U.S. Speaker and Specialist Program for India

The U.S. Speaker and Specialist Program for India sponsored by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi is jointly implemented since fall 2013 with Meridian International Center. The program is designed to connect U.S. experts with Indian audiences and institutions; to promote a better understanding of U.S. strategic priorities, policies and institutions; and to discuss the political, economic, social, and cultural context from which they arise. The program offers an opportunity for the participating U.S experts to travel individually to the country for a professional program designed by the U.S embassy in New Delhi and the other U.S. Consulates in India. Starting in 2020, the project will also send a number of speaker to Bhutan to engage with relevant audiences in that country as well. These experts engage over the course of their visit with a wide array of audiences through lectures, workshops, and seminars, through round-tables and panel discussions, and through one-on-one meetings with their Indian counterparts. A key component of the visit is engagement with both local and national media as well as India social media representatives to further the message of their program.

Over the past seven years, Meridian has sent to India over 45 American experts who have addressed a multitude of topics from climate change and cyber security to clean energy and intellectual propriety rights, from immigration and counter terrorism to trade and regional economic relations, from countering disinformation and energy and trade across the Indo-Pacific to disaster management, and from skills development to U.S. foreign policy.

 

Pam Gavin posing before her meeting at the confederation of Indian industry in Hyderabad.
Larry Clinton speaks about Internet Security
Edward Alden – Senior Fellows at the Council of Foriegn Relations
Gary Lafree speaks on countering terrorism
India Bog Photo
U.S-Consulate-Mumbai-with-Benjamin-Fong-and-Pooja-Dutta-Lawquest

Project Timeline

November 19, 2022Aaranyak organizes expert talk on ‘Water Security in the Brahmaputra River Basin
November 19, 2022Aaranyak organizes expert talk on ‘Water Security in the Brahmaputra River Basin in the context of Climate Change’
April 13, 2022Webinar – “Emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Security, Prosperity, and The New World Order”
January 25, 2022Webinar – Diaspora Diplomacy feat. Gitanjali Rao’s 5 Steps to Success
December 8, 2021Webinar – “Role of Men in Preventing Gender Based Violence”
September 3, 2020Webinar – The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on South Asian Economies
June 16, 2020Webinar – The Impact of the COVID-19 Global Pandemics on the U.S. – India Relations
March 5, 2020Call for sustainable tourism in Puducherry
March 5, 2020US, Russian water experts teach effective practices to Tamil Nadu
March 5, 2020World looking at India’s success on Section 377: Writer Chike Frankie Edozien
March 5, 2020Change in India holds out hope for Nigerians
March 5, 2020New Clean Energy Economy in India
March 5, 2020India to be the next hotspot for pangolin poaching
March 5, 2020Illegal wildlife trade is worth $20B annually
March 5, 2020Major transnational wildlife crime could catch India by surprise
March 5, 2020Organizing cities around cars, instead of people, wrong approach
March 5, 2020How to fight climate change? Make cities walkable
March 5, 2020Preserve India’s heritage
March 5, 2020Sustainability needs a people-centric approach; is smart city Chennai geared to that?
March 5, 2020The Media Rumble interview: Christina Lee on the bias in media
September 26, 2018U.S. Speaker on Her Recent Program in India on Refugee Inclusion
August 31, 2018NEWS18: Critical to Involve Men in Gender Disparity Conversations to Increase Awareness
August 27, 2018Indian Express: How to Make the Newsroom Gender-Just Lessons from the American Women’s Media Centre on amplifying women’s voices
August 12, 2018Hindustan Time: Fight bad news with good journalism, says Pulitzer winner
August 10, 2018The Daily Eye: Women on-and-off the Screen: A panel discussion held by US Consulate General, Mumbai and Asian Centre for Entertainment Education
August 10, 2018ShethePeopleTV: Cristal William Chancellor On Portrayal of Women in Media
August 9, 2018EdexLive, The New Indian Express: Digital space is unsafe for women: Cristal Williams Chancellor
August 8, 2018Maharash Times: Digital Media is Becoming Unsafe for Women at Present says Cristal Williams Chancellor
August 7, 2018The New Indian Express: Chennai: US speaker interacts with journalism students on portrayal of women in media
August 1, 2018The Telegraph: Rights champ calls for safe space for women
July 31, 2018The Times of India: Survey reveals gender disparity at the Oscars
May 4, 2018The Times of India: India has made progress in protecting IPRs: US expert
December 11, 2017Sustainable Tourism in India: U.S. Expert Kelly Bricker Lends her Expertise through the U.S Speaker and Specialist Program
August 11, 2017U.S. Speaker Program for India – Sustainable Tourism
May 8, 2017Bringing American Expertise and Excellence to India – U.S. Speaker Program
March 7, 2014Speakers Program in India Focuses on Variety of Opportune Topics
February 27, 2014The Importance of IP in India As Bollywood Doubles Hollywood’s Movie Production

Project Team

Bogdan Banu
Amanda Pleasant
Indigo Stegner

Project summary

U.S. Speaker and Specialist Program for India | November 2021
Number of Visitors: 70
Regions: South and Central Asia, Western Hemisphere
Countries: India, United States, Bhutan
Impact Areas: Business and Trade, Civic Engagement, Empowering Women and Girls, Energy and the Environment, Entrepreneurship, Governance and Transparency, Human and Civil Rights, Media and Journalism, Security and Defense
Program Areas: Global Leadership
Partners: Diplomatic Corps, NGOs, Private Sector, Public Sector