U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken launched the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative, a worldwide effort to elevate music as a diplomatic tool to promote peace and democracy and support the United States’ broader foreign policy goals. The Initiative aims to leverage public-private partnerships to create a music ecosystem that expands economic equity and the creative economy, ensures societal opportunity and inclusion, and increases access to education. It will build on current public diplomacy music programs to create public-private partnerships with American companies and non-profits to use music to meet the moment, convey American leadership globally, and create connections with people worldwide.
With senior Biden-Harris Administration officials, a bipartisan cohort of Members of Congress, music industry icons, leaders from the arts and humanities, and alumni from the Department’s music diplomacy exchanges the Secretary announced the American Music Mentorship Program, the Fulbright-Kennedy Center Visiting Scholar Award in Arts and Science, and efforts to bring American music and lyrics into classrooms across the world as part of the United States investment in English-language learning worldwide.
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In addition, the Secretary and Recording Academy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Harvey Mason, jr. awarded Quincy Jones the first-ever Peace through Music Award, a collaboration between the Department and the Recording Academy®, which recognizes and honors an American music industry professional, artist, or group that has played an invaluable role in cross-cultural exchanges and whose music work advances peace and mutual understanding globally.
Catalyzed by the bipartisan Promoting Peace, Education, And Cultural Exchange (PEACE) Through Music Diplomacy Act signed by President Biden into law last year, the launch event included live performances by American and international artists from a variety of music genres and was supported through generous private sector sponsors.
