Diplomatic Community Explores U.S. News’ Best Countries Rankings at Meridian Global Dialogue Dinner

On June 22, Meridian joined with U.S. News & World Report for a Global Dialogue Series Dinner on U.S. News’ Best Countries rankings. The private, salon-style dinner brought together leadership from several embassies in Washington with representatives involved in the Best Countries initiative.

Best Countries is a new rankings, news and analysis endeavor that seeks to capture how countries are perceived on a worldwide scale. The rankings evaluate 60 countries across 24 rankings drawn from a survey of more than 16,000 global citizens, measuring 75 dimensions that have the potential to drive trade, travel and investment and directly affect national economies. Thus far, the digital initiative has attracted over two million visitors to-date, most of which are international readers.

Meridian President and CEO Ambassador Stuart Holliday and U.S. News & World Report CEO President and CEO Bill Holiber facilitated the conversation that explored the methodology used to compile the rankings, while providing the ambassadors and other senior members of the diplomatic community with an opportunity to share their perspective on how their respective countries are viewed on a global scale.

Diplomats from nine of the countries featured in Best Countries attended the dinner, including H.E. Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, Ambassador of Brazil; H.E. Prasad Kariyawasam, Ambassador of Sri Lanka; H.E. Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, Ambassador of Singapore; Malek Djaoud, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Algeria; and Karla Gonzalez, Deputy Chief Mission, Embassy of Panama; and, officials from Azerbaijan, Colombia and Mexico.

Vugar Gurbanov, First Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan

(L to R) Vugar Gurbanov, First Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan; H.E. Prasad Kariyawasam, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States; Ambassador Stuart Holliday

(L to R) Bill Holiber, President and CEO, U.S. News and World Report; H.E. Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, Ambassador of Brazil to the United States

(L to R) Sergio Garcia, Economic Affairs Counselor, Embassy of Mexico; Johan de Muinck Keizer, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Shorelight Education

Bill Holiber, President and CEO, U.S. News and World Report

(L to R) Vugar Gurbanov, First Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan; H.E. Prasad Kariyawasam, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States; Ambassador Stuart Holliday, H.E. Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, Ambassador of Singapore to the United States; Brian Kelly, Editor and Chief Content Officer, U.S. News & World Report

(L to R) H.E. Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, Ambassador of Brazil to the United States; Brian Kelly, Editor and Chief Content Officer, U.S. News & World Report

A pre-dinner toast in historic Meridian House