Bureau of International Information Programs
Seal of the United States Department of State
|
|
| Bureau overview | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Executive branch of the United States |
| Employees | 328 (As of 2013[update]) |
| Annual budget | $55 million |
| Bureau executive |
|
| Parent department | U.S. Department of State |
| Website | Official Website |
The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) supports the Department's public diplomacy efforts by providing and supporting the places, content, and infrastructure needed for sustained conversations with foreign audiences. IIP is one of three bureaus that report to the Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Bureau of Public Affairs are the sister bureaus.
When the Foreign Affairs and Restructuring Act abolished the United States Information Agency (USIA) on October 1, 1999, USIA's broadcasting functions were moved to the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), and its non-broadcasting information functions were given to the newly created Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. The Bureau of International Information Programs was created out of this restructuring.
According to the bureau's page on the Department of State website, IIP "provides and supports the places, content, and infrastructure needed for sustained conversations with foreign audiences to build America's reputation abroad".
Physical and virtual places include over 700 American Spaces around the world, as well as a large social media community that numbers over 12 million followers. Content includes publications, video, and U.S. expert speakers, who engage foreign audiences both in person and through virtual programs. IIP manages the infrastructure for all embassy and consulate websites, translations of public remarks by the President and Secretary, and maintains internal websites with resources for use by public diplomacy officers for overseas programs.
The Bureau of International Information Programs provides public diplomacy materials and support in three primary areas:
IIP operates the Department's embassy and consulate websites, which attract more than 150 million unique visitors per year (http://usembassy.gov) in over 60 languages. IIP also supports embassy social media efforts with theme-based Facebook pages and Twitter sites in six languages, reaching more than 12 million fans and followers.
IIP also operates an interactive web-chat platform that links foreign audiences to U.S. subject matter experts, opinion-makers, community leaders, and government officials in more than 800 programs each year. In September 2014, the bureau launched a new social sharing platform ShareAmerica to distribute public diplomacy content that is interesting, policy-relevant, and visually appealing.
...
Wikipedia