Over the past few years, I have had the pleasure of hosting or co-hosting a number of interested Americans and others on Citizen Diplomacy Visits to mine-affected countries in the Balkan region of South East Europe. The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy defines Citizen Diplomacy as “the concept that the individual has the right, even the responsibility, to help shape foreign relations one handshake at a time.”
The International Trust Fund (ITF) and MAG America will be hosting a Citizen Diplomacy Visit to generate support for humanitarian mine action Lebanon and Jordan. Fourteen individuals, mostly Rotarians, comprise the delegation. The visit will begin in Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday, September 8, followed by visits to Jordan (September 11 through September 14), and Turkey, which will be a tourist stop only. In the mine-affected countries of Lebanon and Jordan, participants will meet with government officials, visit mine action projects, and meet victims of conflict. In addition, participants will be given ample time to visit the prominent tourist sites in each of the countries.
This blog has been created to track the progress of the delegation during their visit to the Middle East. We encourage all join us on our journey through the technology of the internet.
MAG is one of the largest non-profit humanitarian organizations helping communities recover from conflict by removing the threat from land-mines, unexploded ordnance, and small arms and light weapons. Since 1989, MAG has worked in nearly 40 countries and, in 1997, was the co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
The International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance is a humanitarian, non-profit organization established by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia in 1998 to channel donations from public and private donors to help affected countries solve their land-mine/UXO problems and to help survivors.
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