We Advance Local Opportunities and Global Communities.

About

In Albuquerque, we know all about horizons. Global Ties ABQ helps expand them. In partnership with the U.S. Department of State, we bring over 400 current and future leaders from around the world to Albuquerque each year to connect us across cultures and geographies. Together with local people and partners, Albuquerque becomes a site of global community and boundless opportunity as we engage, connect, and exchange ideas and experiences with elite and inspiring international leaders at the forefronts of their fields.

History

Global Ties ABQ has been bringing the world to Albuquerque for over 35 years. Since 1984, we’ve hosted thousands of world leaders from nearly every country, bringing them into contact with Albuquerque’s people, places, businesses, and organizations.

We incorporated as a nonprofit in 1984 as the Albuquerque Council for International Visitors, operating for many years as a volunteer ad-hoc group of citizen diplomats. In 2014, we joined the Global Ties U.S. national network, expanding our horizons and our partnerships, and adding full-time staff.

Today, we continue to advance our mission to contribute to world peace by building a global community in Albuquerque. Our diverse team is proud to welcome visiting professionals from around the world, connecting them with all that Albuquerque and its incredible people have to offer.

Our Approach

Citizen Diplomacy

Global Ties ABQ brings people together across cultures and continents to connect, exchange ideas, form partnerships, and build professional skills that advance and inspire local opportunities and global communities. Each year, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, we bring emerging leaders from around the world to Albuquerque. These professional exchange programs build global ties, connecting people, cultures, and nations right here in Albuquerque.

Local Meets Global

Our work engages in both cultural and professional exchange to build global connections that expand Albuquerque to new horizons. Local members, also known as citizen diplomats, host dinners and serve as local guides, offering a view into our culture and our lives. Meanwhile, local organizations and businesses engage in professional exchange with rising international leaders, building global opportunities right here at home. Together as a local community, we create global connections that inspire and connect us to all that makes us unique and all that makes us human.

Shaping Our World, Together

The world is shaped as much by people as it is by policy. That’s why Global Ties ABQ partners with the U.S. Department of State to implement the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Launched in 1940, the IVLP is a professional exchange program that brings thousands of emerging international leaders to the U.S. each year. Since its inception, over 200,000 up-and-coming leaders from around the world have visited cities across the U.S. including over 500 current or former chiefs of state and heads of government, 10 Nobel laureates, and thousands of private and nonprofit leaders.