Public Affairs: U.S. Culture, Education, and Information

Welcome to the Press and Cultural Affairs Section in Alexandria, Egypt. As the public diplomacy arm of the U.S. Consulate General, the section disseminates information and conducts programs on a variety of topics that are of interest to Egyptians and Americans, ranging from foreign policy to environmental protection and American political, economic and social systems.

To see upcoming programs and events, please see our Events Calendar.

To receive emails about upcoming programs, please email AlexPA@state.gov and ask to be added to our distribution list.

Public Affairs Programs and Services

Information Resource Center (IRC): The Information Resource Center in Alexandria is an American library that develops and maintains information services about the United States to support the research and reference needs of the Egyptian public. Users are welcome to become members and use the IRC databases and research resources. The IRCs conduct specialized programs, such as hosting webchats, commemorative programs, specialized internet and online resource workshops for journalists, researchers, librarians, NGO managers, and other special interest groups, plus much more.

Speaker Programs: Our Public Affairs Section brings knowledgeable Americans with a wide range of expertise to engage with Egyptian audiences and share ideas and experiences. We have hosted professors, journalists, film-makers, imams, and many more both in person and via video conference. In addition, we have people at the Embassy who are experts on a wide variety of topics relating to U.S. culture and politics. If you would like a speaker to come and speak to you about a U.S. cultural, political or educational topic, please email AlexPA@state.gov.

Arts Programs: The Consulate brings a wide variety of cultural programming to Egypt, ranging from rock groups to jazz musicians and from musicals to art. We partner with local organizations to help bring these performances to the widest possible audience.

Exchange Programs: Central to Consulate public diplomacy activities are academic, educational, citizen, arts, and professional exchange programs. For a list of exchange programs whose deadlines for applications are approaching, click here.  For a full list of exchange programs offered to Egyptians, click here.

Partnering with the Fulbright Commission and AMIDEAST, we regularly conduct Citizen Exchanges, Educational Exchanges and exchanges through the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) focusing on business, legal and democracy exchange programs. Our largest exchange program is the International Visitor Program, which sends scores of Egyptians to the U.S. each year for two to three week professional tour of the United States.

Study in the U.S.: The Consulate offers advising for Egyptians interested in undergraduate or graduate study in the United States through our EducationUSA program, housed at the AMIDEAST headquarters in Roushdy.  Scholarships to cover application fees are available to promising students. 

English Language Teaching Programs: The Regional English Language Office supports Egyptian and regional English Teaching professionals via materials, visiting experts, and other programs.

Arabic Book Program (Regional Book Office): Our Arabic Book Program translates into Arabic significant works of literature by American authors in a variety of subject areas, including youth novels. To see a list of our current titles, click here. 

Press Outreach: The press staff at the U.S. Consulate can help journalists based in Alexandria and other governorates in our consular district access official press releases and transcripts about current issues, as well as visits of high level officials to Egypt. The office also organizes press conferences and interviews for U.S. officials.