Track Two Diplomacy, also known as citizen diplomacy, refers to informal, private-sector collaboration between members of groups or nations in conflict, with the aim of devising strategies, coordinating human and material resources, and influencing public opinion to help resolve conflict.

Drawing on an almost fifty-year history of successful citizen diplomacy, Track Two leverages the potential inherent in human interaction, compassion, and mutual understanding. We structure gatherings during which participants from different disciplines and cultures work together on shared and borderless problems -- the global threats that threaten us all. These convenings are primarily held in person at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, and New York City, and in various locations within our areas of concentration: Russia and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the North Pacific Rim, including China. 

Almost as important as our seeking out the mix of individuals who can advance each other’s efforts is our design of the space, our structuring of the engagement, and our encouragement of certain voices and teams to raise issues and carry projects forward. Our management of the environment is key to the growth and success of these projects. Over the years we have refined this process.

 
Almost as important as our seeking out the mix of individuals who can advance each other’s efforts is our design of the space, our structuring of the engagement, and our encouragement of certain voices and teams to raise issues and carry projects forward. Our management of the environment is key to the growth and success of these projects. Over the years we have refined this process. 

In sum, the aim of our approach is to help motivated, thoughtful, and deeply knowledgeable individuals work with colleagues from disparate locations and different sectors to redefine their shared problems and to devise and reimagine solutions to them. The synergy from these face-to-face interactions leads to the generation of innovative projects and novel approaches as participants examine and collectively explore each other’s ideas.