into Foreign Policy. The aims of the
conference are to better integrate cultural concerns into foreign policy
development; to recognize the importance of art and culture in the growing
global economy; and to incorporate the cultural and educational strengths
of the United States in diplomacy as well as U.S. business and military
interests.

The Conference will focus on the following four issues:
?    Preserving and Promoting Diverse Cultures in a Global Economy;
?    The Role of Culture in the Practice of Diplomacy;
?    The Role of Multinational Companies, Non-Governmental Organizations
(NGOs) and Multilateral Organizations    in Promoting Cultural
Understanding and Exchange; and
?    The Arts and Humanities Abroad ? Sharing America's Cultural Diversity.

White House Conference attendees include prominent U.S. and foreign
diplomats, artists and cultural figures, and corporate and foundation
heads.  The conference panelists include His Highness the Aga Khan;
Nigerian writer and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka; Italian Minister of
Culture Giovanna Melandri; former Fulbright scholar and Poet Laureate Rita
Dove; world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma; and Joan Spero, Doris Duke
Foundation President and former State Department official. The President,
Mrs. Clinton and Secretary Albright will open the conference at the White
House, and afternoon workshops will take place at the Westin Fairfax Hotel
in Washington.  Following the conference, the State Department will issue a
report on the conference proceedings.


A Record of Supporting Cultural Exchange. The U.S. Government has a long
history of supporting international cultural exchange and cooperation.
Under President Clinton, the State Department has led a broad public
diplomacy effort to focus on culture's role in foreign policy, which
includes launching large-scale exchange projects with China and Nigeria and
the development of working partnerships with public and private cultural
organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the White House
Millennium Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Library
of Congress, the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the
Pew Charitable Trusts, The Rockefeller Foundation, the John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts, The World Bank and Arts International.
Additionally, the Fulbright Program, America?s flagship international
educational exchange program, has provided more than 230,000 participants
with the opportunity to learn from each other since the program?s
inception.


                                   # # #


President and First Lady | Vice President and Mrs. Gore
Record of Progress | The Briefing Room
Gateway to Government | Contacting the White House
White House for Kids | White House History
White House Tours | Help | Text Only

Privacy Statement