Announcements

Nearly 5,000 leaders across Eurasia successfully completed the Muskie Fellowship Program over the last twenty years. Many alumni are now high-ranking diplomats and healthcare reformers, anti-corruption activists and education advocates, business leaders and well-known journalists. IREX compiled some of their interesting stories and highlighted the impact of the Program in a special 20^th anniversary collection.

IREX is pleased to announce the appointment of its newest Board member, Ms. Kate Thompson. Thompson is a Partner with Deloitte Consulting and responsible for leading a global portfolio of foreign assistance programs in governance, statebuilding and private-sector development. She is a specialist in fragile states with a sound working knowledge of how multi-disciplinary assistance programs can leverage the interdependencies between governance, the private sector and civil society to spur growth and stability.

IREX is pleased to announce the 2013-2014 Individual Advanced Research Opportunities (IARO) fellowship recipients. The IARO program provides highly qualified U.S. scholars and professionals the opportunity to impact the formation of U.S. foreign policy by conducting open-source research on current regional issues of importance to the United States. This year's fellows will be travelling to 13 countries across Eastern Europe and Eurasia to perform policy relevant field research. After they complete their fellowship, their research findings will be posted on the IREX online library.

In recognition of a career dedicated to advancing the rights of women and girls, IREX presented the 2013 Founders’ Day Award to Ambassador Melanne S. Verveer for her work to make a better world. Appointed by President Obama as the first U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues in 2009, she worked with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to elevate the status of women around the world and highlight their essential role in economic development and peacebuilding. 

On Friday May 3, Foreign Affairs Day at the U.S. Department of State, IREX President W. Robert Pearson received the Director General’s Cup for Foreign Service. The Director General for Human Resources at the U.S. Department of State Linda Thomas-Greenfield presented the award recognizing Pearson’s distinguished career in the U.S Foreign Service and his on-going commitment to service to his community. Pearson credits his work at IREX and its hardworking and dedicated staff for earning this honor. 

An inspiring group of frontline journalists and activists worldwide are launching new digital journalism tools, supplanting state media, and tackling taboo topics in the face of great opposition. Now, you can find close to 100 global leaders in advancing press freedom through the new World Press Freedom Fellows web feature on irex.org.

At a time when journalists around the world face increasing threats of violence, intimidation, and internet surveillance, IREX is launching a new program to provide training and support in physical and digital security to journalists and newsrooms. At a ceremony featuring US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jane Zimmerman, journalists from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, and the Rector of the University of Central America (UCA), IREX and the University of Central America (UCA) signed a memorandum of understanding officially launching the first of three planned centers of the Regional Journalist Security Network, to be located at the University of Central America.

Today the United States Ambassador to Tunisia Jacob Walles announced the launch of the Thomas Jefferson Scholarship Program for students in Tunisia. The program, sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, will help build the workforce capacity of a diverse group of youth from underserved populations across Tunisia. Through academic and leadership training and practical experience in the United States, Thomas Jefferson scholars will gain a deeper understanding of American culture and new globally-applicable skills and expertise to help them contribute to the economic growth and development of Tunisia.

IREX congratulates the winners of the Spring 2013 Global UGRAD-Pakistan program video competition, “Building Cultural Bridges.”

After 45 years of sponsoring U.S. scholar research to Eastern Europe and Eurasia, IREX is pleased to share its alumni publications with local university libraries and research centers. In continuation of its partnership and support of local institutions, IREX donated its collection of Eastern European and Eurasian Studies books, articles, dissertations, and journals to several local universities.