Strengthening foreign policy through subnational diplomacy

The first-ever appointment of a special representative of subnational diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State in late 2022 and the upcoming Cities Summit of the Americas in March 2023 reflect increased attention to the role of regions, states, and cities in international affairs.

On January 17, the Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings and the Meridian Center co-hosted an event to explore how countries harness the international activities of cities to advance policy interests and foster economic relationships, technical cooperation, and progress on national and global policy agendas.

The U.S. special representative for subnational diplomacy, Ambassador Nina Hachigian, offered keynote remarks about the vision and priorities for her new office. She then joined a panel to discuss the formal and informal channels of communication between national foreign ministries and their countries’ local governments engaging in global affairs. The panel included the Ambassador of Argentina to the United States, His Excellency Jorge Argüello, as well as Mayor Kate Gallego of Phoenix, Arizona. It was moderated by Anthony F. Pipa, senior fellow at the Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings.