WHEREAS, more than 250,000 North Carolinians go to work each day to foreign-owned companies; the value of goods exported from North Carolina reached a record $34.35 billion in 2019, an increase of nearly 5% over 2018, nearly 19,700 international students attend North Carolina’s colleges and universities, contributing $508.3 million to the state’s economy, and more than 767,600 foreign-born residents live in North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, successful global engagement requires the support of leaders from education (P-20, including public, private and community colleges); business, state, county, local government; and the community, including non-profits, who all play a critical role in advancing global engagement in North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, leaders across all sectors must collaborate to maintain a seat at the global table and provide job security for our children and their children; and
WHEREAS, global engagement is the process of strategically connecting and collaborating with other peoples and nations to increase knowledge of diverse cultures and expand economic, educational, social, or political relationships and opportunities; and
WHEREAS, optimizing economic well-being and quality of life for all North Carolinians depends on effectively engaging the rest of the world; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina is the first state to formalize a bipartisan private and public sector partnership of leaders from a variety of industries, the NC Coalition for Global Competitiveness, to foster thought leadership and serve as a catalyst for our statewide vision for global engagement; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina is the first state to develop a detailed plan, the NC Blueprint for Global Engagement, to guide progress toward global engagement across all sectors such as education, business, government, and community; and
WHEREAS, global partnerships and trust are key to ending the spread and impact of COVID-19, where it will take all of us working together to end this pandemic;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim October 28, 2021, as “GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT DAY” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.