The UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY (USIA) is an independent foreign affairs agency within the executive branch of the U.S. government. USIA explains and supports American foreign policy and promotes U.S. national interests through a wide range of overseas information programs. The agency promotes mutual understanding between the United States and other nations by conducting educational and cultural activities. USIA maintains 190 posts in 142 countries. Overseas, USIA is known as USIS, the U.S. Information Service. Pursuant to the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, USIA will be integrated into the Department of State on October 1, 1999. Penn Kemble is Acting Director. BUDGET - The Commerce/State/Justice Congressional subcommittee appropriation covering USIA's budget provides $1.109 billion for USIA in fiscal year (FY) 1999. PEOPLE - After implementing reductions in 1997, USIA has 6,352 employees, of whom 904 are Foreign Service personnel and 2,521 are locally hired Foreign Service nationals overseas. There are 2,927 Civil Service employees based in the United States, of whom 1,822 work in international broadcasting and 1,105 are engaged in USIA's educational and informational programs. USIA'S WORK ABROAD - The overseas operations of USIA are mainly carried out by its 520 Foreign Service officers who are assigned to American missions abroad. With guidance, support and material from Washington headquarters, they manage educational, cultural, and information programs in support of American foreign policy objectives and greater mutual understanding between the U.S. and foreign societies. EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE ACTIVITIES - USIA operates the U.S. government's programs of educational and cultural exchange. The best known of these is the Fulbright exchange program, which operates in over 125 countries. Additionally, each year over 2,400 foreign leaders and professionals come to the United States at USIA's invitation as International Visitors, and some 1,800-2,000 voluntary visitors come under private auspices for up to 30 days of professional appointments arranged by USIA. Many partners cooperate in USIA exchange activities: the academic community, U.S. private organizations, foreign governments and American volunteers. BROADCASTING - The International Broadcasting Act of 1994 established a Broadcasting Board of Governors to oversee USIA's Voice of America (VOA), Radio and TV Martí, and WORLDNET Television, as well as two surrogate international broadcast services -- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the new Radio Free Asia. Unlike USIA's other federally funded broadcast services, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a non-profit private corporation, and Radio Free Asia receive funding through grants from the USIA's Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts 660 hours of programming weekly in 53 languages, including English, to an international audience. Radio Martí, established in 1985, broadcasts 24 hours a day in Spanish to Cuba. TV Martí telecasts 4-1/2 hours daily. Programming consists of news, information, and entertainment from a variety of sources. WORLDNET, USIA's satellite television network, transmits news, educational and cultural programming 24 hours a day to millions of foreign viewers through American embassies, USIS posts, and foreign television and cable networks. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, including its Czech and Polish affiliates, broadcasts over 500 hours per week in 23 languages to Central Europe, Russia, Iran, Iraq, and the republics of the New Independent States. INFORMATION PROGRAMS - U.S.- NIS EXCHANGES - USIA programs for the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union focus on academic, cultural and information exchanges that encourage the development of democracy and free market economies. Examples include: 1) the Edmund Muskie Fellowship program and the Freedom Support Act Graduate Fellowship Program, which bring qualified NIS college graduates to the U.S. for graduate study programs in law, business, economics, and public administration, 2) programs for post-doctoral scholars and research fellowships in the social sciences and humanities at U.S. institutions, and 3) under the Freedom Support Act Undergraduate Program, USIA enables undergraduates to study at U.S. universities for one year. EASTERN EUROPE INITIATIVES - USIA participates in the Support for Eastern European Democracies (SEED) program, an initiative begun in FY 1990 to help Central and Eastern European countries develop democratic and free market institutions. Since FY 1990, USIA has funded training programs in a range of fields, including management, English teaching, educational reform, the rule of law, and library training. RESEARCH AND MEDIA REACTION - This is the only office in the U.S. government responsible for advising the President, Secretary of State, and other foreign affairs policymakers on foreign public opinion about the U.S. and its policies. The research staff commissions public opinion surveys in nearly every country. It also provides twice-daily reports on foreign media commentary around the world on various issues that is provided to officials throughout the government. HISTORY - USIA was established by President Eisenhower in August 1953 and operated under that name until April 1978, when its functions were consolidated with those of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State and the agency was called the International Communication Agency (USICA). The agency's name was restored as USIA in August 1982. AUTHORITY - The agency's basic legislative mandates are the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 and the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961. The International Broadcasting Act of 1994 reorganized and consolidated all non-military U.S. government international broadcasting into USIA, supervised by the Broadcasting Board of Governors. This authority will continue to guide public diplomacy programming following USIA's integration with the Department of State. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT: February 1999 |