Offices and Departments

The Public Affairs Section, U.S. Embassy Gaborone

The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Gaborone, formerly USIS Gaborone, organizes a wide range of public diplomacy programs and activities in support of Mission goals. Through its exchange and information programs, PAS Gaborone seeks to engage the Botswana public in general and targeted audiences in particular on U.S. society and culture, American democratic institutions and values, and U.S. policy initiatives.

Exchanges Programs

The heart of public diplomacy programming is the professional and educational exchanges that bring host country nationals and U.S. counterparts together.

For more than fifty years the International Visitor (IV) Program has provided the critical first experience of the United States for foreign nationals the world over. In Botswana, ten to fifteen leaders in various fields are selected each year to visit the United States for two to four weeks for a program of appointments and calls in which they are introduced to U.S. society and culture, visit public and private-sector institutions and organizations pertinent to their interests, and interact with professional counterparts. IV projects accommodate individuals, single-country groups, regional and multiregional groups.

The Department of State's premier educational exchange program is the Fulbright Program, which annually brings U.S. scholars and researchers to Botswana and provides fellowships to Batswana to pursue graduate study in the U.S. under the Fulbright Junior Staff Development Program or as senior research scholars. Established at the end of World War II, the Fulbright Program was designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills. Six-week summer institutes on U.S. studies are also organized under the Fulbright Program for university and secondary school educators to gain in-depth knowledge of American society, history, literature and government. The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program brings accomplished professionals to the United States at a midpoint in their careers for a year of study and related professional experiences. Fellows are selected based on their potential for national leadership and commitment to public service, in either the public or private sector.

Other exchange programs, such as the Citizen's Exchanges Program and the College and University Affiliation Program, establish linkages between U.S. and Botswana citizens and organizations. Through the U.S. Speakers and Specialists programs, PAS Gaborone invites both official and non-official Americans to post to engage Batswana audiences on a range of issues of interest to both countries.

Further information on exchanges programs sponsored by the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs may be found on the following website: http://exchanges.state.gov/

Information Programs

PAS Gaborone provides information about the United States and its policies, history, culture and values, and current affairs to key audiences in the government, media, academic and non-governmental sectors. It distributes the daily Washington File, a compendium of up-to-the-minute policy texts, press releases, government documents background material and articles. Further information on the Department of State's Office of International Information Programs may be found on the following website:http://usinfo.state.gov/

Through its Information Resources Center (IRC), PAS Gaborone offers reference and research services on U.S. current affairs, government policies and initiatives, history, and society and culture. The IRC houses a core collection of books, periodicals, pamphlets, government documents, and a variety of electronic resources, including Internet access and online and CD-ROM databases. Electronic resources provide full-text access to almost a thousand American newspapers, journals and periodicals. The IRC serves a selected audience of Botswana decision-makers in the public and private sectors and is open to the general public on a limited basis. Its staff is available for reference assistance by telephone, fax and e-mail.

PAS Gaborone also makes available basic educational advising services to Botswana interested in studying in the United States.