PHOENIX, May 30, 2024 / EIN PRESSWIRE / — Earlier this month, Global Ties Arizona, a Phoenix-based nonprofit dedicated to building strong international relationships across Arizona and the world, hosted law enforcement leaders from over a half-dozen countries across Central and South America to metro Phoenix through a special initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) entitled "Towards a More Safe and Secure World." Delegates came from Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Peru.
The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is the U.S. Department of State’s flagship professional exchange initiative. Through short-term visits to the United States, current and emerging foreign leaders from various fields experience the country firsthand and build enduring relationships with their American counterparts. Over 200,000 International Visitors have participated in the IVLP, including more than 500 current or former foreign Heads of State or Government.
The “Towards a More Safe and Secure World” initiative within IVLP brings judicial, law enforcement, and security officials from around the world to the United States to discuss transnational threats to international peace and security, including terrorism, trafficking of persons and narcotics, border insecurity, corruption, cyber warfare, and the impacts from climate change.
“Global Ties Arizona is proud to be the sole implementer of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program for central and northern Arizona,” said Kristin Allen, President and CEO of Global Ties Arizona. “The law enforcement professionals that recently visited Arizona from Central and South America gained a greater understanding of public safety and security issues from federal, state, and local law enforcement officials and private sector leaders.”
Allen leads Global Ties Arizona’s mission to foster international understanding and collaboration between Arizonans and global leaders through exchange programs like the IVLP. By driving grassroots citizen diplomacy and fervently advocating for Arizona, Global Ties Arizona advances the state’s public and private sector relationships with nations around the world.
Global Ties Arizona coordinated a dynamic schedule for the international law enforcement delegation in May which included:
- Meeting with the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), a law enforcement agency responsible for ensuring public safety and enforcing state laws throughout Arizona via divisions including Highway Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Special Operations, and Technical Services;
- Interacting with the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Phoenix Division;
- Engaging the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Border Liaison Unit;
- Ride-alongs with the police departments of the Cities of Glendale, Mesa, Phoenix and Tempe;
- Touring the Mesa Police Department's Special Operations Division, Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), and training facility;
- Connecting with Ramirez Advisors Inter-National, a highly specialized firm dedicated to creating and implementing innovative solutions for cross-border business opportunities and improving the ability for goods and people to cross the border; and
- Meeting with the United States Marshals Posse, the community engagement arm of the U.S. Marshal Service for the District of Arizona.
“It was an invaluable opportunity to meet with international delegates and State Department-appointed personnel and share with them how our criminal justice system works to support U.S. public diplomacy and foreign policy objectives,” said Colonel Jeffrey Glover, Director of Arizona Department of Public Safety. “The Arizona Department of Public Safety supports collaborative efforts with international partners to combat transnational crimes.”
David Alejandro Segura Vasquez, Chief of the San Pedro Sula Special Victims Investigation Unit, Criminal Investigation Unit, National Police of Honduras, and one of the IVLP participants said of the visit, “Perhaps what has impacted me the most is learning about certain drugs that are currently attacking the population of the United States, causing deaths of many people. It helps me to see the growing need to invest efforts in educating our population about this great risk that could victimize our families in Honduras in the same way, and to see the immense effort that the USA makes to combat drugs not only in your country, but at a global level.”
Uniting Arizona communities with international communities—like those in law enforcement—is the mission of Global Ties Arizona and the organization was proud to align with local law enforcement agencies to build global relationships.
“The Mesa Police Department firmly believes international exchanges are important, not only to showcase our organization as one of the premier law enforcement agencies in the country, but to exchange ideas and learn from other countries about policing around the world,” said Mesa Police Department's Media Relations Office. “These exchanges help to develop ways to combat multinational crime and work toward a safer society. Being involved with this program allows us to learn from different cultures, be open to new ideas, and continue to be a progressive and innovative Department. The Mesa Police Department truly enjoyed the interactions with the delegates from [across the Americas] and welcomes more opportunities to meet with others throughout the world."
Added Allen, “The bilateral exchange of ideas is crucial in the fight against transnational crime. Through collaboration with international counterparts, we can strengthen the rule of law and develop more effective strategies to combat these complex challenges."
For more information about the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program visit https://eca.state.gov/ivlp or contact Kristin Allen, President and CEO of Global Ties Arizona, at telephone (480) 945-7750 or email [email protected].
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About Global Ties Arizona
Global Ties Arizona is the leading grassroots diplomacy organization in Arizona focused on developing relationships between Arizonans and people from around the world. Its programs include U.S. State Department sponsored exchanges such as the International Visitor Leadership Program, and community-focused programs like the Young Diplomats program which educates high school students from across Greater Phoenix in diplomacy and global affairs, and the Worldly Women Collective which brings together women across diverse backgrounds, fostering an inclusive space for empowerment and opportunity. For more information visit GlobalTiesArizona.org