The U.S. Department of State has announced a series of International Visitor Leadership Programs designed to bolster the Biden-Harris Administration's ongoing efforts to combat the illicit synthetic drug trade. The programs aim to foster collaboration between international experts in government, healthcare, law enforcement, and judicial sectors and their American counterparts.
This initiative follows Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent meeting with local officials and health and law enforcement professionals at an emergency call center in Tucson, Arizona. During this meeting, they discussed strategies to prevent the influx of illicit synthetic drugs and their precursors into communities across the United States. Secretary Blinken also referenced the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, which was launched in July 2023. This coalition unites 152 countries and 15 international organizations in addressing this global security, economic, and health challenge.
One such program is the "Towards a More Safe and Secure World" initiative. This three-week exchange for foreign professionals commenced in Washington, D.C., on April 29. It brought together 50 criminal justice subject-matter experts from over 40 countries including Austria, Ecuador, and Thailand. These professionals are actively working to combat transnational threats to international peace and security. Their discussions cover a wide range of topics from detecting and countering illicit synthetic drug production to disrupting transnational organized criminal networks (TCNs) as well as sharing best practices among local, state, federal, and international task forces aiming to disrupt TCNs.
Another recent program was the "Fentanyl and Other Global Public Health Challenges" program where global health experts visited the United States for an exchange with U.S. specialists discussing global health challenges posed by fentanyl and other synthetic drugs.
Earlier this year, during the "U.S.-Mexico Shared Fight Against Illicit Fentanyl and other Synthetic Drugs" program, U.S. and Mexican experts collaborated on best practices to reduce supply and demand for synthetic drugs like fentanyl.
The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is the U.S. Department of State’s primary professional exchange program. Through short-term visits to the United States, foreign leaders in various fields get a firsthand experience of the country and build lasting relationships with their American counterparts. Over 200,000 International Visitors have engaged with Americans through the IVLP, including more than 500 current or former Heads of State or Government.
