The United States Acting Assistant Secretary for Global Public Affairs Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau will travel to South Africa, Tanzania, Liberia, and Belgium from November 7 to November 17, 2022. Her 10-day trip will prioritize working with U.S. diplomatic missions on policy and messaging priorities, including the importance of press freedom and countering disinformation, media empowerment and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and government corruption and accountability.
Acting Assistant Secretary Trudeau will meet with government officials and civil society organizations, foreign media outlets and press, influencers, students, journalists, and U.S. diplomatic mission staff.
In South Africa, Acting Assistant Secretary Trudeau will meet with media contacts on how the COVID-19 pandemic, climate, and conflict have impacted the U.S.-Africa relationship. She will also meet with U.S. exchange alumni.
In Tanzania, Acting Assistant Secretary Trudeau will meet with media contacts and exchange alumni, and speak at the University of Dar es Salaam Journalism School on press freedom and the importance of journalism. She will attend the “Heroes of COVID” event in honor of front-line healthcare workers and vaccine champions who are combatting the pandemic on the ground. She will also participate in the opening ceremony of the American Corner in Unguja as well as visit the M&M products facility in Kwarara.
In Liberia, Acting Assistant Secretary Trudeau will meet with government officials, civil society actors, U.S. exchange alumni, and local media. She will also hold an Embassy press roundtable and tour the historic Providence Island, a beneficiary of the Ambassador Fund for Cultural Preservation.
In Belgium, Acting Assistant Secretary Trudeau will attend the NATO Senior Communicators Conference on strategic communications and public diplomacy initiatives. She will participate in a panel on Transatlantic Approaches to Public Diplomacy. She will also meet with government officials and media outlets to discuss her trip.
