Ambassador Nina Hachigian is returning to the Department of State as our first Special Representative for Subnational Diplomacy. As Special Representative, Ambassador Hachigian will also lead a newly established Unit for Subnational Diplomacy.
In an increasingly interconnected global environment, cities, municipalities, counties, and states across the United States are on the frontlines of many of our most pressing global issues, including climate change, economic justice, and democratic renewal. Ambassador Hachigian will spearhead the Department’s efforts to engage local partners, foster connections among cities in the United States and abroad, develop solutions and partnerships to key issues facing local actors, and fundamentally strengthen the Department’s ties to our cities and communities.
As the Department continues to pursue the implementation of a foreign policy for all Americans, we recognize the importance of delivering benefits to local communities as well as integrating the ideas of our cities and communities into our policymaking. U.S. cities and states are incubators for innovative and novel ideas that tackle global challenges, and the Department should harness these solutions. Ambassador Hachigian will also lead and coordinate the development of subnational diplomacy policy across the Department.
Before rejoining the Department, Ambassador Hachigian served as the first Deputy Mayor for International Affairs for the City of Los Angeles. She previously served as the second resident U.S. Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in think tanks, and on the staff of the National Security Council during the Clinton Administration.
I welcome Ambassador Hachigian back to the Department and look forward to working with her as we strengthen subnational diplomacy at State.