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2008 Annual Report OPEN WORLD LEADERSHIP CENTER Annual Report ww2w.o0penw0orld8 .gov OPEN WORLD 2008 ANNUAL REPORT OPEN WORLD LEADERSHIP CENTER BOARD OF TRUSTEES As of December 31, 2008 Chairman The Honorable James H. Billington Librarian of Congress Ex Officio The President of the Senate The Speaker of the House of Representatives Appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate Dear Mr. President and Madam Speaker: The Honorable Carl Levin (Mich.) On behalf of the Open World Leadership Center Board of Trustees, it is my privilege to submit United States Senate to you the Center’s 2008 annual report on the Open World exchange program. Through Open World, Congress has linked over 14,000 emerging leaders from countries of Eurasia to com - The Honorable Roger F. Wicker (Miss.) munities throughout the United States. Some 6,000 American volunteer families in all 50 United States Senate states have hosted these leaders from an expanding number of different countries. Addition - ally, hundreds of Members of Congress have hosted or met groups of Open World partici - Appointed by the Speaker of the House pants, providing a useful avenue for Members to carry out their oversight responsibilities on a range of topics, from human-trafficking issues to nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. The Honorable Robert E. (Bud) This 2008 annual report summarizes Open World’s accomplishments in a country-by-country Cramer, Jr. (Ala.) review that highlights our professional programming in the United States. Our participants United States House of Representatives make use of the ideas, experiences, and professional contacts they gain through Open World. For example, inside our report you will learn more about how two public health care Ex Officio Congressional Members providers from Moldova shared their American experience with their colleagues in trainings across Moldova on tuberculosis issues in Moldova and the United States. In the section on The Honorable Mary L. Landrieu (La.) Azerbaijan, you will read about how an NGO leader adapted a campaign volunteer form for a Chairwoman 2008 U.S. congressional candidate to recruit citizen monitors for Azerbaijan’s 2008 presiden - Subcommittee on Legislative Branch tial election. Committee on Appropriations United States Senate The success of Open World does not lie in the accomplishments of the participants alone, as dedicated Americans continue the work of Open World well beyond initial contact with the The Honorable Debbie Wasserman program. Often, American hosts make reciprocal visits to see alumni of Open World in their Schultz (Fla.) home countries. Additionally, the generosity of our many supporters provides a means for Chair Open World to thrive. We are especially grateful to Mr. George Russell and Open World Subcommittee on Legislative Branch Trustee Ambassador George L. Argyros for donations from their family foundations, which Committee on Appropriations helped support the enhancement of our alumni program. United States House of Representatives In 2008, as we approached our 10th year, Open World continued to actively adapt its pro - gramming. Open World engaged dozens of delegates in a historic U.S. election as it unfolded Appointed by the Librarian of Congress through the year, with an additional 100-plus delegates observing or participating in activi - for 2005–2008 ties on Election Day. In response to a congressional request, Open World began to focus on child protection and adoption issues, linking Russian social services professionals with their The Honorable James F. Collins U.S. counterparts in Virginia, Maryland, and Michigan. Our alumni also applied aspects of their American experience to their own efforts to improve their societies, such as by increas - The Honorable Amo Houghton ing volunteerism, strengthening disability rights, and encouraging greater transparency in government. Appointed by the Librarian of Congress for 2008–2011 As Open World expands its reach into Eurasia, the program will offer the new generation of leaders in this strategically significant region exposure to the American traditions of individ - The Honorable George L. Argyros ual rights and accountability of elected officials. Sincerely, Mr. Walter Scott, Jr. Honorary Chairman The Honorable Ted Stevens (Alaska) United States Senate James H. Billington Chairman of the Board of Trustees Message from the Executive Director Prairie Village, Kansas, and Dolnya, Ukraine, and Atlanta, Georgia, and Tbilisi, Georgia—have led to a blossoming of projects that would not otherwise have occurred. A senior officer in the U.S. Embassy in our newest partner country, Turkmenistan, wrote that “the program has a huge impact for visitors because they have been so isolated, and had few opportunities to see how things are done elsewhere,” attesting to the power of Open World to break down barriers. That we do this at low cost shows that our funds are well spent. Open World would be just another of the scores of ex - change programs run by the government were it not We at the Open World Leadership Center expanded our for our hosts who welcome Open World delegates into program in 2008 to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, two their homes, our dedicated staff, the high-quality del - nations poised to play an important role in Central egate nominations coming from U.S. government Asia not just because of their enormous gas and oil re - agencies, NGOs, and others, and the cooperation of serves, but because of the contribution they can make our embassies abroad and participating-country or - to maintaining stability in the region. In 2008, dele - ganizations. Our active, committed hosts and dele - gates from the nine Open World countries visited a gates, after being brought together through Open total of 212 congressional districts in 44 states, where World exchanges, have joined to produce numerous Americans welcomed them into their homes and their partnerships in such vital endeavors as nuclear non - communities. Open World’s practical results, which proliferation, maternal and child health care, human- often benefit both the countries of our guests and the trafficking prevention, and rural development. U.S. towns and cities where they stayed, showed a sig - nificant increase in the number of partnerships cre - Let me thank our tireless staff, grantees, contractors, ated and projects undertaken by the delegates when and hosts, our generous donors and partners, and, es - they returned to their home countries. pecially, our participants. Together, they have created a vibrant, effective exchange of people, ideas, and prac - This year’s annual report features country-by-country tices benefiting thousands of communities throughout examples of the impact that Open World has had on Open World’s network of nations. delegates and those they visited in the United States. As the report demonstrates, Open World builds bridges Sincerely, between professionals in many fields, from the first lady of Maryland, state District Judge Catherine O’Malley, who visited Leningrad Region alumni to con - tinue her work with them on fighting domestic vio - lence, to the jazz delegates who jammed with Chick John O’Keefe Corea in Louisville, Kentucky. Exchanges that reinforce Executive Director sister-city relationships—such as those between 2 2008 – Open World Expands Open World, founded in 1999 by the U.S. Congress to build In 2008, Open World added Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan mutual understanding between Russia and the United to its seven existing program countries, all located in the States by bringing young Russian leaders here to learn strategically important heartland of Eurasia. We also ex - about American democracy and civil society, has always panded on other fronts, adding to our network of alumni worked to expand its reach. Initially we did so by selecting and American hosts and contacts, fostering more partner - participants from across Russia and hosting them in com - ships and projects between participants and Americans, munities throughout the United States. Today, we continue and connecting more Members of Congress, congressional to draw delegates from all corners of our participating staff, and other U.S. leaders to the future Eurasian deci - countries and to host them in cities and towns across sion-makers we brought to the United States. Our 2008 America. And Open World’s virtual networking tools and annual report illustrates, country by country, the concrete overseas alumni activity encourage professional interac - accomplishments and results produced by our expanding tions begun during the U.S. visit to bear fruit afterward. network of alumni, hosts, and partners. 3 Open World’s original focus country has been sending emerging leaders to the United States since July 1999. RUSSIA Russia’s more than 12,000 participants have come from all of the country’s 83 regions, with heavy representation from regional and local governments, the judiciary and the legal profession, and the health, education, and social services sectors. Congress in 2003 established a separate Open World program for Russian cultural leaders. Maryland First Lady Works with Alumni in Sister Region involving several Open World alumni. rehabilitation center and the police (The three Marylanders are all active department, observed a domestic vio - in the Maryland/Leningrad Oblast lence trial, and met with the city’s On Feb. 9, state judge and Maryland [Region] Rule of Law Partnership chief prosecutor (also an alumna) and first lady Catherine O’Malley, U.S. Committee, an affiliate of one of her colleagues. The Americans and District Judge and Open World host Open World’s longtime grantees, the Russians compared investigative and Richard Bennett of Baltimore, and Russian American Rule of Law Con - courtroom procedures and planned Open World cohost Pamela Harris, sortium.) In the town of Tosno, the future partnership activities on do - court administrator for the Circuit Maryland delegation had talks with mestic violence prevention, which Court for Montgomery County, Md., alumni judges and others taking part Open World hopes to support left for their Russian sister state of in a pilot project on domestic vio - through exchanges.
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