Our Council links San Diego-area people, businesses and institutions with hundreds of rising and established global leaders each year and has added millions of federal and foreign dollars to our local economy.

Our members serve as our Citizen Diplomats and provide the ‘American experience’ for our visitors.

Our work is supported annually through a grant from the city of San Diego’s Economic Development and Tourism Support Program.

Additionally we receive support from our partnering with the US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Today Citizen Diplomacy Council is one of our region's leading international organizations and the open door to the greater San Diego community for delegations sponsored by:

1) U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).  This program is described by U.S. Ambassadors as one of the most effective foreign policy tools of American diplomacy.

2) USAID (US Agency for International Development) Community Connections Programs

3) Library of Congress

4) Open World

5) World Learning Youth Programs

6) Fee for Service is when groups contract with us directly to design their professional meetings/hotel/transportation while they are in San Diego. Example: A delegation from Taiwan who wants to travel to San Diego and meet with our Human Trafficking experts. We determine their objectives and turn them into a professional agenda.

The Council is a member of the National Council of International Visitors (NCIV) in Washington, D.C.

HISTORY

Established in 1979 as the International Hospitality Council of San Diego, we began as an organization staffed by all volunteers.

In 1985, our name was changed to International Visitors Council of San Diego (IVC). Our earliest volunteers established an excellent resource database and our Council became known as a prominent international organization in the San Diego community.

By the 1990's, IVC's increased funding base allowed the Council to hire full-time paid professional staff and expand the number of delegations welcomed annually.

As of July 1, 2004 we became the Citizen Diplomacy Council of San Diego (CDCSD) to better reflect the Council's diplomatic mission.

Senator Arlen Specter nominated our international network of volunteer citizen diplomats for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 2009 we looked for a new look to update our work in the world and received a complete makeover by the San Diego design firm Collaboration Reverberation.

Our new brand image draws inspiration from the Olympics, and features a five color palette, unique icon and wordmark. The speech bubble icons were selected to represent the communications and meetings that we arrange for our visiting delegates.

Collectively the speech bubbles form a rising star, symbolizing the emerging international leaders who represent the next class of the world's leaders.