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Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy to host professional fellows from around the world exploring religious freedom

Utah Council For Citizen Diplomacy

Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy will host spiritual leaders, religious activists, and government officials from around the world to explore building interfaith cooperation as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Professional Fellows exchange program. During the duration of the “Religious Freedom and Interfaith Dialogue Exchange,” participants will engage in meetings and discussions on the role of religion and how to promote tolerance in a modern context. The program began at the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington D.C from June 16 to 18. 

In Utah, the fellows will discuss minority and indigenous faith communities.  Meetings include Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission, Foundation for Religious Diplomacy, Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable, Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Office of General Counsel, and BYU International Center for Law and Religious Studies.  

The group will also participate in Utah’s unique holiday celebrations – the Days of ’47 –  Cowboy Games and Rodeo, Sunrise Service, and the parade.  

“Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy is honored to welcome a delegation of religious leaders to Utah to discuss and share ideas about religious diversity, especially with minority and indigenous communities. Our community and the professional fellows visiting Utah are engaging in Citizen Diplomacy, which is the concept we all have the right and responsibility to help shape U.S. foreign relations done as simply as one handshake at a time,” said Felecia Maxfield-Barrett, Executive Director of Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy. She continues, “Citizen Diplomacy is a powerful tool that results in stronger communities and social relationships in a globally connected world, especially in a time when diplomacy is needed as an effective and peaceful way to build and maintain those foreign relations.”   

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See attachment for delegation bio information. 

For press inquiries on the fellow’s time in Utah, please contact Coby Vail, Program Officer, Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy, 801.832.3271  |  cvail@utahdiplomacy.org.

For inquiries related to the U.S. Department of State’s Professional Fellows Program, please contact ECA-Press@state.gov.

About Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy (UCCD): UCCD works with the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program and other exchange programs to welcome hundreds of emerging leaders from around the world to Utah each year to meet with like-minded professionals, businesses, government agencies, and organizations to exchange best practices and create networks while experiencing Utah’s unique culture. Additionally, UCCD invites the local community to attend the Ambassador John Price and Marcia Price World Affairs Lecture Series that features experts who come from a wide range of disciplines to speak about relevant foreign diplomacy topics resulting in a globally savvy community. More information can be found at utahdiplomacy.org.