Ambassador Nina Hachigian returns to the State Department as our first Special Representative for Domestic Diplomacy. As Special Representative, Ambassador Hachigian also leads the newly established Regional Diplomacy Unit.
In an increasingly interconnected global environment, America’s cities, municipalities, counties, and states are on the front lines of many of our most pressing global issues, including climate change, economic justice, and democratic renewal. Ambassador Hachigian will lead the Department’s efforts to engage local partners, foster connections between the United States and cities abroad, develop solutions and partnerships for key challenges facing local actors, and profoundly strengthen the Department’s ties to our cities and communities.
As the Department continues to implement foreign policy for all Americans, we recognize the importance of benefiting local communities and integrating the ideas of our cities and communities into our policymaking. U.S. cities and states are incubators for innovative and novel ideas that address global challenges, and the Department should tap into these solutions. Ambassador Hachigian also leads and coordinates the development of national diplomacy policy across the department.
Prior to returning to the Department, Ambassador Hachigian served as First Deputy Mayor for International Affairs for the City of Los Angeles. Previously, he served as the second US ambassador-in-residence to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), 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 him as we strengthen regional diplomacy in the state.
