Public Diplomacy Office known to the public as The Press & Culture Section of the United States Mission to Romania is the office in Bucharest of the International Information Programs (IIP) of the U.S. Department of State. It is charged with the conduct of public diplomacy in support of U.S. foreign policy.
The International Information Programs' goals are:
- To explain and advocate U.S. policies in terms that are credible and meaningful to foreign cultures;
- To provide information about the official policies of the United States, its people and institutions;
- To build lasting relationships and mutual understanding through the exchange of people and ideas;
- To advise on foreign attitudes and their implications for U.S. policies.
The International Information Programs enable people in every part of the globe to learn about the United States - its people, its policies and its culture. Historic breakthroughs in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the former Soviet Union testify to the importance of communications and the value of public diplomacy as a force for freedom and democracy.
The International Information Programs are also responsible for worldwide 
Voice of America and 
Worldnet television programs, which offer a variety of informational programming 24 hours per day. More information on the International Information Programs, news and current affairs, and special events are available on the International Information Programs homepage, which offers full hypertext access to a wide variety of topics.
The Press & Culture Section is responsible for the Embassy's media relations, and educational and cultural exchange programs. It explains and advocates American policy, acts as a focal point for media and cultural relations, and advises the U.S. Mission to Romania on the issues of public diplomacy. Press & Culture covers a wide range of programs and activities in the field of press, information, culture, and education, and is an open communication process intended to foster government-to-people and people-to-people contacts and understanding. Press & Culture's principal role is to support and provide information about American foreign policy, economics, and society through a variety of focused public diplomacy programs. Press & Culture works closely with regional media, government and academic institutions, and NGOs to encourage Romanian commitment to democratic government and strengthen civil society in Romania, support economic reform and an improved business climate, promote U.S. investment, strengthen the independent media, and explain U.S. foreign policy.
Press & Culture cooperates with other sections of the American Embassy and with Romanian and American institutions and individuals to promote dialogue and sustained interchange between Romania and the U.S. through conferences, lectures, workshops and professional study and orientation visits. Press & Culture works to strengthen and develop U.S. - Romanian relations by:
- Enunciating and explaining U.S. policies, while presenting American society in all its complexity, so that others can gain a better comprehension of the United States.
- Creating, promoting and administering educational and cultural exchange programs which improve relations and increase understanding between the people of Romania and the United States. Working directly with Romanian institutions, Press & Culture facilitates academic exchanges, as well as lectures and performances by U.S. academics, writers and artists. It also supports Romanian university programs in the field of American Studies through exchanges of scholars and book programs, and provides English-teaching materials (audio/video tapes and books) at low cost to Romanian teachers and schools.
- Assisting the Romanian media, by providing information on the U.S., including policy statements by high-ranking U.S. government officials and objective information about American politics, foreign policy, business and trade, education and culture.
Press & Culture Bucharest carries out a broad variety of activities in support of these goals administered by:
The Press Section, which arranges press conferences for visiting U.S. officials, briefings and interviews, Worldnet Dialogue programs on a range of timely subjects which bring U.S. and Romanian high-level government officials and experts together through satellite technology, and provides texts, transcripts and explanatory articles stating and explaining United States policies.
The Cultural Section, which develops and manages an array of exchange programs between various segments of Romanian and American society, and administers United States government involvement in cultural and educational activities between Romania and the United States. Assistance to Romanian organizations in arranging specialized study tours in the U.S. is an essential part of Press & Culture programs in Romania.
The Information Resource Center (IRC), the best single source of information about the United States to be found in Romania, which provides reference and referral services for Romanian government officials, journalists, NGO's and academics on virtually all aspects of the United States policy: foreign relations, especially Romanian-U.S. relations, domestic American politics, security, defense, legislation, social and political processes, the economy, environment and trade. Through its electronic online and CD-ROM capabilities, the IRC has access to a sizable amount of current, relevant information on a wide variety of subjects, all intended to meet the needs of government officials, journalists, researchers, scholars, business executives, and others with a professional-level interest in the United States.
From time to time, Press & Culture sponsors seminars, meetings and round-table discussions/lectures, exhibits, speakers, study and orientations tours on various subjects, and other programs where Romanians and Americans can exchange ideas and information on economic issues, shared environmental concerns, American government and history, education, security, and a wide variety of other topics.
Press & Culture also works closely with the Fulbright Commission, to promote exchanges through its scholarship and educational advising.
