impact report

2016 The Sedona Forum

Award for Courage and Leadership

Next Generation Leaders

Next Generation Professionals

Humanitarian Action

Human Rights and Democracy

North Kivu Democracy Project

Global Rule of Law and Governance

Decision Theater

Policy Design Studio

THE MISSION

To advance leadership based on security, economic opportunity, freedom and human dignity in the United States and around the world.

Board of Trustees

Dave BerryDon BrandtCraig CogutMichael CrowJeff CunninghamRick DavisBob Diamond

Lynn Forester de RothschildFrances Fragos TownsendPhil HandySharon HarperJeff ImmeltJohn LehmanJoe Lieberman

Elisa MassiminoDavid PetraeusBill PostRick ShangrawJosette SheeranHarry SloanSol Trujillo

message fromour Executive Director

Dear Friends, It is with great pleasure that we share with you The McCain Institute’s 2016 Impact Report. These highlights reflect our most successful year to date.

The McCain Institute continued to strengthen existing programs and develop new ones, while having a direct impact in key areas such as leadership development, humanitarian action, and promoting human rights, democracy, and global rule of law and governance.

• The Sedona Forum, which celebrates its 5th anniversary in 2017, has become one of the most important, high-level gatherings for addressing the critical challenges facing the United States and the world.

• Our Next Generation Leaders program

is proving itself every day, with alumni contributing to transformational change in places from Columbia to Georgia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Estonia.

• The Institute’s work to combat human trafficking has significantly expanded public awareness, directly contributed to victim-rescue, and laid the groundwork for greater, national-level understanding and mobilization against this horrible crime.

• As a proud part of Arizona State University,

our student engagement continues to expand, with offerings for undergraduates, law students, interns and fellows.

Moreover, after five years of rapid growth, we are putting in place structures for the long-term financial sustainability of our work. We could not achieve any of this without the steadfast support of our friends, partners, trustees and donors. Thank you for making 2016 an outstanding year for The McCain Institute. We look forward to working with you in 2017. With best wishes,

Amb. Kurt VolkerExecutive DirectorThe McCain InstituteArizona State University

The Sedona Forum

The McCain Institute held its fourth annual Sedona Forum on April 8-10, 2016. The Sedona Forum is one of the most prominent international conferences for frank, off-the-record discussion on American global strategy and leadership. Once again, the Forum attracted top leaders from around the globe – from the worlds of government, civil society, humanitarian work, human rights, sports and business.

Speakers included: Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper; President of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves; philanthropist and humanitarian, Howard G. Buffett; United States Senators: John Barrasso, Cory Booker, Bob Corker, Jeff Flake, Heidi Heitkamp, Angus King, Amy Klobuchar, John McCain, Ben Sasse, and Sheldon Whitehouse; CEOs of global companies; foreign leaders; ambassadors; and humanitarian and human rights activists.

The Honorable James R. Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, discussed global leadership at The Sedona Forum 2016.

The 2016 Award for Courage and Leadership was presented to Dikembe Mutombo, a Congolese American retired professional basketball player whose humanitarian work is inspirational. Through his own foundation, Mr. Mutombo has contributed over $23 million to build schools, and to build and equip a hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mr.

Mutombo’s steadfast commitment to improving the lives of others upholds The McCain Institute’s values of serving causes greater than self-interest. The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation’s goal of bringing healthcare and education to the Congolese people creates an essential foundation upon which freedom, democracy and human rights can be built.

Senator John McCain and Mrs. Cindy McCain presented Dikembe Mutombo with the Award for Courage and Leadership at The McCain Institute event in New York in May 2016. The inaugural award was presented in 2015

to Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate.

award for Courage and Leadership

Next Generation Leaders

The 2015 Next Generation Leaders attended the graduation ceremony, featuring leadership remarks by Kansas City Mayor Sly James, in August 2016.

Development and Impact

To date, The McCain Institute’s Next Generation Leaders (NGL) program has developed and empowered 44 emerging, character-driven leaders from 33 countries spanning five continents. Thirty-four of these have completed their one-year professional development assignments in the United States and are now implementing their Leadership Action Plans (LAP) in their home environments. The other 10 are members of our 2016-2017 class who are currently at their placement sites and honing their own LAPs.

Geographic Origin

Participants by Area of Focus

North America19%

Central America2%

South America9%

Asia11%

Middle East Region24%

Europe11%

Africa11%

16%

24%

13%

27%

20%

Human Rights/Democracy

Civil Society

Governance

Politics

Economy/Business

This year, we were proud to recognize Carlos Mayorga, a 2013 Next Generation Leader from Colombia, by awarding him the inaugural McCain Institute Catalyst Grant.

Mr. Mayorga is a businessman and entrepreneur. He has made substantial progress in enhancing employment opportunities in Colombia since returning home in September 2014. He has created two companies, Global Blue Hydros and Astex Colombia, to provide entrepreneurial training and English language training to the Colombian workforce to promote job

competitiveness and reduce the unemployment rate. Through his work, Mr. Mayorga has created 600 jobs, 30 small businesses and provided thousands of Colombian citizens access to educational programs in a second language.

The Catalyst Grant supports and encourages top achievement in the implementation of a Next Generation Leader’s Leadership Action Plan. Catalyst Grants are annual monetary awards of up to $10,000. Awarded funds must go towards continuing the advancement and increasing the impact of the Leadership Action Plan in the Next Generation Leader’s home environment.

 “My mission as a business leader is focused on implementing disruptive ideas to change people’s lives. I would like to thank the staff at The McCain Institute for their trust, guidance and support. The Catalyst Grant encourages my leadership mission and I am fortunate to be the beneficiary of this wonderful recognition,” said Mr. Mayorga. 

Catalyst Grant

Success Stories

Soraya Aziz Souleymane, a member of our 2013 cohort from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has launched the NGO “Nyota” in the DRC. Nyota has partnered with local mines to support legal reforms in the natural resources sector, and to improve the quality of life for Congolese people working in the mining sector. Ms. Souleymane and her team have trained 100 civil society actors on the complexities of the mining industry and on how to promote best practices in the DRC.

Mohammed Tarawneh, a member of our 2014 cohort from Jordan, created his own NGO, “Blue Umbrella,” and through it, established the “Community Umbrella for Innovation” to provide training, workspace, and networking opportunities for Jordanian non-profits. This newest community organization has already reached over 100 young people. In addition, Blue Umbrella has been able to generate employment for 200 women in the local community through a variety of business partnerships.

After an intense year of collaborating with the Smithsonian Institute, Urmo Kubar returned to Estonia in the fall of 2016, and is well on his way to creating the first ever venture philanthropy organization in increasingly prosperous Estonia. Mirroring a successful German effort of rounding up grocery bills at the supermarket checkout counter in favor of charitable giving, Urmo has already signed on several of the country’s largest grocery chains to his effort. A respected national figure in civil society activism, Urmo, a member of our 2014 cohort, was appointed Civil Society Advisor to the new President of Estonia in October 2016.

Next Generation Professionals

Development and Impact

Through the Next Generation Professionals program, we partnered with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Overseas’ Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (OPDAT) to train 15 female prosecutors from Pakistan in the ethics, values and ethos of leadership, as well as best practices for navigating a challenging legal and political environment. After completing the program, the women returned to Pakistan to apply their new skills while serving as regional government prosecutors. Many of the women are working with their colleagues and fellow program participants to support efforts to improve the Pakistani judicial system.

Pakistani female prosecutors engaged in leadership training of the Next Generation Professionals Program. Here with Julia Fromholz, Director, Global Rule of Law and Governance Program.

Development and Impact

The McCain Institute’s Humanitarian Action program continued to fight human trafficking by building programs aimed at increasing public awareness, providing training to law enforcement and social services workers, and strengthening partnerships with other anti-trafficking organizations.

High-level Convening

The Institute’s Human Trafficking Conversation Series held three further events to examine various aspects of combatting sex trafficking:

• “More Than Our Stories: The Importance of Survivor Leadership”

• “ “Cyber Threats Part II: A Conversation on Trafficking and Technology”

• “ “ISIS and Sex Slavery” In February 2016, the Institute hosted a Human Trafficking Symposium, a half-day event that included both panel discussions with expert speakers and an art exhibit. Speakers included: U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp; Dutch National Rapporteur on counter-trafficking Corinne Dettmeijer-Vermeulen; President and CEO of the National Center on Missing and Exploited Children, John F. Clark, and Chairperson of The McCain Institute’s Human Trafficking Advisory Council, Cindy McCain.

Through the activities of our Humanitarian Action program, inspired by Mrs. Cindy McCain’s life-long support of humanitarian causes, The McCain Institute has become

one of the most recognized organizations working to combat human trafficking.

Humanitarian Action

Building Partnerships

The McCain Institute continues to expand partnerships with other organizations dedicated to the fight against human trafficking: International Center for Sports Security – We are partnering to raise awareness of the trafficking of children through sports and to prevent major sporting events and venues from becoming magnets for both sex and labor trafficking. Amber Alert’s National Training and Technical Assistance Program – We partnered with Amber Alert to train Native American Leaders on combatting child sexual exploitation affecting native communities in Arizona. We look forward to building on this successful initiative as we advance our work to benefit indigenous communities. We plan to host two additional conferences in 2017. CEASE Network – The McCain Institute works as part of the CEASE Network in Phoenix, which seeks to reduce the demand for commercial sex by 20% in two years. Before the end of 2016, CEASE had intervened with 34,560 buyers and reduced

the measurable intent to purchase sex online by 18%. Work with CEASE in 2016 included:

• 18,061 buyers reached through arrests, cyber patrols, “knock and talks”, and online interventions.

• 320,000 unique viewers saw deterrence messages (via a Google “AdWords” campaign), and 11,374 viewers clicked the ads in order to receive more information.

Student Alliance Against Trafficking – In January, 2016, The McCain Institute’s “Student Alliance Against Trafficking” sponsored trafficking awareness weeks at Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, The University of Arizona, Grand Canyon University, Desert Mountain High School and Paradise Valley Community College. The Student Alliance unites and empowers student leaders devoted to combatting trafficking in their campus communities. In January 2017, the Institute will expand this network to 10 additional colleges around the country.

Success Story

Thorn – The McCain Institute continued to support the non-profit “Thorn, the Digital Defenders of Children,” in its creation of a new online tool called “Spotlight.” This tool helps law enforcement prioritize its use of resources in order to find minors trapped in sex trafficking situations.

To date, Spotlight has:• Been used in 8,305 human trafficking cases

in the United States• Identified 2,025 child victims

• Identified 4,624 adult victims• Identified 2,242 traffickers• Reduced investigative time by 50%

Success Story A targeted, senior-level human rights working group on Azerbaijan focused on human rights violations in that country and called for the release of political prisoners. Pressure from this group, along with others, helped two political prisoners, Leyla and Arif Yunus, win the freedom to travel outside the country for desperately needed medical assistance. Much more work needs to be done, however, as more than 90 political prisoners remain in jail.

Development and Impact

In September, The McCain Institute released a report by the “Democracy and Human Rights Working Group,” a non-partisan initiative that brings together renowned experts and practitioners in the fields of human rights and national security. The report contains country-specific recommendations on how to pursue democracy and human rights as part of broader U.S. national security strategy. The paper was released at a conference co-hosted by The McCain Institute and the National Defense University’s Institute for National Strategic Studies. Senator John McCain opened the conference by discussing the challenges the United States faces in promoting democracy and human rights. Senior Director David J. Kramer and ADM Dennis Blair, USA (Ret.) then discussed “The Biggest Threats (or Challenges) to Democracy/Human Rights: Russia and China” on a panel moderated by Senior Advisor Monica Vegas Kladakis.

During 2016, Senior Director David Kramer wrote more than two dozen op-eds and articles for outlets such as the Washington Post, American Interest, Politico, and World Affairs Journal, on democracy and human rights issues, and on Russia-Ukraine-Eurasia. He has participated in more than a dozen conferences overseas and appeared in numerous media. He is also finishing a book with recommendations on U.S.-Russian relations and U.S. policy toward Russia.

Human Rights and Democracy

North Kivu Democracy Project

Development and Impact

The McCain Institute launched the North Kivu Democracy Project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2014, through the generous support of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. The McCain Institute seeks to prepare this volatile Congolese province for eventual elections. While the election process has proven unpredictable, the work of the Institute has been extremely important for deepening the local understanding of democracy and for promoting a peaceful and constructive electoral process. Building on our past accomplishments, in 2016 the Institute:

• Gathered 80 key leaders from throughout North Kivu for six months to foster new approaches to political, economic and social challenges as elections approach

• Trained women for elected office • Trained more than 2,000 political activists

Emmanuel Katanga and Pacifique Borauzima participated in McCain Institute’s Scenario Planning program in North Kivu discussing the possible scenarios for DRC elections. This

was a unique platform for dialogue between leaders from across the political spectrum.

Success Story

The electoral process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has often seen violent confrontation. As elections have been delayed from their December 2016 target-date, the DRC is again preparing for turbulent times. Stakeholders at all levels are seeking systematic and constructive ways to respond to electoral problems and crises.

As a neutral player, The McCain Institute convened some 80 North Kivu provincial leaders for a series of election scenario-planning

sessions. Participants represented the national government, provincial government, political parties (majority and opposition), electoral commission, civil society groups, religious groups, police, army and the United Nations. The main objective of this initiative is to construct a new way of understanding and overcoming political, economic and social challenges, free from political, social and ethnic divisions. The electoral scenario planning was conducted over the course of six months. Participants developed 27 specific recommendations, which were presented to national leaders, including the President of the Independent National Election Commission.

Hortense Kavuo Maliro and Georgette Kibendelwa, at The McCain Institute’s Scenario Planning program in the DRC, where they focused on and developed recommendations for including all

vulnerable groups in the electoral process, particularly women and persons with disabilities.

Development and Impact

The Global Rule of Law and Governance Program has been one of the fastest growing and most successful initiatives launched by The McCain Institute. In January 2017, we will welcome our second cohort of law students for study in Washington, with this academic component nearly doubling in size from 2016.

Students in this program have the opportunity to take courses in counter-terrorism law, international human rights law, transitional justice, building justice institutions, and foreign policy-making through The McCain Institute’s Policy Design Studio. Thanks to externships across Washington, students gain valuable professional experience at U.S. government agencies, including the Departments of State and Justice, Congressional offices, and NGOs and policy institutes.

The operational component of the Global Rule of Law and Governance Program undertakes international rule of law development projects around the world.

Success Story

The Global Rule of Law and Governance program was awarded a grant of $1 million from the U.S. Department of State to strengthen the teaching of practical legal skills at three Pakistani law schools. The Global Rule of Law and Governance program and ASU Law, in partnership with the American Bar Association Global Rule of Law Initiative, will assist the Pakistani law schools in establishing or strengthening legal clinics, legal writing classes, law journals, and moot court competitions. They will also work with faculty from the Pakistani law schools to improve their curriculum development skills.

global rule ofLaw and Governance

Development and Impact

The Decision Theater at The McCain Institute convened several groups of policymakers and subject-matter experts around data-driven models of complex problems, facilitating better understanding and better policy decisions.Our approach has been to identify compelling and complex policy issues; to identify potential partners who can bring data, funding, and expertise to the project; and to convene interested policy officials and experts around visualization models that help illuminate the choices decision-makers must make. Towards this end, we have actively engaged with U.S. government agencies, embassies in Washington, DC, foundations and non-profit organizations.

Decision TheaterSuccess Stories

In May, after viewing The McCain Institute’s Smallpox Visualization project, Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks cited the work of The McCain Institute in an opening statement before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. In partnership with the Bertelsmann Foundation, The McCain Institute successfully completed a visualization of the projected impact on U.S. jobs and GDP growth of a potential Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The model has been presented to senior experts from the U.S. government, EU embassies, business and civil society organizations.

In 2016, more than a dozen strategy sessions visualizing complex policy problems in order to produce better

solutions were convened in the Decision Theater.

In 2016, we brought another class of Arizona State University students to Washington for a semester of intensive class work in the art of foreign policymaking, combined with an

internship in the Washington policy community.

Development and Impact

Through The McCain Institute’s “Policy Design Studio” (PDS), students participate in intensive classes in foreign-policy-making, under the supervision of Senior Director, former U.S. Ambassador Michael Polt. Students take on the roles of officers at a U.S. Embassy abroad and are confronted with managing a reality-based diplomatic agenda, under the leadership of Adjunct Professor Edward O’Donnell, who is also a retired U.S. Ambassador.

Since the fall of 2013, The McCain Institute has conducted eight Policy Design Studio courses through ASU’s College of Liberal Arts. In Spring 2016, The McCain Institute expanded these offerings to students from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. The Institute also launched a sister course in Tempe, through the ASU College of Public Service.

Policy Design Studio

2016 in numbers

20%

38%

New McCain Institute website launched

105%

increase in McCainInstitute.org’s overall traffic since 2015

increase in event attendance

The top three tweets during this reporting period reached over 1,000,000 people

increase in social media followers

• The McCain Institute launched its new, modern and dynamic website in October 2016.

• The website includes new features including an interactive Next Generation Leaders map so visitors can see where in the world The McCain Institute has helped character-driven leaders improve their home countries and communities.

• Visitors can easily view, print, email or download all reports produced by The McCain Institute including the Human Rights and Democracy working group paper, “Advancing Freedom Promotes U.S. Interests.”

New McCain Institute overview video

• The McCain Institute debuted a new 4-minute overview video in June 2016 that highlights the progress we have made in global leadership and human rights work since 2012.

• Arizona Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family

• Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

• Arizona State University School of Social Work

• Atlantic Council• City of Phoenix • Cultural Vistas • Economic Policy Research

Center (Georgia)• European Union• Free Russia Foundation • Grand Canyon University • Hudson Institute

• Institute of Modern Russia • International Centre for

Defence Studies (Estonia) • National Defense University • National Endowment for

Democracy • New America Foundation• Northern Arizona University • Phoenix Committee on Foreign

Relations• Sandra Day O’Connor Institute • The American Interest • United States Institute of Peace • University of Arizona

Communications Highlights

2016 Event Highlights

2016 Communications Initiatives

22 partner organizations in theUnited States and around the world

www.McCainInstitute.org

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