Atlanta Mayor’s Office Welcomes 120 Delegations from 55 Countries in 2023
The Mayor’s Office of International and Immigrant Affairs in Atlanta played host to a staggering 120 delegations from 55 countries in 2023, in accordance with its annual report. The inbound delegations, who visited Atlanta about every three days on average, represented a wide range of youth engagement, diplomatic outreach, and international business initiatives.
Main Areas of Focus
The primary goal of the office, which expanded its responsibilities in the previous year through the combination of international affairs and an immigrant initiative known as Welcoming Atlanta, is to propel Atlanta’s status as a hub of diplomacy and international business. The majority of inbound delegations centered mainly on youth engagement, which was very apt, considering that Mayor Andre Dickens proclaimed 2023 as the “Year of the Youth” in Atlanta.
Visitations of Note
Among the inbound delegations were the Young Leaders of the Americas, a group of 14 young leaders from across the Western Hemisphere. The African leaders, also known as the Mandela Fellows, who were visiting Clark Atlanta University, formed another delegation. The State Department was responsible for both these groups’ visitations to the United States.
In May, U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, visited Atlanta, where he met with Mayor Andre Dickens. He toured the CDC and participated in an international education access roundtable, with leaders from Atlanta’s historically Black colleges and universities.
External Trips & Diplomatic Forums
Besides welcoming various delegations, Mayor Dickens also embarked on outbound trips to places like Ethiopia and London to boost Atlanta’s international ties. The use of sports as a diplomatic tool was evident when Major League soccer teams from England played preseason games at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Mayor’s Office amplified Atlanta’s position as a burgeoning city for international business, by organizing various initiatives advancing its diplomatic competencies at the city level.
Business Engagements
On the business front, the Mayor’s Office was instrumental in promoting entrepreneurial progress, when it facilitated a trip for a group of Black entrepreneurs to travel to Cali, Colombia. The office also contributed to the launch of the third annual cohort of the Women’s Export University and collaborated with the Metro Atlanta Chamber for the Atlanta Metro Export Challenge.
Support for Immigrant Communities
The Office’s efforts to integrate the city’s immigrant communities by connecting them to essential services did not go unnoticed. Changes were made to the office’s leadership towards the end of the year when interim director Paulina Guzman took over after the former director, Vanessa Ibarra, stepped down.
