Download our 2019 Impact Brochure
For over 40 years, the San Diego Diplomacy Council has connected world leaders across sectors with San Diego to build trust, dialogue, and collaboration, promoting global prosperity and peace. In total, 90% of our international visitors said professional networking opportunities in San Diego were excellent and three out of five San Diego Diplomacy Council members stayed connected with international visitors.
Our diplomacy work includes:
- Equipping emerging and current leaders to solve increasingly complex challenges facing our interconnected world
- Creating entrepreneurial partnerships to promote innovative solutions to global issues
- Promoting cross-cultural engagement
- Preparing the next generation of diplomats and changemakers
In 2019, the San Diego Diplomacy Council hosted 873 emerging and current leaders to San Diego from 148 countries on professional, educational and cultural experiences. During their visits, they met with 820 students and 1,000 business and community leaders. We have coordinated 278,487 professional interactions, 29 events and 723 dinner hospitality engagements between our visiting leaders and San Diego city residents. Our programs contributed approximately $3.5 M annually to the U.S. economy through the use of local hotels, transportation companies, and other vendors. Our Global Ties U.S network generated $80.7 million for U.S. communities from exchange programs.
Empowering our visitors to change the world
Nisha Ayub at the San Diego Superior Court
The reverberating impact of Nisha Ayub’s visit, one of the fifteen 2016 Secretary of State International Women of Courage, had far-reaching implications for social change in Malaysia. Nisha’s time in our community was used to leverage media and communities and to influence government, societies, and individuals in an effort to improve LGBTQ rights around the world. Nisha’s social justice efforts as well as San Diego’s partnership has been recognized by a prominent Malaysian news outlet, “The Star”. We have also received news from the U.S. Embassy in Malaysia that our stance of solidarity is putting pressure on the Malaysian government to reform their discriminatory policies.Today, San Diego Pride helps fund Nisha’s SEED Foundation with a four-year grant. This grant has allowed SEED to continue to operate their Drop In Center for the community, where they are able to receive information, support, care, and offer a safe space. Nisha stated, “San Diego Pride has given the community here in Malaysia a sense of belonging. [We] are truly grateful and humbled to have an ally [in] San Diego Pride.”
