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Lang Recognized for Promoting Cross-Cultural Understanding at the Institut du Monde Arabe

Washington, D.C.: On January 24, 2020, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations (“National Council”) was honored and privileged to present its first-ever GLOBAL CULTURAL LEADERSHIP AWARD to Monsieur Dr. Jack Lang, President of the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) in Paris, France. The Award was bestowed in recognition of Monsieur Lang’s achievements in expanding knowledge of the Arab region and promoting cross-cultural understanding.

National Council Founding President and CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony, Council Board Chairman Mr. John Pratt, Council International Advisory Board Member Mr. Leo A. Daly III, and Council Executive Vice President Mr. Patrick Mancino personally presented the award to Monsieur Lang at the French ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C. Mr. Lang and a delegation from the IMA were in Washington to celebrate the opening of the IMA exhibition Age Old Cities: A Virtual Journey from Palmyra to Mosul at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.

In conveying the award, Dr. John Duke Anthony remarked that, “What Monsieur Lang and the IMA have achieved in highlighting the rich history and culture of the Arab region is considerable. They have done much to showcase Arab contributions to knowledge and understanding that have benefited the world’s civilizations and humankind in general. Under Monsieur Lang’s leadership, the IMA has effectively pushed into new territories in storytelling and technology that help further illuminate the innumerable, extraordinary, and myriad impacts that Arabs have had on humanity’s endless quest for modernization and development.”

National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President and CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony (right) Institut du Monde Arabe President Monsieur Dr. Jack Lang (center), and National Council International Advisory Board Member Leo A. Daly III (left), at a private meeting in Washington, D.C., where the Council presented Lang with its first-ever Global Cultural Leadership Award.

Monsieur Lang was appointed to serve as President of the IMA by French President François Hollande in 2013. Monsieur Lang previously served as France’s Minister of Culture (1981-1986 and 1988-1993) and Minister of Education (1992-1993 and 2000-2002), as a National Assembly member for over two decades, as Mayor of Blois, and as a Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

The IMA in Paris, France, was inaugurated in 1987 as a center dedicated to promoting Arab civilization, knowledge, and art. Located along the Seine River and adorned with photosensitive mashrabiyas on its façade, the IMA has developed unique collections and special exhibitions that have been featured in the Paris institute and at leading museums around the world. The IMA’s Paris exhibition of AlUla: Wonder of Arabia, which showcases Saudi Arabia’s Nabataean archeological marvel, was recently given an extension of its scheduled availability based on extraordinary public interest. Dr. John Duke Anthony and the National Council have long admired the IMA and are presently working to develop an Arab Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C.

About the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations: Founded in 1983 and based in Washington, D.C., the National Council is an American non-profit, non-governmental, educational organization. The Council pursues its educational mission through nine programs, projects, events, and activities. Each is dedicated to enhancing American awareness and appreciation of the extraordinary benefits that the United States has long derived from its special relationships with countries in the Arab region – and vice versa.

At the center of the National Council’s efforts to advance American knowledge and understanding of Arab culture, societal dynamics, and systems of governance are the Council’s flagship education, training, and leadership development programs. These are designed to elevate the leadership skills and empirical Arab-centric educational experiences of the emerging generation of young Americans and Arabs. Upon their shoulders will rest the responsibility for ensuring that the relationships between the American and Arab peoples are continuously strengthened, improved, and sustained far into the future.

Information about the Council can be found at ncusar.org.

Kaplan Joins Collective of National Council Advisors Guiding U.S.-Arab Relations Educational Programs

Washington, D.C.: The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations [ncusar.org], founded in 1983, is pleased to announce that award-winning producer and journalism pioneer Richard (“Rick”) Kaplan has joined its International Advisory Board. Members of the Council’s International Advisory Board make suggestions and recommendations, and provide strategic support to the Council’s Board of Directors together with its President and Chief Executive Officer.

In announcing the appointment, National Council Founding President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. John Duke Anthony and Board of Directors Chairman John Pratt stated, “We are honored that Rick Kaplan has accepted the National Council’s invitation to serve on its Advisory Board. The depth of his experience in television news media is virtually unmatched. That he is so widely recognized and awarded for his accomplishments in journalism is a testament to his ability to analyze, assess, and act on trends in information communication industries. The Council looks forward to continuing to benefit from his insight and perspective.”

Rick Kaplan chaired a session on “Dynamics Impacting the Future of the U.S.-Arab Relationship” at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations 28th Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Kaplan has been President of CNN-U.S., Senior Vice President of ABC News, President of MSNBC, Executive Producer of CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, and Executive Producer of This Week with Christiane Amanpour. He has lectured on journalism, advertising, and politics in media at institutions including Duke University, Harvard University, Columbia University, Cornell, Wellesley, Boston College, Columbia College, the University of Southern California, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Pennsylvania, and, his alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

At the National Council’s 28th Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference in October 2019, Mr. Kaplan served as the Chair for a session on “Dynamics Impacting the Future of the U.S.-Arab Relationship” that featured New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Mr. Thomas L. Friedman, American University in Cairo Distinguished Lecturer of Political Science The Right Honourable Mona Makram-Ebeid, Atlantic Council Middle East Programs Director of Regional Security Ms. Kirsten Fontenrose, and Beirut Institute Founder and Executive Chairman Ms. Raghida Dergham. Audio and video recordings of Mr. Kaplan’s session along with recordings of other sessions and speakers from the Conference are available online from the Council.

About the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations: Founded in 1983 and based in Washington, D.C., the National Council is an American non-profit, non-governmental, educational organization. The Council pursues its educational mission through nine programs, projects, events, and activities. Each is dedicated to enhancing American awareness and appreciation of the extraordinary benefits that the United States has long derived from its special relationships with countries in the Arab region – and vice versa.

At the center of the National Council’s efforts to advance American knowledge and understanding of Arab culture, societal dynamics, and systems of governance are the Council’s flagship education, training, and leadership development programs. These are designed to elevate the leadership skills and empirical Arab-centric educational experiences of the emerging generation of young Americans and Arabs. Upon their shoulders will rest the responsibility for ensuring that the relationships between the American and Arab peoples are continuously strengthened, improved, and sustained far into the future.

Information about the Council can be found at ncusar.org.