Congressional Office for International Leadership

Today, COIL begins soliciting proposals for its 2026 Open World Program. See our agency's press release below regarding the release of the 2026 Grant Guidelines.

To apply for a 2026 grant, please visit our website at: https://www.openworld.gov/grants/

We enjoyed Dr. Van Oudenaren's talk on "The Geopolitics of Culture," delving into COIL founder Dr. James H. Billington’s global outreach as Librarian of Congress.
Cornell University Press

His next book details COIL’s evolution from a program to a legislative agency.

Moldovan parliamentarians joined COIL this week to meet with Sen. Budd, Rep. Quigley, and Rep. Nickel. They discussed ongoing national security concerns in Eastern Europe and the critical relationship between the United States and Moldova. 🇺🇸🤝🇲🇩 The Moldovans will be hosted by International Focus of Raleigh in support of the Moldova-North Carolina Sister State partnership.

Open World civic delegations from Azerbaijan 🇦🇿, Estonia 🇪🇪, and Latvia 🇱🇻 also arrived in Washington, DC, this week, where they attended a lecture series on American federalism and culture. The groups are centered around legal aid and municipal government, and will be visiting Kalamazoo, Michigan, Chicago, Illinois, and Detroit, Michigan.

COIL staff joined Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, Congressman Paul Tonko, and representatives from 🇵🇱 to inaugurate the second stop of the Liberty Road Initiative here in Washington, DC. COIL works with Poland to build mutual understanding through our common values, and we look forward to the continued success of the program in Poland. 🇺🇸

COIL was proud to host Members of Congress 🇺🇸 and their staff at a reception to welcome delegations from the National Assembly of Armenia 🇦🇲, the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan 🇰🇿, and senior staff from the Parliament of Georgia 🇬🇪. We look forward to the dialogue and progress that each group will contribute to as they are hosted by WorldMontana, the Birmingham Sunset Rotary Club, and the Norfolk Sister City Association.
A special thank you to Reps. Aderholt, Pallone, Panetta, LaHood, and Suozzi for meeting with our delegations!

Thank you to COIL Trustee Congressman Don Bacon and Hawai'i Congressman Ed Case for their strong support of the Open World program in their recent op-ed in The Hill.

See their article here:

Exchange programs are the long game of investing in the best and brightest of a country It has been a quarter century since Open World first invested in the nascent leaders of tomorrow. Our alumni are charting their own courses in today 25 countries around our world in various stages …

See our agency's press release on the passing of Open World alumnus Alexei below.

This morning, COIL Executive Director Jane Sargus welcomed our third-ever Balkan Regional Delegation, hailing from 🇷🇸, 🇲🇰, and 🇽🇰! While in Washington D.C., the "Women in Trade and Economics" group will be meeting with Senate Finance Committee staff, and the Director of Bizlaunch - Arlington's Small Business and Entrepreneurial Assistance Network. On Friday, the delegation will travel to , , and will be hosted by the Baltimore World Trade Center Institute. We look forward to hearing about the valuable discussions and insights that both American and Balkan participants gain in the week ahead. Safe travels! ✈️

Earlier today, staff from the city's Communications Division met with a group of communications professionals from Ukraine to discuss how to battle misinformation in the media. The group is meeting with different media and communications groups as part of an initiative by the Congressional Office for International Leadership. Mayor Michael Padilla also stopped by to say hello and welcome the group to Topeka. Thanks to our friends at Global Ties KC for making the connection!
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El personal de la División de Comunicaciones de la ciudad se reunió con un grupo de profesionales de la comunicación de Ucrania para discutir cómo combatir la desinformación en los medios. El grupo se está reuniendo con diferentes grupos de medios y comunicación como parte de una iniciativa de la Oficina del Congreso para el Liderazgo Internacional. También pasó el alcalde Michael Padilla para saludar y darle la bienvenida al grupo a Topeka. ¡Gracias a nuestros amigos de Global Ties KC por hacer la conexión!

This week, hosted a delegation of parliamentarians from Uzbekistan🇺🇿! Delegates from the Oliy Majlis visited Capitol Hill, meeting with congressional staff and Reps. Vicente Gonzalez, Trent Kelly, and Carol Miller. After discussing bilateral relations and opportunities for further cooperation on trade, security, human rights, and energy; delegates visited the Embassy of Uzbekistan before flying out to . In the Cowboy State, the Uzbeks will be hosted by the Friendship Force of Cheyenne, visiting the state legislature, municipal politicians, local schools, law enforcement, elections experts, and the University of Wyoming.