On August 19, the Hawaiʻi Commission to Promote and Advance Civic Education (PACE) welcomed 10 international leaders and three program liaisons to Aliʻiōlani Hale as part of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). The delegates came from Cambodia, Pakistan, East Timor, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and South Korea. Hawaiʻi was one stop on a multi-city itinerary that also included Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, Ohio. The visit, arranged through Pacific Forum, brought the delegation together with Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Associate Justices Sabrina S. McKenna and Lisa M. Ginoza for a morning of meaningful conversation at the historic home of the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary.

The IVLP is the U.S. Department of State’s longest-running professional exchange program. Since 1940, it has brought international leaders in government, business, academia, and other fields to communities across the country, with nominations from U.S. embassies worldwide rather than through an application process.

The group began in the 1913 Courtroom for an extended discussion with the justices. Delegates took notes throughout as Justices McKenna and Ginoza spoke about Hawaiʻi’s court system and PACE’s work to advance civic education statewide, fielding questions from visitors with a range of professional backgrounds.

“They have mentioned PACE at every subsequent meeting they’ve had so far, so safe to say the meeting made an impression.” — Rayanne Fujimoto, Program Manager, Pacific Forum

The visit closed with a tour of the King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center, led by Hawaiian Language Specialist Manaʻo Dela Cruz, who walked delegates through exhibits on the building’s past, including a detailed model of nineteenth-century Honolulu Harbor. PACE was honored to host the group and looks forward to welcoming future IVLP delegations to Aliʻiōlani Hale.