The United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy (ACPD), created in 1948, is tasked by Congress with "appraising U.S. Government activities intended to understand, inform, and influence foreign publics and to increase the understanding of, and support for, these same activities." The commission is supported by the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, and reports to the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, Secretary of State, and

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

. Its current charter authorizes the Commission through fiscal year 2020. The commission conducts independent research and hosts symposia and panels to discuss

public diplomacy In international relations, public diplomacy or people's diplomacy, broadly speaking, is any of the various government-sponsored efforts aimed at communicating directly with foreign publics to establish a dialogue designed to inform and influen ...

while bringing together practitioners throughout the U.S. government and outside experts to provide honest assessments of and policy recommendations for improving U.S. public diplomacy. Priority areas of focus for the commission include: improving research and evaluation to bolster the impact of PD programs; integrating strategic planning with program design; strengthening public diplomacy professionals' development and training; and preparing public diplomats for the changing technological landscape of the 21st century.

Members and leaders

The commission is a non-partisan body and members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Current members include Sim Farar, William J. Hybl, and Anne Terman Wedner. Recent former members include Ambassador Lyndon Lowell Olson, Jr., Ambassador Penne Korth Peacock, and Ambassador Georgette Paulsin Mosbacher, . The commission's Executive Director oversees general operations and works closely with U.S. government officials,

NGOs A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

, think tanks, businesses, academia, and other public diplomacy professionals to produce constructive ideas and recommendations for how the U.S. government engages in public diplomacy. The current executive director of ACPD i
Vivian Walker
Previous executive directors include Shawn Powers, Katherine Brown, Matthew Armstrong, Carl Chan, Athena Katsoulos, Matthew Lauer, and Bruce Gregory.

Reports

The commission publishes reports on a variety of public diplomacy topics, including research and evaluation, using data to measure program impact,

digital diplomacy Digital diplomacy, also referred to as Digiplomacy and eDiplomacy (see below), has been defined as the use of the Internet and new information communication technologies to help achieve diplomatic objectives. However, other definitions have also ...

cultural diplomacy Cultural diplomacy is a type of public diplomacy and soft power that includes the "exchange of ideas, information, art, language and other aspects of culture among nations and their peoples in order to foster mutual understanding". The purpose ...

, the diffusion of power, and professional training. The commission's main research product is the "Comprehensive Annual Report on Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting," which breaks down the U.S. government's expenditures for public diplomacy programs, while also including in-depth analysis of priority

U.S. foreign policy The officially stated goals of the foreign policy of the United States of America, including all the bureaus and offices in the United States Department of State, as mentioned in the ''Foreign Policy Agenda'' of the Department of State, are ...

issues including countering violent extremism, countering Russian malign influence in Europe and Central Asia, and research and evaluation of public diplomacy and

international broadcasting International broadcasting, in a limited extent, began during World War I, when German and British stations broadcast press communiqués using Morse code. With the severing of Germany's undersea cables, the wireless telegraph station in Nauen was t ...

. The commission recently released it
2019 Comprehensive Annual Report on Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting
which focuses on funds spent in fiscal year 2018, and provides a complete breakdown of public diplomacy and international broadcasting spending. The commission also released a special report in 2017, "Can Public Diplomacy Survive The Internet?", which explores how public diplomacy is practiced in a post-truth society. Technological advances have transformed the spread of ideas, which both encourages active public participation in discourse, while also allowing for extremist ideologies to circulate online. This report explores the need for public diplomacy in this new digital age.United States Department of State
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References

External links

Official website
{{authority control United States national commissions United States Department of State agencies