AMBASSADOR SERIES

See World Affairs for details

Since 2001, the Vermont Council on World Affairs has a proud tradition of welcoming distinguished diplomats, who come to Vermont to exchange views on issues of international importance. They speak at large public venues as well as at smaller, more intimate meetings with time for personal interaction and discussion. 

His Excellency Petr Gandalovič  
Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States

has completed a whirlwind tour of Vermont. In 1989 Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution was a model to the world of non-violent social change. Ambassador Gandalovič spoke on the Czech Republic's place in Europe and the world 20 years on, as well as some possible lessons of that experience for the current Arab Spring.   

With Executive Director Gail Stevenson
at Saint Michael's College

 

 

 

 

Speaking to VCWA and Lake Champlain Regional
Chamber of Commerce guests about business

 

 

Speaking to a packed house at UVM

Read the Middlebury College blog about his visit

"It was a great pleasure to visit Vermont. With its mountains it reminded me of my home region in the Czech Republic. But it was not only the picturesque countryside but the Vermonters I met that made this visit very special. I was able to get the real taste of Vermont and get to know its people. It gave me an opportunity to explore the potential for establishing closer links between Vermont and the Czech Republic, be they in trade, research, education or cultural exchange."

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"I am very grateful to the VCWA for organizing my visit and for allowing me to interact with representatives from the business and academic world. I particularly enjoyed my discussions with students and came to the conclusion that Liechtenstein and Vermont have more in common than the mountains and the rural countryside: entrepreneurship, sensitivity for the environment and a well-educated population with an interest in global affairs."

--H.E. Claudia Fritsche, Ambassador of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the United States

Read about her visit to Middlebury College

"During my trip to Vermont I had the opportunity to address the state legislature, meet with students and teachers, and thank Vermont’s National Guard for their sacrifices and role in fighting for democracy in Iraq.  The Vermont Council on World Affairs makes an important contribution to our public discourse by sponsoring trips like this because it is vitally important to have an open exchange of ideas on issues of international importance.” 

--H.E. Samir Sumaida'ie, Ambassador of Iraq to the United States

Rep. Vicki Strong, R-Albany, holds back tears as she is embraced by Samir Shakir Mahmood Sumaida’ie, Iraq’s ambassador to the United States, following his address to the Vermont House on Tuesday, March 29th, 2011. Strong lost her son, Marine Sgt. Jesse Strong, 24, in Iraq in 2005./TOBY TALBOT, The Associated Press

See more about the Ambassador's visit to Vermont on the Embassy's Facebook page and see his interview with Fran Stoddard on VPT's Profile.

"Norway and Vermont are faced with many of the same political concerns, spanning from energy and environmental issues to health and pension reforms. My visit to Vermont taught me a great deal about our common challenges.“

--H.E. Wegger Christian Strømmen, Ambassador of Norway to the United States

 

Speakers since 2001 have included:

• Ambassador Sung-Chul Yung  of South Korea (2001)
• Ambassador Juan Carlos Vignaud of Argentina (2002)
• Ambassador Ron Spiers, Career Ambassador and former Undersecretary General of the United Nations (2004, 2005)
• Ambassador William Harrop, former U.S. Ambassador to Kenya and Israel
• Ambassador Barbara Masakela of South Africa (2005)
• Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong of China (2006)
• Ambassador Dennis Hays, former U.S. Ambassador to Suriname (2007)
• Ambassador Madeleine Kunin, former U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland (2007, 2008),
• Ambassador Pekka Lintu of Finland (2008)
• Ambassador Aziz Mekouar of Morocco (2009)
• Ambassador Peter Galbraith (2010), former U.S. Ambassador to Croatia and U.N. Special Envoy to
  Afghanistan
• Ambassador Friis Arne Petersen of Denmark (2010)
• Ambassador Jeffrey Lunstead, former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka (2010)
• Ambassador Wegger Christian Strømmen of Norway (2010)
• Ambassador Jon Huntsman, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to China (2010 webinar)
• Ambassador Samir Shakir Mahmood Sumaida'ie, Ambassador of Iraq to the United States (2011)
• Qubad Talabani, Special Representative of the Regional Government of Kurdistan to the United States (2011)
• Ambassador Claudia Fritsche, Ambassador of Liechtenstein to the United States (2011)
• Ambassador Petr Gandalovič, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States (2012)

Check our events page for the latest in this exciting series!

Vermonters interested in understanding the ever-changing and increasingly connected world in which they live benefit from the opportunity to hear directly from global leaders. At the same time, Vermont is attractive to leaders of this level of achievement because it is increasingly on the world map as an incubator for cutting-edge programs in a number of areas such as energy, the environment and community-building, and as a place where the citizenry is informed and engaged and where public and private sector leaders are committed and accessible.

Building on its distinguished tradition as the leading foreign-affairs non-profit organization in the state, the Vermont Council on World Affairs seeks support for this unique program.