The Department of State is proud to join the Department of Education to celebrate the 11^th annual International Education Week. I’ve always believed that diplomacy does not just happen between government officials. It also happens between individuals through people to people connections. And student exchanges are some of the most important people to people connections we can have. For hundreds of thousands of students each year, exchanges promote mutual understanding and bring people of different nations together to share ideas and compare values. They also nurture leadership skills that prepare students for the challenges of the 21^st century.

The Department of State remains committed to these exchanges and we strongly support expanding study abroad opportunities to a diverse range of communities so that talented students around the world can tap into the power and possibility of international exchanges.

I encourage schools, non-profits, community organizations, and businesses around the world to promote these educational exchanges, and to help us raise awareness during International Education Week. Please log on to iew.state.gov to learn more about how you can become involved. Thank you very much.