The Port of San Diego has been named “Citizen Diplomat Organization of the Year” by the San Diego Diplomacy Council. The award was presented to Marshall Merrifield, Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners at the San Diego Diplomacy Council’s 36th Annual Diplomacy Day Gala, held on October 22, 2016 at the University of San Diego.
The “Citizen Diplomat of the Year” award is a longstanding tradition for the San Diego Diplomacy Council. Each year, the organization recognizes both an individual and an organization as being an outstanding partner. Past recipients included San Diego Pride and San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium.
Over the last several years, the Port has worked in cooperation with the San Diego Diplomacy Council and the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Program to host delegations that seek to build mutual understanding between the United States and other nations through carefully designed short visits. Delegations the Port has coordinated focused on topics such as port security, foreign policy, international trade, marine and coastal issues, and global warming. Participants in the delegations have been from Canada, Moldova, Belize, Bangladesh, India, Iraq, Madagascar, Pakistan and several other countries.
The delegations have given the Port of San Diego an opportunity to reach global audiences and to share information with international ports and related industries.
“We are honored to be named Citizen Diplomat Organization of the Year by the San Diego Diplomacy Council,” said Chairman Merrifield. “We are privileged to assist the Council as we also fulfill an important part of our mission by creating international economic and cultural opportunities for all San Diegans.”
The San Diego Diplomacy Council was established in 1979 as the International Hospitality Council of San Diego. In 2004, it became the San Diego Diplomacy Council to better reflect its diplomatic mission. A leading organization of professional exchange opportunities, the Council brings more than 500 international emerging leaders from more than 130 countries each year to San Diego to share ideas and best practices with local experts in hopes of effecting real change.