Dubuque Hosting Young Southeast Asian Leaders

July 24, 2023 -- For Immediate Release

From June 23-25, the City of Dubuque is hosting 18 young professionals from Southeast Asia who are participating in the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Environmental Sustainability Professional Fellows Program, specifically the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) program.

The goal of the program, funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is to create institutionalized long-term partnerships that support emerging leaders and their institutions in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and the U.S. to inspire change in addressing the challenges of environmental sustainability.

Dubuque was one of the original communities selected by ICMA to host fellows in 2011, and has hosted them annually since then.  Typically, Dubuque hosts two fellows for a one month learning experience once per year.  Other cities across the US host pairs similarly, and then the cohort of approximately 40 total fellows spend one week in Washington DC at the end of their fellowship to share lessons learned and plan projects in their home communities.

The program is different this year the cohort who were unable to travel in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic are all participating.  Instead of spreading out across the country, 20 fellows spent an intensive three days in Rochester, Minn., last week, will spend three days in Dubuque this week, and then will spend three days in Washington DC before returning home. 

The fellows visiting Dubuque hail from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Timor-Leste.  They are visiting with Dubuque leaders to learn firsthand how environmental sustainability challenges are addressed in the United States.  Fellows learn practical skills focusing on climate change, sustainable energy, urban agriculture, sustainable business development and environmental justice while fostering interaction with leaders from city and county organizations, private non-profits, education, state and federal government, as well as private sector.

The program brings emerging leaders from around the world to the United States for intensive fellowships designed to broaden their professional expertise and provide interaction between American and foreign participants.  When the fellows return to their home communities, they continue to work together across sectors and national boundaries to improve the sustainability and resiliency of their communities.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Randy Gehl, Public Information Officer
563-589-4151, rgehl@cityofdubuque.org