GCIV Welcomes Visitors from 97 Countries to Georgia

The Georgia Council of International Visitors welcomed 311 inbound guests from 97 countries to the state in 2023, according to the nonprofit’s annual report.

GCIV, a member of the Global Ties U.S. network of state-affiliated organizations fostering citizen diplomacy, helps coordinate programs under the auspices the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program. IVLP participants are often top leaders in their countries singled-out by the department for personal growth opportunities that empower them in their careers.

Boosted by the training, many have gone on to become powerful officials, recognized activists or even heads of state in their home countries. Exchange alumni include 87 Nobel Prize winners, 123 Pulitzer Prize winners and 75 current or former representatives to the United Nations.

GCIV also organizes other fee-for-service programs (about 20 percent of its overall guests in 2023) that help visiting delegations connect with Atlanta-based organizations, often for the purpose of leadership development and training in areas like global health, education, climate policy, creative industry and more.

While here, GCIV helps the groups connect with a broad cross-section of local organizations, from private companies like X-Factor Solutions, whose founder Ahli Moore serves as a GCIV trustee, to nonprofits like Books for Africa and government agencies like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A recent example is the GCIV’s hosting of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative, or YLAI, a monthlong program where 12 under-35 entrepreneurs from nine countries were paired to work with local organizations matching their areas of interest. The group is similar in professional makeup to the Mandela Fellows, those participating in the Young African Leaders Initiative, which GCIV helped welcome to Atlanta last year.

GCIV held a reception with the Young Leaders of the Americas at Global Atlanta’s offices March 14.

Global Atlanta in March partnered for the second year with the GCIV on a reception welcoming the Latin American group to Atlanta and hosted a pitch session enabling them to hone ideas for a solution they plan to introduce at a national summit of more than 280 fellows.

Last March, GCIV hosted one of 11 designees of State’s International Women of Courage award, the sixth time it has been tapped to do so. Bakhytzhan Toregozhina was honored during a reception at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights for her work promoting and protecting human rights in Kazakhstan.

GCIV engaged local volunteers to host 15 dinners for inbound guests in 2023 and organized the Foreign Policy Association’s “Great Decisions” lecture series — virtually for the second straight year in partnership with the Atlanta Global Studies Center. (This year’s series just wrapped up again).

Professionally, human trafficking (26.7 percent) and governance/civil society/corruption (20 percent) made up the largest focus areas for participants in the IVLP hosted by GCIV. Geographically, Brazil was the top sending country with 29 visitors, while Africa was the top sending continent with 65.

Learn more about GCIV at www.gciv.org and see the full annual report below or download here.