United States Agency for Global Media

Washington, D.C. — USAGM Chief Executive Officer Amanda Bennett will travel to The Netherlands, Latvia, and Czechia from March 28 —April 6. Her trip will showcase U.S. support for press freedom and information access, USAGM efforts to counter disinformation with factual reporting, and to recognize agency efforts in informing, engaging, and connecting people around the world in support of freedom and democracy.

In the Netherlands, CEO Bennett will lead the in-person U.S. delegation for the Summit for Democracy, joining USAID Administrator Samantha Power’s virtual participation. At the Summit, CEO Bennett will participate in a discussion on media freedom as a pillar of democracy in the broader European region. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Wopke Hoekstra, will open the event with high-level contributions from government and civil society.

“As President Biden has said, we are currently at an inflection point when it comes to the future of democracy,” said CEO Bennett. “I’m honored to be a part of such an important conversation and to discuss the role that access to free and uncensored media plays in supporting democracy around the world.”

In Latvia, CEO Bennett will visit the recently opened Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) bureau which serves as the network’s Russian-language hub, providing state-of-the-art facilities for Current Time and Russian Service journalists and editors forced out of Russia in March 2022. She will meet with RFE/RL President Jamie Fly, senior RFE/RL staff, and exiled Russian journalists, as well as with other senior U.S. and Latvian officials.

In Czechia, CEO Bennett will visit the RFE/RL headquarters in Prague to meet journalists in RFE/RL’s Central Asia, Russia, and Ukraine Services, as well as to meet with displaced Ukrainian and Russian journalists, senior U.S. and Czech officials.