Dipnote - U.S. Department of State Official Blog

World Summit on Food Security

2009-11-20T23:01:01+00:00

World Summit on Food Security | Summit Declaration

From November 16 to 18, more than 150 nations came together in Rome, where delegations endorsed a declaration that serves as a dramatic shift in the way in which we, as a global community, address the challenge of ensuring food security. The nations that signed the declaration pledged to put developing countries in the lead in terms of planning and implementing national food security strategies, with donors playing a supporting and complementary role.

The U.S. delegation, led by Alonzo Fulgham, Acting Administrator for the US Agency for International Development and Vice-Chair of the Summit, advocated vigorously for a Summit declaration that not only acknowledged the critical problem of hunger and food insecurity, but also articulated solutions rooted in a focus on country-led programs and strategies. We underscored the need for a significant change in approach to the challenge of food security and were pleased when this was embraced by our colleagues from around the world.

Combined Federal Campaign Makes a Difference in People’s Lives

2009-11-20T20:38:11+00:00

As Honorary Chair of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), Secretary Clinton invites you to participate in this year’s annual giving drive. Making a one-time donation or setting up a payroll deduction is quick and easy – just contact your local CFC campaign. Together, we can provide critical funds to a variety of worthy charities, and make a real difference across the country and around the world.

What Is the Most Pressing Issue the United States and Asia Must Face Together?

2009-11-16T22:24:35+00:00

On November 12, President Obama began a 10-day trip to Asia, which includes visits to Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea. In Tokyo, President Obama said, "We have to understand that the future of the United States and Asia is inextricably linked. The issues that matter most to our people...are all issues that have to be part of a joint agenda."

What is the most pressing issue the United States and Asia must face together?

When the President Spoke in Shanghai

2009-11-20T19:43:19+00:00

About the Authors: Travis Hall is an American exchange student in Shanghai who is participating in the State Department’s “Virtual Student Foreign Service” Program. He submitted the following in consultation with Foreign Service Officer Anny Ho, who is a Public Diplomacy Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

Back home in the States, I might have been a casual Obama speech watcher, but when the President of the United States drops in on your study abroad locale, you take notice! Thus I found myself walking to campus, through the rain, to meet up with some friends to watch the President’s town hall held right here in Shanghai earlier this week. After managing to fall on my face only once while making the trek (note to my apartment complex managers: while polished black tile looks great for walkways, it is less than functional in the rain), I made it to the international dormitory and gathered our motley crew of study abroad students and their Chinese roommates.

As we waited for the video to load, we discussed our expectations. What does a U.S. President say to a group of Chinese students? What would they ask if they could ask Obama a question? After hearing about President Obama from Chinese students throughout the semester, but only in the context of “He is great,” I was excited to get into a more substantive conversation. However, at this point, we had reached that magical spot in the loading of a video where you can watch AND load at the same time, so we watched Ambassador Huntsman introduce the President.

When President Obama took the microphone and said “Non Ho,” everyone in the room started clapping at once. How cool! The President of the United States just spoke some Shanghainese! For those outside of China, learning the local dialect is just about the coolest thing you can do. For example, my host dad is pretty hard to impress. But when I changed from Mandarin Chinese “ni hao” to “non ho,” that sealed the deal. Ever since, we have been as thick as thieves.

For the rest of the town hall, we switched to reading a transcript provided online, since we quickly realized that being able to speak either a bit of Chinese and English or a bit of English and Chinese made listening to overdubbed speeches almost impossible. Taken as a whole, we thought that President Obama’s benefit of cultural exchanges was right on target. We never did get to have that discussion that I hoped would develop from watching the President speak about controversial topics like Taiwan and Internet freedom, but we did talk about what cities we were from, and our Chinese friends told us where in the United States that they wanted to study. If students like myself continue to live in Shanghai, and more of my Chinese friends come to the States, then I think we are on the right path toward the kind of cooperation that Mr. Obama was talking about in Shanghai.

Watch Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes give a readout of the President's trip to Asia and learn more about the trip on WhiteHouse.gov.

Blogging in the Americas: President Obama Responds to Yoani Sanchez’s Questions

2009-11-20T15:30:40+00:00

About the Author: Tina Huang serves in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Office of Public Diplomacy.

President Obama recently responded to award-winning, Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez´s written questions on the Generation Y blog. In his written response, he thanked Ms. Sanchez’s readers in Cuba and around the world for the opportunity to exchange views web 2.0-style. President Obama commended Ms. Sanchez for providing “the world a unique window into the realities of daily life in Cuba” and applauded the “collective efforts to empower fellow Cubans to express themselves through the use of technology.” He further expressed the importance of what Yoani Sanchez and other bloggers are doing to project their voice “not just for the advancement of the freedom of expression itself, but also for people outside of Cuba to gain a better understanding of the life, struggles, joys, and dreams of Cubans on the island.”

For President Obama’s full responses to Yoani Sanchez’s written interview, please visit: www.desdecuba.com/generationy/.

To the Generation Yers and readers around the world: How would you respond to Yoani’s questions?

Educational and Cultural Exchanges Create Lasting Friendships in U.S. and Russia

2009-11-20T14:16:10+00:00

About the Author: Michele Peters serves as Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

As we celebrate International Education Week (IEW), I am reminded of Secretary Clinton's remarks during her recent trip to Russia about the U.S. government’s interest in forming more people-to-people partnerships to lay a strong foundation for future cooperation. Each year hundreds of Russians and Americans learn firsthand about each other’s people and cultures though a broad range of U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) exchange programs.

For example, Fulbrighters are studying, teaching and conducting research in each other’s countries. American undergraduate, graduate, and secondary school students are studying Russian in intensive language institutes in Krasnodar and Kazan, or on a study abroad program through the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program.

Mid-career Russian professionals are building lasting ties with their professional counterparts through the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program. Through the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) and Legislative Educational and Practice (LEAP) programs, young Russians are strengthening their understanding of the U.S. legislative process and the role of civil society in the political process. Russian and American teachers of English, math, science and other subjects are implementing what they’ve learned in the U.S - Russia Language, Technology, Math, and Science (LTMS), Teacher Exchange, Teaching Excellence and Achievement, and E-Teacher distance learning programs.

Russian teens are experiencing life with American host families and attending local high schools. Other young people in Russia are learning English after school though the English Access Microsholarship Program. Through the Department’s 14 EducationUSA centers throughout Russia, students interested in studying in the United States receive guidance on the American educational system and tips on how they can pursue study abroad opportunities. And American artists are performing to Russian audiences, leading workshops and master classes, and jamming with their Russian peers.

These programs allow individuals to exchange ideas and increase mutual understanding. Exchange participants experience the culture, traditions and lifestyles of their host countries. On returning home, they relay their exchange experiences to friends, neighbors and classmates, producing a positive multiplier effect.

Our bilateral exchange relationship continues to grow. In July, President Obama and Russian President Medvedev agreed to create a Bilateral Presidential Commission. This bilateral agreement also established a working group to promote relationships through academic, cultural, youth and sports programs.

Learn more about programs in Russia or hosting a Russian exchange participant at exchanges.state.gov.

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Speaks With U.S. and International Troops in Afghanistan

2009-11-19T20:17:03+00:00

Trip Information Page | Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

Today, Secretary Clinton spoke with U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan, where she said:

"I just want to make three quick points. First, we are here for a purpose, and this is a mission that is important to the United States and to those who have joined us in it. It’s a mission that partners with the people and Government of Afghanistan against a common enemy that poses a threat not only to people here, but people back at home, wherever you may be from. And that’s why I really express on behalf of certainly our country – President Obama and our Administration and the American people – our gratitude for your willingness to serve.

Secondly, we have to do everything we can to create the capacity of the Afghan Government and the Afghan people to protect themselves. And I was very pleased to hear today when President Karzai said that he hopes that within three years, the Afghan security forces will have the lead in important areas, and within five years – which is an ambitious goal, but he stated it – the Afghan security forces would have the lead throughout the country.

Now, there would probably be the necessity for continuing partnering, advising, training, but to take the lead and to take the fight to the enemy is what he said he wanted to see happen. And the only way that could happen is by the work that you do – the training, the mentoring, the support that you give to your Afghan counterparts. And we’re going to be giving you the kind of encouragement that you need to be able to help deliver on this goal that President Karzai set for Afghanistan.

Thirdly, I know that serving here is challenging. There are a lot of sacrifices, most particularly not being able to see your family and friends for long periods of time, and that many of you have been here not just once, but twice, three times, and I met somebody today who is on his fourth tour. So I really appreciate your willingness to serve, but I also know that for everybody who serves, there’s a family that serves as well, that’s trying to take care of everything and hold it together back wherever home is. And I hope if you email or you call or you write, you’ll let them know that I’m grateful for their service as well. Because we couldn’t have, in the United States, the superb, all-volunteer service we have if it wasn’t a family commitment. Parents, spouses, kids, everybody knows that when you sign up, there’s no predictability about where you’re going to be and how often they’re going to get to see you. And I guess as a mom, I’d say be sure you write home and email and all of that. (Laughter.)" Full Text

Online Conversation Connects Students in Afghanistan and Massachusetts

2009-11-19T15:38:46+00:00

About the Author: Anna P. Mussman serves in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Youth Programs Division.

Jumpstarting International Education Week, high school students in Boston and Jalalabad used Skype technology to meet online and discuss teen life, culture and current events. At 8:00 a.m. EST on November 5 and again on November 12, staff and students at the Beaver County Day School, located in Brookline, Massachusetts, met via Skype a group of Jalalabad students participating in the Global Connections and Exchange (GCE) program of the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

In the first session, Afghan students asked about American holidays and U.S. schools while the Beaver County students wanted to know more about Afghan teen life, such as interaction between boys and girls, entertainment, and how Islam affects their daily lives. During the second call, the Beaver County students asked about the security situation in Afghanistan. This dynamic discussion lasted close to one hour and forty-five minutes. One Afghan student said that they see improvements in the education, health, and reconstruction sectors, particularly in the major cities. However, they can’t visit relatives or provide help to people living in villages because the Taliban poses a greater threat in those areas of the country.

Those were the first face-to-face conversations for youth in Jalalabad with U.S. peers. According to Almas Abdul Qaum, Afghanistan GCE Country Program Director, “[O]nline discussions will clear all misunderstanding between Afghan and American communities; we will have open minded community in which people will solve their political and social problems via joint discussions.” The teens will continue their discussions about Afghanistan and U.S. policy on the Beaver County blog.

The Global Connections and Exchange program in Jalalabad, implemented by the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club Foundation, provides youth with opportunities to meet American peers through Internet applications. In addition to the links with the Beaver County Day School, American students attending 14 San Diego schools meet up regularly with Jalalabad students through Facebook.

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Promotes Use of Smart Power

2009-11-18T19:17:16+00:00

Trip Information Page | Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

Secretary Clinton met with U.S. Embassy employees and their families while in Kabul, Afghanistan today. During her visit, the Secretary said:

"When I became Secretary of State, I said that I wanted us to be using smart power. And that was a combination of what too often has been divided between our incredible military assets, so-called hard power, and our diplomacy and our development, so-called soft power. But in effect, we have done a disservice to both by separating them out and labeling them, instead of looking at what they could represent in the furtherance of our values and our interests around the world.

So smart power requires smart people, and that’s what each and every one of you represent. I think it’s fair to say that nobody knows better than our military commanders that troops alone cannot meet our goals of defeating al-Qaida, of helping the Afghans to get the capacity to defend themselves and provide governance that will result in positive changes for the people of this country." Full Text

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Arrives in Afghanistan

2009-11-18T16:50:32+00:00

Trip Information Page | Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

Briefing En Route Kabul, Afghanistan

Secretary Clinton arrrived today in Afghanistan to attend President Karzai’s November 19 inauguration ceremony, meet with Afghanistan’s leadership, international partners and allies, U.S. troops, staff in Provincial Reconstruction Teams, and Embassy staff. This is the Secretary's fourth trip to Afghanistan, first as Secretary of State.

Southeast Asian Youth Seek Democratic Change at Youth Engagement Summit (YES2009) in Malaysia

2009-11-18T14:15:22+00:00

About the Author: Nicholas Papp is Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

As the sun tried to break through the early morning mist in Putrajaya, Malaysia’s fantastic federal administrative center south of Kuala Lumpur, 3,000 of Southeast Asia’s most talented youth leaders began arriving in droves at the Youth Engagement Summit YES2009. Inspired by President Obama’s vision for hope and change, these active young leaders represent a rising generation working to build movements, catalyze change and transform lives in their communities, the region and beyond. World change icons including Twitter founder Biz Stone, Live8’s Bob Geldorf, chess champion Gary Kasparaov and real estate mogul Donald Trump personally spoke directly into the hearts and minds of these Southeast Asian youth motivating them to work collaboratively and in partnership to create the kind of meaningful and lasting change that can solve the world’s greatest problems.

The U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur was happy to partner with the organizers of this groundbreaking summit, strategically timed to coincide with President Obama’s trip to the region for APEC and the U.S.-ASEAN Summit. The Embassy’s public diplomacy team engaged these energized youth with the offer of a “free trip to Hollywood” via the Democracy Video Challenge. To get started thinking about the challenge, and to receive a prized Barack Obama postcard, hundreds of youth filled out a simple form completing the phrase “Democracy is…”

In her letter to the YES2009 participants, Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale expressed her “sincere desire to listen … and find ways we can collaborate for our common future.” We are listening. And here is what they had to say.

Democracy is…

“…something fun, cool, exciting and 100% crazy.” – Suchada Prakanpawong from Thailand

“…being able to have choices and to make them.” – Wan Rozana Aziz Kasim from Malaysia

“…when both the people and the government talk and listen to each other wholeheartedly.” - Stephanie Kordjo from Indonesia

“…to the world what twitter is to media!!” – Ramakrishnan from India

“…giving to the people the freedom they deserve.” – Joanne Gonzales from the Philippines

“...people empowerment.” -- Rogelio Serena from the Philippines

“…freedom to do what I want to do and to be what I am. A freedom worth protecting and fighting for. A freedom worth dying for.” -- Kayzee from Malaysia

“…something which the U.S. is importing to Indonesia along with globalization. I totally support this as democracy has given a new era of leadership in Indonesia and it’s inextricably linked with tolerance of religions. I’m loving it. ^_^” – David from Indonesia

“…Hope for those who weren’t born rich; Hope for those who weren’t lucky; Hope for those who are minorities; Hope for those who feel helpless; Hope for equality and justice.” Natharat Monkolsinh from Thailand

“…just a word for Myanmar citizens. We Myanmar people are still waiting to experience the taste of Democracy. Please join together with us…” name withheld from Burma

“…Freedom to talk your own mind, Freedom to criticize your government, your politicians without fear; to have equal rights with everyone; to practice your own language and decide for your destination not some minority or government choose for you!” -- name withheld from Iran

Second Annual ExchangesConnect Video Contest: “Change Your Climate, Change Our World”

2009-11-17T20:36:17+00:00

About the Author: Michele Peters serves as Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton today launched the Department of State’s second annual ExchangesConnect Video Contest, “Change Your Climate, Change Our World,” with a video message on the ExchangesConnect social network.

The ExchangesConnect Video Contest is a call to action for global citizens around the world to engage in cross-cultural community building and mutual understanding. ExchangesConnect invites people all over the world, ages 14 and older, to enter their 2-minute videos for a chance to win an all-expense-paid two-week international exchange program. The contest runs from November 17, 2009 through January 12, 2010.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State launched the ExchangesConnect social network in October 2008 to promote mutual international understanding by highlighting cultures, commonalities, and exchange program experiences through user-generated content like forums, blogs, photos, and videos. Over 14,200 members are currently part of this thriving global community.

The ExchangesConnect community and an expert panel of judges will select the top 40 videos based on originality, creativity, effectiveness, and production quality. The expert panel of contest judges, all alumni of ECA exchange programs, includes:

• Jay Craven, United States, Independent Filmmaker, U.S. Cultural Envoy, and AFI 20/20 Global Cultural Exchange Program alumnus

• Vassilios Karamitsanis, Greece, President of Platforma International Film Festival and Urban Cultural Company, and International Visitor Leadership Program alumnus

• Josef Frank Madisia, Namibia, Director of the National Art Gallery of Namibia, and International Visitor Leadership Program alumnus

• Rodolfo Molina, El Savador, Coordinator of El Salvador’s Biennials of Visual Arts events and Fulbright Student Program alumnus

• Hind Shoufani, Lebanon, Writer, Filmmaker, and Fulbright alumna.

Winners from last year’s ExchangesConnect Video Contest, "My Culture + Your Culture = ?", are serving as mentors to help educate new contestants about techniques and to give advice. Last year’s winners were:

• Jose Vincius Reis Gouveia of Recife, Brazil

• Bijoy Thangaraj of Bangalore, India

• Grant Jirka of Nebraska, United States

• Tim Peters of Illinois, United States

The winning videos speak to the power of community members to share their exchange experiences, wisdom and tips with other members, and spark meaningful and interesting conversations.

Visit ECA’s official website for more information about this year's contest. We look forward to watching your videos!

Travel Diary: At Shanghai 2010 Expo, USA Pavilion Strengthens U.S.-China Cooperation

2009-11-16T19:20:01+00:00

Trip Information Page | Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

About the Author: Beatrice Camp serves as U.S. Consul General at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai, China.

Even before I arrived in Shanghai as U.S. Consul General last September, I knew that the Shanghai 2010 Expo was going to be a huge event, the largest World’s Fair in history. Living here, in one of the most dynamic cities in the world, we see every day how Shanghai is going all out to make this Expo a fair to remember, a six-month long international extravaganza that offers the promise of "Better City, Better Life."

Although this kind of international expo has gone out of style in the United States, I'm old enough to remember family trips to the New York World's Fair in 1964 and to Montreal in 1967. So I felt the breath of history-in-the-making today as Secretary Clinton paid her first visit to our USA National Pavilion, now under construction for the May-October 2010 run of the Expo. My colleagues and I at the Consulate and State Department have been working in partnership with a private sector team since March 2008 to ensure a U.S. presence at the Expo, so this was a big moment for us.

We have moved quickly in recent months -- from our groundbreaking ceremony with Commerce Secretary Locke on July 17 to our topping off ceremony 89 days later, when Ambassador Huntsman helped add the last metal beam to our structure. The construction crew promises that the outer building will be complete next month, after which we will tackle the even more important job of creating the content that will showcase the best of America to visitors.

Despite the cold, rainy weather early Monday, the Secretary's visit to the pavilion site attracted a number of representatives from the pavilion's all-important corporate sponsors. Without their support, we would have missed the chance to show off our country to a huge audience next year, an expected 70 million visitors. As Secretary Clinton reminded the sponsors, the Expo's theme of “Better City, Better Life” allows us to highlight the best of America’s business, culture, and values while touching on critical areas of U.S.-China cooperation such as working together toward a clean energy future. Thanks to these companies' support of our public-private partnership, I can say "See you at the fair."

Related Entry: U.S. Consulate General Welcomes Shanghai Expo 2010

Celebrate the 10th Annual International Education Week: November 16-20, 2009

2009-11-16T17:52:48+00:00

About the Author: Alina L. Romanowski serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Academic Programs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

International Education Week (IEW) is a global celebration of international educational exchange and its positive impact on the world. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education allows us to showcase the benefits of studying abroad for Americans and to attract international students to study in the United States and gain a better understanding of American society and values. International exchange programs build bridges of knowledge and understanding that connect people and inspire solutions to global challenges. I invite you to join in marking the tenth annual IEW by planning activities in your community that highlight the importance of international education and exchange.

On June 4, 2009, President Obama spoke to the world from one of the oldest institutions of higher education and learning in the world, Al-Azhar University in Cairo, where he addressed the importance of educational exchanges as a means to promote mutual understanding and respect. International Education Week is an opportunity to answer the President’s call to demonstrate the benefits of exchanges. Americans and global citizens alike can celebrate the powerful role of education and mutual understanding in gaining a more peaceful and prosperous world. Education is the path to empowerment and employment, especially for women and minorities, whose future contributions will improve conditions around the globe.

Join us in celebrating IEW in your community! Information, promotional materials, and events can be found at iew.state.gov. Also, look for additional blogs throughout the week announcing IEW highlights from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

U.S. Embassy Uses New Media to Reach Chinese Netizens

2009-11-16T15:34:21+00:00

About the Author: Athena Kwey is a Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

On November 13, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing launched pages on KaixinWang and QQ, two leading social networking portals in China. Our collaboration with these sites uses local platforms in Chinese to communicate directly with the Chinese people. We hope that this outreach will facilitate our ability to share information and promote a dialogue at the grassroots level. The launch is part of our comprehensive new media effort to support President Obama’s first visit to the region.

Our blog page on QQ will provide details about the President’s events during his visit. In addition, we will share ground-level perspectives from embassy personnel as events unfold.

Our Kaixin page (similar to Facebook) will strike a more informal tone, catering to a core demographic of educated white collar workers. Our goal is to keep content fresh to meet the demands of a young Chinese audience accustomed to accessing meaningful information online. Following the visit, the embassy will continue to use these new outreach tools to connect with the Chinese online community and share both formal and informal sides of our Mission in China. KaixinWang and QQ reach a combined daily online audience in the hundreds of millions.

Follow the President's trip to Asia on WhiteHouse.gov.

An American Political Tradition in the People’s Republic of China

2009-11-16T13:43:40+00:00

About the Author: Richard Buangan serves as the Deputy Press Spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

Updated: Watch the President's town hall with Chinese youth on Whitehouse.gov.

The town hall meeting is at the core of grassroots American democracy. It is a tradition that brings together members of a community -- both leaders and ordinary citizens -- to discuss and shape the direction of their futures. On November 16, President Obama brought that tradition to China -- a country with thousands of years of history, but a land where political and social values are different from ours. In Shanghai, he held an historic town hall meeting with China’s youth to talk directly with some of the young people who represent China’s future.

The planning stages leading up to the town hall were filled with months of negotiation and cooperation. Our Chinese hosts were committed to working with us to ensure a successful visit and were genuinely curious as to how an American town hall works. Together we created a unique event mixing American and Chinese elements - a first by an American president visiting China. Even the language showed the differences in political concept as the word “town hall” doesn’t exist in Mandarin. In English, this was President Obama’s town hall with China’s youth, but in Chinese, it was mian dui mian or a face-to-face dialogue.

The cultural differences are vast. The challenges of creating an event hosted by the President of the United States for China’s youth were numerous. But the popularity of this American President is high in China and shows that even young people look to U.S.-Chinese cooperation to solve global issues. This town hall meeting in Shanghai showed the youth of China that President Obama came not just to talk, but to listen.

Follow the President's trip to Asia on WhiteHouse.gov.

President Obama To Host Town Hall in Shanghai

2009-11-15T20:13:08+00:00

The President's town hall begins at 11:45 p.m. EST on November 15. Be sure to tune in at Whitehouse.gov/live.

Updated: Watch the President's town hall with Chinese youth on Whitehouse.gov.

President Obama will have a town hall meeting with Chinese youth in Shanghai, China. The event is planned to start Monday, November 16 at 12:45 p.m. local time in Shanghai, which means late Sunday night in Washington, DC at 11:45 p.m. EST.

The online community in China has been submitting questions on a variety of websites, including the U.S. Embassy in Beijing’s website, Xinhuanet and Sohu.

Holding the event in Shanghai is symbolic as the Shanghai Communique was announced there and helped pave the way for normalization and the first 30 years of formal diplomatic relations.

The Town Hall will be livestreamed on Whitehouse.gov/live. You can also join the conversation on the official White House page on Facebook or Embassy Beijing's website to view and participate in a live discussion during the event.

Follow the President's trip to Asia on WhiteHouse.gov.

Embassy Beijing Prepares for President Obama’s Arrival

2009-11-14T22:33:28+00:00

About the Author: John Morgan serves at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

I come from an airline family.

My parents both worked for Pan American World Airways, and so ever since I was a little kid, I have been fascinated by planes. When we would go to visit family in Europe for vacations, nothing was more exciting to me than getting on that 747. Sometimes I was allowed to visit the cockpit and ask the pilots what all the instruments were for. We lived near the airport, and by the age of ten I could identify any aircraft flying overhead by its tail colors. As I child I had always dreamed of seeing Air Force One flying overhead, but never had the chance.

In some ways that fascination with airplanes has stayed with me. So when I was asked to be the airport site officer for President Obama’s visit to China, I jumped at the chance and look forward to seeing Air Force One land in Beijing for a two-day stop that will advance the relationship between the United States and China. The sweeping changes seen during my lifetime have been exciting, encouraging, and positive. I’ll get my dream fulfilled to see Air Force One. But I am even more enthusiastic about how this visit will bolster a diplomatic relationship that can achieve great things in the years to come.

Follow the President's trip to Asia on WhiteHouse.gov.

In Tokyo, Our Common Future

2009-11-14T19:23:14+00:00

The White House Blog highlights President Obama's remarks at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. The President said:

"So I want everyone to know, and I want everybody in America to know, that we have a stake in the future of this region, because what happens here has a direct effect on our lives at home. This is where we engage in much of our commerce and buy many of our goods. And this is where we can export more of our own products and create jobs back home in the process. This is a place where the risk of a nuclear arms race threatens the security of the wider world, and where extremists who defile a great religion plan attacks on both our continents. And there can be no solution to our energy security and our climate challenge without the rising powers and developing nations of the Asia Pacific.

To meet these common challenges, the United States looks to strengthen old alliances and build new partnerships with the nations of this region. To do this, we look to America's treaty alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia, Thailand and the Philippines -- alliances that are not historical documents from a bygone era, but abiding commitments to each other that are fundamental to our shared security.

These alliances continue to provide the bedrock of security and stability that has allowed the nations and peoples of this region to pursue opportunity and prosperity that was unimaginable at the time of my first childhood visit to Japan. And even as American troops are engaged in two wars around the world, our commitment to Japan's security and to Asia's security is unshakeable -- (applause) -- and it can be seen in our deployments throughout the region -- above all, through our young men and women in uniform, of whom I am so proud.

Now, we look to emerging nations that are poised as well to play a larger role -- both in the Asia Pacific region and the wider world; places like Indonesia and Malaysia that have adopted democracy, developed their economies, and tapped the great potential of their own people.

We look to rising powers with the view that in the 21st century, the national security and economic growth of one country need not come at the expense of another. I know there are many who question how the United States perceives China's emergence. But as I have said, in an interconnected world, power does not need to be a zero-sum game, and nations need not fear the success of another. Cultivating spheres of cooperation -- not competing spheres of influence -- will lead to progress in the Asia Pacific." Full Text

Read translations of the President's remarks in Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese or Korean.

Follow the President's trip to Asia on WhiteHouse.gov.

U.S. and Asia: “Inextricably Linked”

2009-11-13T19:40:58+00:00

The White House Blog highlights President Obama's remarks with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of Japan at a joint press conference in Tokyo. President Obama said:

"We have to understand that the future of the United States and Asia is inextricably linked. The issues that matter most to our people -- issues of economic growth and job creation, non-proliferation, clean energy -- these are all issues that have to be part of a joint agenda. And we had very productive discussions about these issues this evening.

It's true that because of the strength of our economic ties, that was not the first item on our agenda, but we are fortunately going to have the opportunity to spend a lot of time discussing that in Singapore in the coming days. As the world's two leading economies, we have spent a lot of time working together in the G-20 to help bring the world back from the brink of financial crisis, and we're going to continue to work to strengthen our efforts so that we can expand job growth in the future. And we will be discussing with our APEC partners how to rebalance our deep economic cooperation with this region to strengthen our recovery.

The Prime Minister and I discussed our cooperation on Afghanistan and Pakistan. And I did thank the people of Japan and the Prime Minister for the powerful commitment of a $5 billion over the next five years to support our shared civilian efforts in Afghanistan, as well as the commitment of a billion dollars to Pakistan.

This underscores Japan's prominent role within a broad international coalition that is advancing the cause of stability and opportunity in Afghanistan and Pakistan. And I shared with the Prime Minister our efforts in refining our approach to make it more successful in the coming year.

We discussed our shared commitment to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and ultimately seeking a world without them. Since I laid out a comprehensive agenda in Prague to pursue these goals Japan has been an outstanding partner in those efforts. And together we passed a historic resolution in the Security Council last September. We are building a new international consensus to secure loose nuclear materials and strengthen the nonproliferation regime.

And to that end, we discussed both North Korea and the situation in Iran, recognizing that it's absolutely vital that both countries meet their international obligations. If they do, then they can open the door to a better future. If not, we will remain united in implementing U.N. resolutions that are in place and continuing to work in an international context to move towards an agenda of nonproliferation.

Finally, we discussed our partnership on energy issues and climate change. The United States and Japan share a commitment to developing the clean energy of the future and we're focused on combating the threat of climate change. This is an important priority for us; I know it's an important priority for the people of Japan. And we discussed how we can work together to pave the way for a successful outcome in Copenhagen next month.

So I believe that we are off to a very successful start. I'm looking forward to continuing the conversation during dinner, as well as as we both travel to Singapore. And I am confident that we will continue to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance so that it serves future generations."

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton in the Philippines

2009-11-13T15:20:00+00:00

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About the Author: Kristie A. Kenney serves as U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines.

Secretary Clinton's first day in Manila ended with a lovely and gracious dinner hosted by Philippine President Arroyo. The thirty guests ate local fish and fruit specialties while talking about world issues, cultural trends and sharing stories and laughs.

The next morning found her heading out super early for a live, televised "Townterview" with students from across the Philippines. Held at 400-year-old University of Santo Tomas, more than a thousand students from Manila universities packed the auditorium, all wearing school colors. Others participated via remote link from around the country and still others sent in questions via YouTube and text messages. Secretary Clinton was relaxed as she talked big global issues and Philippine issues. Her passion for the role of civil society in promoting peace, human rights and good governance was obvious. She also reflected with pride on serving her country and on being part of President Obama's team. She laughed with the sports enthusiasts in the student crowd when describing her support for the not-so-victorious New York Knicks.

After shaking more hands and posing for more pictures, she took time to talk to a local radio DJ about the importance of voting and getting young voters engaged in elections.

The mood shifted more somber as she then headed to the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. The cemetery, built and maintained by the American Battlefield Monument Commission, holds graves of more than 17,000 World War II dead while the walls list the names of thousands more missing-in-action from World War II. Secretary Clinton laid a wreath at the cemetery and took a few moments to talk with World War II veterans who had come to the cemetery to greet her.

She then headed back across town, through the world famous Manila traffic, to the historic U.S. Embassy located on Manila Bay. There she swore in 68 new Peace Corps volunteers, telling them of the great service they provide to both the Philippines and the United States. She told them of the great tradition of the Peace Corps in the Philippines where more than 8,000 volunteers have served since the program began decades ago. She thanked the Filipino partners of the Peace Corps as well as the Filipino "host" families of the Peace Corps who were also in attendance.

She ended her Manila visit with a short session with U.S. military temporarily deployed in the Philippines, hearing of their experiences and thanking them for serving our nation. And then she greeted her thousands of U.S. Embassy Filipino and American fans for whom she is the ultimate superstar!

Read Ambassador Kenney's previous entry.

Innovative Engagement With Advocacy Groups on Sudan

2009-11-13T03:23:06+00:00

About the Author: Major General (Ret) Scott Gration serves as the President’s Special Envoy to Sudan.

On Tuesday, I participated in the ‘Ask U.S.’ live stream video question and answer session at the White House. Samantha Power, NSC Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs, and I answered questions posed to us by Jerry Fowler, the President of the Save Darfur Coalition, and Layla Amjadi, the Student Director of Stand (the student-led division of the Genocide Intervention Network). In the lead up to this event, the Save Darfur Coalition and STAND asked their members to both vote on which questions should be asked and to submit additional questions for consideration. We are eager to continue an active and robust dialogue with the advocacy community, and this unique event allowed us to engage directly with thousands of members of the Save Darfur Coalition and STAND.

The questions that Jerry and Layla posed touched upon a range of pressing concerns, inquiring about the administration's benchmarks for incentives and pressures, the circumstances in which internally displaced persons in Darfur might return home, the risks surrounding the 2010 elections in south Sudan, the importance of engaging China and Russia on the path forward, and the indispensability of including Sudanese civil society in the peace process. I found the exchange to be extremely useful and hope those who followed it online did as well.

You may watch the discussion on WhiteHouse.gov if you were not able to watch it live on Tuesday.

Secretary Clinton Live Online Townterview

2009-11-13T00:24:58+00:00

U.S. Secretary of State participated in a live online "townterview" in Manila, Philipppines Thursday, November 12 at 7:00 PM EDT.

This event was featured online at: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/ancliveevents. An online discussion also took place on Twitter using the hashtag: #ancclinton.

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Arrives Manila, Announces New Typhoon Relief

2009-11-12T19:41:37+00:00

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About the Author: Kristie A. Kenney serves as U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines.

Under a brilliant blue sky, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton landed in Manila. After a red carpet welcome at the airport, she headed straight to historic Goldenberg Mansion to meet with her counterpart, Alberto Romulo, the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

Goldenberg Mansion was built nearly 100 years ago and was furnished by former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos with gorgeous antiques and paintings from all over the world – including some original art works by renowned American artist “Grandma Moses.” The Government of the Philippines now uses it as a meeting and event venue. In this lovely setting, Secretary Clinton and Secretary Romulo were joined by their delegations on the second floor for a wide-ranging and friendly discussion that included the upcoming meeting in Singapore between President Obama and the leaders of ASEAN, U.S.-Philippine counterterrorism cooperation, and the December climate change conference in Denmark. Secretary Clinton congratulated the Philippines on the safe release earlier in the day of kidnapped Irish priest, Father Sinnott.

After their meeting, Secretary Clinton and Secretary Romulo met with members of the press to share their meeting conversation and answer questions. Secretary Clinton started the press conference highlighting the exceptional partnership between the Philippines and the United States. She focused on the people-to-people nature of our friendship that has endured over decades. She told the crowd of her sympathy and compassion for those who had suffered in the wake of recent typhoons and storms. And said she was proud that Americans and Filipinos had worked together to bring immediate relief to suffering communities.

No lunch time for the busy Secretary of State as we jumped in cars and drove across town to Marikina, a city within Metro Manila that was heavily devastated by flood and typhoons in recent months. We stopped at Malanday High School, which served as an evacuation site for flood victims despite being flooded up the second floor itself. But today, desperation gave way to celebration, with balloons flying, flags waving and bands playing. Thousands of cheering students greeted Secretary Clinton from every floor of the three-story building circling the center courtyard. Secretary Clinton toured classrooms, together with the Philippine Secretary of Education and the Vice Principal, and heard from the city mayor of the devastation suffered by residents.

Secretary Clinton then opened a “Book Fair” where teachers from flood-affected schools selected from among tens of thousands of books those that would best compliment their education program. The books were donated by a partnership between U.S. NGO “Brother’s Brother” and USAID. Addressing the students and teachers, the Secretary praised them for their resiliency and their spirit of helping each other. She announced a new U.S. relief donation of $5.2 million to assist schools and health clinics as they recover from the flooding and typhoon damage.

Not surprisingly, Secretary Clinton was unable to resist the energy and excitement of the students. Despite the mid-afternoon heat in the open courtyard, she stayed to talk with students, book shop with teachers, and posed for photos. She clearly would have stayed for hours despite the heat if her Ambassador (me!) hadn’t pulled her away. But I knew we had other events and more people waiting to meet Hillary Clinton.

Read Ambassador Kenney's previous or next entries.

Philippines: Conventional Weapons Destruction Partnership Promotes Security

2009-11-12T17:35:23+00:00

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About the Author: Charles Stonecipher is a Program Manager from the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

When Secretary Clinton visits the Philippines November 12-13, she will be consulting with officials from one of our most important allies in East Asia. On the security front, the United States and the Philippines have successfully cooperated in recent years on a joint effort to destroy thousands of excess firearms, keeping them out of the hands of criminals and terrorist organizations across the region.

In 2008, we partnered with our colleagues in Manila on a $270,000 project to safely dispose of nearly 37,000 surplus small arms that were no longer needed by its military forces, as well as guns seized by Philippine authorities. This project, along with similar efforts in more than 40 other countries, highlights the U.S. commitment to building new partnerships aimed at confronting shared security challenges worldwide.

Like our well-known efforts under the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action program to help post-conflict nations safely clear landmines and unexploded ordnance, our Conventional Weapons Destruction program has helped make the United States a global leader in efforts to mitigate the illicit trafficking and potentially destabilizing influence of excess small arms, light weapons, and munitions in dozens of countries around the world, as detailed in our annual report on humanitarian demining and conventional arms destruction, To Walk the Earth in Safety.

From 2001 to 2008, the Conventional Weapons Destruction program has worked closely with our partners at the Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency to help countries safely dispose of more than 1.3 million weapons and approximately 50,000 tons of munitions. The United States also has taken part in several regional arms destruction efforts, such as a project led by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to destroy 324 surplus shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles in Cyprus earlier this year. These weapons, also known as Man-portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) pose a potential danger to commercial aviation around the world if they fall into the wrong hands.

In addition to working with its international partners to destroy excess and at-risk weapons, the United States also works through diplomatic channels to discourage irresponsible and indiscriminate arms exports; strengthen sanctions against violators of arms embargoes; provide training on export controls and customs procedures; and help countries secure aging stockpiles of conventional arms and munitions which, if warehoused improperly, could threaten surrounding communities or become a target for criminal or terrorist organizations.

The proliferation of illicit conventional weapons in regions of the world suffering from political instability and violent conflict has proven a major obstacle to regional security. The U.S. approach to curbing the flow of illicit small arms and light weapons focuses on practical, effective measures, while always acknowledging the legitimacy of legal trade, manufacture, and ownership of arms. With partners such as the Philippines, we’re working to try and make the world a safer place.

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Underscores U.S. Commitment to APEC

2009-11-11T19:18:08+00:00

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Today, Secretary Clinton participated in APEC ministerial meetings in Singapore. Following the meetings, the Secretary said:

"Here in Singapore, we’ve had a productive day of discussion, covering the full range of regional and global issues confronting our nations. I have stressed the Obama Administration’s commitment to substantive cooperation. That is a commitment that I have felt very strongly about and made clear on my first trip as Secretary of State to Asia earlier this year. And when President Obama arrives here later this week, he will underscore our view that APEC is an essential forum for engagement and for common action."

In her comments, Secretary Clinton also addressed regional topics that were discussed during the APEC ministerial. She said:

"North Korea’s nuclear program is of foremost concern, and the United States is committed to making progress on this issue. Our Special Representative for North Korea Policy, Ambassador Stephen Bosworth, will visit Pyongyang in the near future. The decision to send him was reached after extensive consultation with our partners in the Six-Party process. They share our view that Ambassador Bosworth can use this opportunity to press the basic principles of the September 2005 joint statement, including full, peaceful, verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and work toward the resumption of the Six-Party Talks.

We have made the purpose and parameters of this visit clear to the North Koreans. This is not a negotiation; it is an effort to pave the way toward North Korea’s return to the Six-Party process. Let me emphasize that our expectations of Pyongyang have not changed and will not change, nor has our commitment to the Six-Party process. We will use diplomacy and we will work closely with our partners to find a peaceful path to our shared objective on the Korean Peninsula.

We also discussed the United States approach to Burma. We have begun engaging the Burmese authorities in high-level dialogue to advance our goals of democratic reforms and human rights. Burma’s neighbors and members of ASEAN have an especially important role to play in encouraging the Burmese Government to move forward on reform, to start a meaningful internal dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, political parties, and ethnic minorities; and to hold credible, fair elections in 2010. I reiterated that U.S. sanctions will remain in place until we see meaningful progress in key areas."

The foreign ministers also discussed climate change. Secretary Clinton emphasized U.S. commitment to working with the international community to reach a global, legally binding climate agreement. The Secretary said:

"The United States has taken dramatic steps in the past year to change the way we use energy at home, and we have taken our seat at the table in international climate negotiations. We believe all nations have a responsibility to address this urgent global challenge, and we are prepared to assume our share of responsibility.

Going forward, we are committed to reaching the goal of a global, legally binding climate agreement. And we will continue working vigorously with the international community toward that end. If we all exert maximum effort and embrace the right blend of pragmatism and principle, I believe we can secure a strong outcome at Copenhagen, and that would be a stepping stone toward full legal agreement. We cannot let the pursuit of perfection stand in the way of progress, but there are clear metrics by which we will judge the result at Copenhagen.

First, any agreement must involve immediate global action in which all nations do their fair share. We cannot afford further delay. Second, any agreement should cover all of the major issues, including adaptation, financing, technology cooperation, dissemination of technology, forest preservation, and others. It should include a commitment to strong mitigation actions like national reduction targets for developed countries and actions by major developing countries that will reduce their emissions significantly compared to business as usual.

Third, any agreement must include a commitment to a system that will ensure transparency and accountability with regard to the implementation of domestic actions. Fourth, any agreement must endorse funding facilities to assist developing countries. We are prepared to support a global climate fund that will support adaptation and mitigation efforts and a matching entity to help developing countries match needs with available resources. Funding through the new global climate fund and a technology mechanism will help developing countries identify what they need, where to get it, and how to finance, operate, and maintain it.

These are the yardsticks we will use to measure the outcome. But under any circumstance, Copenhagen is not the end of the process. It is part of our larger collective commitment to hold ourselves and others accountable, to speed the transition to a low-carbon global economy, and to leave a cleaner, greener planet for our children and grandchildren."

Read the Secretary's full remarks here.

A Salute to Marine Security Guards

2009-11-11T05:02:07+00:00

About the Author: Michael Coady serves as Marine Security Guard (MSG) Branch Chief in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

This Veterans Day, as the nation honors the men and women who have served so selflessly in our armed forces, I urge my Department of State colleagues to pay special tribute to the members — past and present — of the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group.

Referred to informally as Marine Security Guards (MSGs), today more than 1,300 of these dedicated, specially trained Marines are deployed worldwide to help protect U.S. embassies and consulates around the globe.

Since 1949, Marine Security Guard detachments at U.S. diplomatic posts abroad have worked closely with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security to protect and safeguard American diplomacy.

They perform their mission in a number of ways and often under a variety of challenging, and sometimes dangerous, circumstances.

Marine Security Guards stand duty 24 hours each day, seven days a week, at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide. They staff the all-important Post One communications operation at our embassies, thereby ensuring vital emergency communications are properly routed during times of emergency or heightened alert. As such, they perform an essential role in protecting and ensuring the operation of U.S. diplomacy abroad.

MSGs protect classified information and equipment from unauthorized disclosure, and provide internal security protection for U.S. citizens and U.S. Government property under a range of circumstances, up to and including hostile assaults.

They respond immediately to crises large and small, including street demonstrations, bomb threats, fires, nuclear/biological/chemical threats, and intrusion attempts.

Marine Security Guards have helped protect State Department facilities against anti-American riots, helped evacuate U.S. diplomats and their families during times of crisis, extinguished fires in U.S. embassies, and saved countless lives abroad from civil unrest, earthquakes and floods.

The courage and support of the MSGs has been constant in every situation.

MSGs stood side-by-side with their State Department colleagues during the horrific 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. They responded immediately to the 2004 terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where they helped prevent the attackers from entering the consulate building. And they were with us in Belgrade in 2008, when thousands of angry rioters sought to burn down the U.S. Embassy.

Time after time, the MSGs have shown themselves to be a solid line of defense for American diplomacy. Without them, we in the Foreign Service could not conduct American diplomacy abroad.

So on this Veterans Day, I ask that all Americans remember and honor the contribution of the dedicated and courageous professionals of the Marine Security Guard program who have fulfilled their duty by ensuring that the United States can conduct diplomacy safely and securely around the world.

Marine Security Guards, we thank you for your service and sacrifice, and we salute you!

Travel Diary: Embassy Manila Prepares for Secretary Clinton’s Visit

2009-11-11T02:45:36+00:00

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About the Author: Kristie A. Kenney serves as U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines.

Embassy Manila is all abuzz with the announcement that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Manila November 12-13. As Secretary Clinton said in Washington last week, she is coming to show her solidarity with the Philippines in the wake of the devastating storms and typhoons that have affected so many Filipinos in recent weeks.

At the embassy, we sat down as a team to plan a schedule for her visit, and the ideas flowed. Of course there are only 24 hours in a day, and she will need to sleep and to eat. And she will need to meet with Philippine Government officials. But our team knew she would also want to see Filipinos from all walks of life.

So we came up with some great opportunities for her to talk with community leaders about how the United States is working with Filipinos to recover from the floods and, hopefully, meet Filipino students to hear what the next generation of leaders is thinking.

I’ll keep readers posted on her visit and will try to update you while she’s in Manila.

Related Content: Briefing on Secretary Clinton's Upcoming Trip to the Philippines

Read Ambassador Kenney's next entry.

Watch Live Stream of Conversation on Sudan

2009-11-10T18:35:43+00:00

Updated: Watch Special Envoy Gration Take Questions on Sudan

Watch Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration and National Security Council Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs Samantha Power discuss the Obama Administration's Sudan policy during a special live webcast on WhiteHouse.gov and Facebook at 3:00 pm. EST on Tuesday, November 10, 2009.

Join the conversation and watch as Save Darfur Coalition President Jerry Fowler and STAND Student Director Layla Amjadi pose questions from members of the advocacy community. The advocacy community has played in an important role in raising awareness about the situation in Sudan. By maintaining an open conversation and working together, we can make a real difference toward progress for the Sudanese people.

We hope you will join us and encourage you to invite your friends and family on Facebook to participate in the chat as this conversation unfolds.

U.S.-India Global Issues Forum Underscores Importance of Public-Private Partnerships

2009-11-10T15:22:59+00:00

About the Author: Maria Otero serves as Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs.

Last week, I was honored to lead the U.S. delegation to the seventh annual U.S.-India Global Issues Forum in New Delhi. Though I have visited India many times in the past, this was my first trip as Under Secretary of State. The Global Issues Forum presented an important opportunity for our two countries to forge a stronger relationship, committed to addressing the challenges of the 21st century, such as disaster management, polio eradication, food security, water and resource management, and human rights.

The issue of climate change, pervasive in my conversations with all world leaders, was central to our discussions at the forum. This includes challenges of adaptation and mitigation, water management, natural resource management, energy policy and wildlife protection. We recognize the need for both of our countries to implement sustainable development initiatives that also preserve the environment for future generations. I hope to see and help India assume a leading role as we tackle the world’s environmental challenges, especially during next month’s summit on climate change in Copenhagen.

My past trips to India have focused on empowerment of the poor through the delivery of financial services. During this trip, I visited Salaam Balaak Trust, a USAID-funded project that delivers essential medical care, education and food to street children in and around Delhi's main train station. The program provides training in life-skills and trade to more than 3,000 children, many of whom are as young as six years old. In an austere room dotted with computer terminals, I met several young men who told me, in English, that they want to be a fashion photographer, graphic designer, and web designer, respectively. Not only are these young men learning English through the Trust—they are also becoming self-reliant (and creative) individuals! It is a model of successful intervention that leads to changed lives and better futures.

I was also able to meet with a variety of other civil society leaders whose valuable work and expertise contribute to sustainable solutions in India. A common theme throughout these discussions was the importance of public-private partnerships to confront economic and social problems. During a meeting with environmental NGO activists, I learned of the crucial role that India's vibrant NGO sector plays in conservation efforts, improving air quality, and protecting biodiversity. This visit reinforced my admiration for India’s nonprofit sector as one of the most active and diverse in the world today.

Travel Diary: When History Broke Through Concrete

2009-11-10T14:01:43+00:00

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Secretary Clinton joined world leaders at Brandenburg Gate to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Secretary said:

"Good evening, Berlin. (Applause.) It is indeed an honor and a great personal privilege to be here on behalf of President Obama and the United States of America – (applause) – to commemorate with you that night 20 years ago when history broke through concrete and barbed wire and signaled a new dawn, not just for the people of Berlin, not just for the people of Germany, but for the entire world. And that night, that night was built by the efforts, the prayers, and the work of so many.

We remember the allies who conducted the largest humanitarian airlift in history, completing more than a quarter million flights to sustain the people of West Berlin. We remember the Poles – (applause) – who waged a campaign for liberty that began with a strike in the shipyards of Gdansk and ended by shattering a system of tyranny. We remember a Polish Pope who spoke out for the aspirations of people across Europe and the world. (Applause.) We remember the people of the Baltics who joined hands across their lands and helped to break the chains that held their nations captive. We remember the students of Prague who propelled a dissident playwright from a jail cell to the presidency of a free republic.

And tonight, we remember the Germans on both sides of the wall, but particularly the Germans in the East who stood up and finally were able to say, “No more. Freedom is our birthright and we will take it by our own hands.” (Applause.) We know that millions of hearts, of minds, and hands were behind those who literally tore down the wall. But history did not end the night the wall came down; it began anew. We could not know what the people of Berlin nor the people of Germany and Europe would do with this moment. But together, we saw you transform the landscape of this continent and change the course of world events. So Berlin came to stand at the center of a free, peaceful, prosperous, reunified Germany and a free, peaceful, prosperous, unified Europe.

Two decades later, we remember. But it is also a call to action. There are still millions across our world who are separated – maybe not by walls, maybe not by barbed wire, although that still exists – but who are separated from loved ones, who are kept down and behind, unable to fulfill their own destinies. So as beneficiaries of this great bequest we inherited in 1989, those of us gathered here tonight, leaders and citizens alike, we must pledge ourselves to work together to advance freedom beyond its current frontiers so that people everywhere are afforded the opportunities to pursue their dreams and live up to their God-given potential.

I am deeply honored to introduce now a message from someone who represents the fall of different kinds of walls – of walls of discrimination, of stereotype, of character, the walls that too often are inside minds and hearts. Let me introduce a message from President Barack Obama."

Related Information: Voices of U.S. Diplomacy and the Berlin Wall Online Exhibition

Travel Diary: A Berliner Reflects on the Moment When the Wall Came Down

2009-11-09T21:22:58+00:00

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About the Author: Kerstin Reichert serves as a Cultural Assistant at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin.

Tonight, as I am standing on the roof terrace of the U.S. Embassy building watching the cheerful crowds of tens of thousands who have come to the Brandenburg Gate despite the pouring rain and wait for the domino stones to fall, all kinds of thoughts reflecting the past 20 years cross my mind.

I clearly remember the moment when the wall came down 20 years ago. At that time, I was 24 years old and pregnant! While watching the TV in my tiny apartment in Prenzlauer Berg, East Berlin, I couldn’t believe my ears and eyes: Crowds of East Germans were climbing onto and crossing the wall. It wasn’t until the next day, and until we were sure that they would let everybody return home again, that my husband and I crossed the border to West Berlin, where we were met by euphoric West Berliners banging on the roof of our Trabant car and hugging and kissing us through our open car windows. Everyone was so overwhelmed by joy and happiness.

In the days and weeks to follow, we started to realize that nothing was going to be the same again. There were no rules anymore, and we were torn between feelings of disorientation, uncertainty and fear but also big hopes for the future. My husband’s and my main concern was: What would the future hold for our unborn child?

This year our son turned 19, and it is hard for him to imagine what life was like in the former G.D.R. We are grateful and relieved that he is growing up in a free, democratic country without travel and other restrictions. He has already been to the United States and many other countries several times and can take many things for granted that we at his age would never have dared to dream.

I was only a few years older than my son is now when the wall came down. At that time, all that I knew about America and the American way of life I basically learned by watching Western TV. It would have never occurred to me that 20 years later, I would – as an employee of the American Embassy in Berlin – meet and shake hands with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has come to Berlin to celebrate together with the heads of state of the other Allied Powers and with us Germans the anniversary of the unique events in 1989 that set off a domino reaction in many parts of the world.

Related Information: Voices of U.S. Diplomacy and the Berlin Wall Online Exhibition

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Meets With German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle

2009-11-09T20:02:03+00:00

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Today, Secretary Clinton met with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. During a joint press conference, the Secretary said:

"We had constructive and productive discussions starting in Washington last week, continuing here in Berlin. The United States is eager to work with the new German Government on a full range of shared challenges. We face complex threats that cannot be stopped by borders or oceans. Global recession, violent extremism, nuclear proliferation, climate change, hunger, and disease are only some that are the transnational threats of our time. And only by working together in close partnership can we meet these challenges. So I want to recognize Germany’s leadership and applaud Germany’s work for peace and prosperity in Europe, in NATO, and around the world.

Germany and the United States are working together to rebuild the global economy, to forge a strong international agreement to combat climate change and chart a clean energy future. Chancellor Merkel made a very important speech to the Congress last week, and called the test of climate change one of the greatest that humanity has faced.

In Afghanistan, German soldiers are working to bring stability to a troubled land and hope to people who have known too much violence for too long. We honor their service and their sacrifice. And we recognize the commitment that it takes, not just from the men and women in uniform, but from their families and indeed the entire German nation.

We also appreciate Germany’s generous support for the Pakistani people who are working to turn back violent extremism and try to ensure a more democratic, prosperous future for themselves and their children.

And we are grateful for Germany’s leadership and partnership in our efforts to ensure that Iran lives up to its international obligation, that it complies fully with UN Security Council resolutions and IAEA directives on its nuclear program. In her moving address before Congress, Chancellor Merkel urged us to come together as partners to tear down the walls of today. As one of the millions of Germans who grew up in East Germany, she knows what it is like to yearn for freedom long denied. And she knows that there are no walls that cannot be torn down when people stand up and work together." Full Text

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Joins Students at Brandenburg Gate To Remember the Fall of the Wall

2009-11-09T16:40:47+00:00

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About the Author: Elizabeth Corwin serves as Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin.

My first trip to Berlin was in June 1987, when I stood on the west side of the Brandenburg Gate and listened to President Reagan call on Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. Here I am again, in almost the same spot, and I’m watching Secretary Clinton walk through the gate from east to west with a group of German high school students from the east. The map of this part of Europe has changed a lot since my first trip.

The high school students painted one of the domino stones that will fall during tonight’s celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Wall. We met the students through their English teacher, who participated in one of the embassy's programs to introduce East German teachers to the United States. If I think the world has changed, their teacher has experienced this more profoundly. In 1985, she began teaching Russian behind the Iron Curtain, and she is now chatting with the U.S. Secretary of State.

Her students were born after the Fall of the Wall and actually had to conduct research before painting their stone. One side of their stone displays an iconic Trabant car, packed suitcases and a rainbow and blue sky in the distance, images which symbolize the longing East Germans felt for freedom. The back side of the panel depicts the Angel of Hope. Twenty years ago today, the hopes of their parents came true.

Related Information: Voices of U.S. Diplomacy and the Berlin Wall Online Exhibition

Twenty Years After—Part 3: The Fall of the Berlin Wall

2009-11-09T14:21:18+00:00

About the Author: Dr. Peter Kraemer serves as a Historian at the U.S. Department of State.

Part 1: The Rise of the Berlin Wall | Part 2: The U.S. and the Berlin Wall

But the Berlin Wall also has a good side, if you will. In the sense that, remember I was talking earlier about the streams of refugees out of East Germany. The Berlin Wall did stop the flow of refugees. Five thousand people escaped over, under, and around the wall between 1961 and 1989.

But compare that with 2.7 million people leaving during the course of the 1950s. And without taking away anything from the suffering of those people who lived behind the wall, the Berlin Wall did bring a measure of stability to the situation. There may have been greater violence if the wall not been constructed, but we can only conjecture as to that.

One thing that I would say when we’re talking about the fall of the wall, we talk about the wall as an oppressive force. And there’s no question that the wall is… The Berlin Wall represents the failure to find to find a solution – not the failure of the west, but the failure of the communist governments to find a solution to their problems. Walls of any kind in history represent failures because they are ultimate solutions. They are non-negotiable entities, right? You cannot negotiate with a wall.

And so the fall of the wall is in many ways is the failure of the communist ideology, it’s the failure of centrally planned authorities to dictate to the people what they shouldn't and should think, what they should do and how they should practice their lives.

Related Information: Voices of U.S. Diplomacy and the Berlin Wall Online Exhibition

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Receives Freedom Award From Atlantic Council

2009-11-09T11:12:26+00:00

Trip Information Page | Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

Secretary Clinton received received a Freedom Award from the Atlantic Council in Berlin, Germany. During her acceptance speech, she said:

This award comes in a year of anniversaries -- the one we celebrate tomorrow, the night 20 years ago when history broke through concrete and barbed wire and brought liberty to millions across this continent, but that's not the only milestone that should be remembered.

Sixty-five summers ago, allied troops landed in Europe with the goal of liberating Berlin. And in 1949, 60 years ago, we formed the NATO Alliance, and completed the largest humanitarian airlift in history, well over a quarter million flights, to sustain West Berlin during the Soviet blockade. And, Admiral, thank you for accepting the award on behalf of not only those who serve today, but most importantly, those who have served in years past, in a continuous chain of commitment. Full Text

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Arrives in Berlin

2009-11-08T14:53:04+00:00

Trip Information Page | Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

Remarks During Trilateral Meeting With Estonia and Latvia

Secretary Clinton arrived at Tegel airport in Berlin, Germany today to take part in the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. During the course of this trip, Secretary Clinton will continue on to Singapore November 10-12 for meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. While there, she will attend the APEC Ministerial Meetings and will hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts from the region. After the first of two stops to Singapore, the Secretary travels to Manila November 12-13 to hold consultations with senior Filipino officials, highlighting the U.S.-Philippines treaty alliance. The Secretary then returns to Singapore, joining U.S. President Barack Obama for the APEC Leaders Meeting.

Twenty Years After—Part 2: The U.S. and the Berlin Wall

2009-11-08T06:13:56+00:00

About the Author: Dr. Peter Kraemer serves as a Historian at the U.S. Department of State.

Part 1: The Rise of the Berlin Wall | Part 3: The Fall of the Berlin Wall

The original response of the U.S. government was cool. As you know, President John Kennedy was president at the time. Kennedy’s reaction first was, he said, “…It’s a hell of a lot better to have a wall than a war.” It was fairly clear early on that the United States was not willing to go to war over Berlin. Now, if the Soviets had marched into West Berlin, things might have been different. But simply the construction of a wall was not enough to provoke a U.S. military response.

On the other hand, there was a history that the United States had to live up to. In 1953, there was an East German uprising in the city of Berlin and across Germany that was violently put down by what was called a “fraternal intervention” by the Soviet Union. In 1956, the same thing happened in Hungary. And Chancellor, I’m sorry, Mayor Willy Brandt, who was at the time the mayor of the city of Berlin, was very agitated by the lack of a robust U.S. response to the crisis. And so, one of Kennedy’s first actions -- we don’t talk about it a lot or it’s not well remembered -- but, Kennedy appointed Lucius Clay, who was the former military governor for Berlin from 1945 to 1949. This person essentially administered occupied Germany after World War Two. He appointed Clay as an ambassador and sent him to Berlin with Vice President Johnson as goodwill ambassadors.

And then, what followed is from West Germany, Kennedy ordered the Berlin brigade to be relieved. So, there was a movement of troops across the frontier into East Germany on the autobahn to West Berlin to strengthen the garrison there. And this garrison was relieved, I think, steadily until 1967. So, there was a show of force and an attempt to demonstrate that the western powers had rights of access to West Berlin. That was a very important response.

The response we most often associate though, I think, was the political response that Kennedy made in June of 1963 when he traveled personally to Berlin and he stood at the square in front of the town hall of Berlin. It’s often said that he stood in front of the Berlin wall, but that’s not true. He stood in front of the town hall and made his famous speech in which he declared himself in solidarity with the Germans. He said, “All free people of the world looked to Berlin.” And he said, “As a free person, I take pride in the words ‘ich bin ein Berliner.’” (I am of Berlin. I am one of you.) Which was, certainly must be one of the high points of American political rhetoric of all time.

The fall of the Berlin Wall is one of these things; it’s an interesting meeting point of what one would say high politics and politics from below. In the United States, very often, we associate the fall of the Berlin wall with the trip made by President Reagan to Berlin in June of 1987 when Ronald Reagan gave his famous challenge to Mikhail Gorbachev. He said, “Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate and tear down this wall.” He made that statement in front of the Brandenburg Gate.

There are two ways to read that statement. One is, it is a challenge. That is, it is standing up to the dictatorship of communism and challenging them to tear down this wall. But you also have to remember that Ronald Reagan in his second term as President was the negotiator. He was someone who was actively working with Mikhail Gorbachev who wanted to bring openness and reform to the Soviet Union and to the Eastern Bloc. One of his famous statements is “glasnost then perestroika.” Reagan was a negotiator. So, one way to tear down this wall is, come and join us; join the open and free world. And so, there are two ways of reading that.

But nonetheless, Reagan’s part in this is not the only part in this. I mean, one of the greatest parts of this story is that governments were in fact behind the people, as it were, behind the curve of the people, I think, on this whole issue. And, the more and more the Eastern Bloc countries, the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc countries, liberalized, the more and more freedoms people wanted to take. And, even in the summer of 1989… You have to remember that in October of 1989, the East German, the German Democratic Republic, East Germany, was celebrating its fortieth anniversary as an establishment, as a state. And so, it was a time when Gorbachev visited the city. There was, there were a lot of ceremonies surrounding that. It was a very important public propaganda opportunity for the East German regime.

So, in the summer of 1989, no one could have imagined that -- despite all of this growing openness in the Eastern Bloc in 1989 -- no one could have imagined that this was going to lead to the collapse of the Berlin Wall or to the opening of borders. You only have to look at what happened, say for example, in China in the summer of 1989 at Tiananmen Square. There was very much a possibility that a popular uprising, a democratic uprising, could very well be met with force as it was in China and, in fact, the way it was Germany right after Gorbachev left in October of 1989. When he left East Germany, there were uprisings across the East that were met with police as counterforce. So, there was no guarantee that this was going to happen. And what eventually happened with the fall of the wall is that East Germans made a declaration that there would be an ability to travel freely between East and West and the people seized that opportunity. The heroes in this story were not necessarily the politicians but were the people themselves who took this opportunity, I think, to express the strength of their convictions, their confidence in the need for democratic reform.

Related Information: Voices of U.S. Diplomacy and the Berlin Wall Online Exhibition

Twenty Years After—Part 1: The Rise of the Berlin Wall

2009-11-08T01:15:49+00:00

About the Author: Dr. Peter Kraemer serves as a Historian at the U.S. Department of State

Part 2: The U.S. and the Berlin Wall | Part 3: The Fall of the Berlin Wall

To talk about the origins of the Berlin Wall, we have to go back to the end of the Second World War. You’d go back to the Yalta conference which was held between President Roosevelt, Premier Stalin, and Prime Minister Churchill in 1945 where the decision was made to divide Germany. There was not going to be an armistice or cease fire the same way there was at the end of the First World War. So Germany would require unconditional surrender and there would be a period of occupation. And so the decision was made at the Treaty of Potsdam later that year to divide Berlin along the lines of the four major powers, the four major allied powers.

Berlin, as a city, lay 110 miles within the borders of East Germany, or of the Soviet zone. It was not East Germany, but the Soviet Zone. And this created a problem because Berlin was then an isolated center of American, French, and British control within the Soviet sector. And so, as tensions rose between the west and the east, Berlin was always a vulnerable spot, a spot requiring the defense of the west. But it was also a place where East Germans could emigrate freely without much problem.

The borders between the two Germanys closed in 1952, but East Germans could still come to East Berlin and walk across the border into West Berlin and gain freedom that way. And between 1952 -- or throughout the 1950’s -- roughly three million Germans, East Germans, did just that. They voted with their feet against the East German regime, so to speak. And they were primarily young people, primarily intellectuals, technicians, engineers, scientists, people who would be valuable to the East German state. And so the situation grew to a crisis. The East German population actually decreased during the 1950’s because of this outward emigration. And so in 1961, the crisis came to a head and on August 13, 1961, the East German government constructed a wall that bisected the city of Berlin.

The Berlin Wall began in 1961 as a simple razor wire divide and the streets were cut off. There was an effort to impede movement obviously between the two halves of the city. And what’s important to remember is that the Berlin Wall constantly was improved by the East German government. That is, it was made more technologically sophisticated. It was increasingly militarized from 1961 to 1989.

Related Information: Voices of U.S. Diplomacy and the Berlin Wall Online Exhibition

Voices of U.S. Diplomacy and the Berlin Wall

2009-11-06T23:55:40+00:00

About the Author: Priscilla Linn is the Senior Curator at the U.S. Diplomacy Center.

The U.S. Diplomacy Center invites you to view the online exhibition Voices of U.S. Diplomacy and the Berlin Wall. This exhibition commemorates the 20 years since the demise of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989.

We invite you to share your memories and reflections here of this important date in history and the events in Germany and former communist states over the past two decades.

If the Wall fell before you were born, we are interested in your thoughts about the Wall as part of 20th century history. What is the value of studying the history of the Wall?

Please also let us know what you think of the online exhibition and the diplomatic oral histories you will read and hear, as this marks the first time they have been used in a museum exhibition.

Coral Triangle Initiative Promotes Conservation and Marine Biodiversity

2009-11-05T23:00:14+00:00

About the Authors: Phillip Loosli serves as Environment, Science, Technology and Health Officer at U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur and Kelly Milton serves in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

Senior officials from the six nations of the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security adopted the Coral Triangle Initiative regional governance structure at the fourth Senior Officials Meeting held October 20-22 in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Senior officials confirmed how the six CTI countries will collectively conserve and manage the world’s epicenter of marine biodiversity as well as established guidelines for establishing a permanent secretariat. Officials also agreed to issue a joint CTI statement to highlight ocean and coastal concerns to be delivered at the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) this December in Copenhagen. These major outcomes and further discussion regarding the location of the permanent secretariat will be presented for endorsement at the Second Ministerial Meeting to occur in Ghizo, the Solomon Islands, from November 18-19, 2009.

The Coral Triangle Initiative constitutes a collaboration of six nations that inhabit the world’s largest concentration of coral reefs and marine biodiversity, which includes the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, and Papua New Guinea. This 5.7 million square km. area of ocean and islands supports the livelihood for 120 million people and food for many more. The area is threatened by over- and destructive fishing, land- and sea-based pollution, and climate change. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono initiated the Coral Triangle Initiative on the sidelines of the December 2007 Bali UNFCCC climate change talks. The Heads of State from the six Coral Triangle countries formally endorsed the implementation of the CTI Regional Plan of Action at the 2009 CTI Summit in Manado, Indonesia, this past May.

Mozambique: U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Opens New Opportunities

2009-11-05T18:01:48+00:00

About the Author: John Zak is a Grants Program Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Maputo, Mozambique.

Mozambique’s landmine problem was once one of the most severe in the world, with a legacy of landmines and explosive remnants of war from decades of conflict. Since 1993, the United States has provided more than $47 million of assistance in Mozambique to safely clear areas of landmines and unexploded ordnance, helping safeguard communities and demonstrating America’s commitment to peace and stability in Mozambique.

Our latest $2 million grant will fund survey and clearance teams from The HALO Trust, a United Kingdom-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) and leading U.S. humanitarian demining partner. These HALO teams ─ staffed largely by local Mozambican demining technicians ─ will survey all villages across six districts of Maputo Province as well as conduct re-survey and clearance of priority minefields in Maputo, Manica and Tete.

In all, tens of thousands of landmines were laid in Mozambique during its 1964-1975 fight for independence and throughout the civil war that followed. All factions used mines to defend provincial and district towns, roads, airstrips, key bridges, power supply infrastructure and military posts. Although the civil war ended in the early 1990s, landmines and unexploded ordnance continue to claim lives and hinder development.

Newly cleared lands mean new opportunities to continue rebuilding Mozambique through economic development and building new communities, farms, and businesses. But landmines are more than a physical threat ─ they are also a powerful symbol of the violence and instability of Mozambique’s past. When we remove landmines, we also help Mozambique remove the vestiges of the past and move toward a new era of peace and stability.

After more than 17 years of foreign assistance funding demining activities, the number of known and suspect hazardous areas has been significantly reduced with help from the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action program, a joint effort by the Department of State, Department of Defense, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services who work together to reduce risks in nearly 50 post conflict countries around the world.

From Angola, to Afghanistan, to Sri Lanka, U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action has delivered more than $1.3 billion in aid, making the United States the world’s leading contributor to post-conflict efforts to help countries remove these explosive remnants of war. Projects funded under the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action program include:

• Mine clearance projects by 63 partner organizations such as The HALO Trust;
• Mine-risk education to help area residents avoid injury by identifying potential hazards;
• Research and development into new demining technologies;
• Training local demining technicians in affected countries; and
• Supporting rehabilitation programs serving those injured by landmines and unexploded munitions.

U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action has contributed to significant reductions in casualties from mines and explosive remnants of war, and is one of many ways the United States is demonstrating its commitment to peace and stability in Mozambique and the wider region.

We look forward to a time when all Mozambicans are free to walk on their land without the fear of explosives. The United States supports the aspirations of Mozambicans who wish to make their hopes for a more peaceful, more stable, and more democratic Mozambique a reality.

Global Partnerships Advance Cairo’s “New Beginning”

2009-11-05T16:11:37+00:00

About the Author: Farah Pandith serves as the Special Representative to Muslim Communities.

On Tuesday, almost exactly five months after the President’s speech in Cairo announcing a “New Beginning” with Muslims around the world, Secretary Clinton spoke in Marrakesh at the Forum for the Future and reiterated the U.S. commitment to a "New Beginning." Standing before leaders from the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) region, as well as from the G-8 countries, the Secretary highlighted some of the actions we are taking to move beyond words -- actions we are taking to create partnerships, and through those, opportunity.

Through the Civil Society 2.0 initiative, we will help grassroots organizations use digital technology to tell their stories, build their membership and support bases, and connect to their community of peers around the world. Technology provides us with enormous opportunities to narrow the gaps and create understanding between people of different cultures, races, ethnicities and faiths. Connecting people together is one way we can help empower civil society at the grassroots level.

Secretary Clinton also announced the upcoming President’s Entrepreneurship Summit, which will take place early next year. The Entrepreneurship Summit will focus on the positives things young Muslim entrepreneurs are doing around the world through their creative ideas and passion for action. It addresses a need I’ve been hearing from young leaders around the world. The Summit will not only highlight amazing entrepreneurs but will help social, business, and technology entrepreneurs scale up their efforts. In so doing, they will impact their communities in big and small ways. Jobs and income are important benefits of successful entrepreneurship, but it goes beyond that: Entrepreneurs have the power to transform their lives and the lives of others around them. I hope you will go to www.entrepreneurship.gov/summit to learn more about the Summit, share your ideas, and nominate delegates!

I can tell you that the initiatives the Secretary has outlined directly respond to what I have heard in my own meetings with civil society leaders and, particularly, young people. I just returned from Kuwait, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia myself. The most encouraging thing about meeting with young people in these three societies was their energy and their own desire to make a difference. I met a young woman in Kuwait who writes a blog about what it feels like to grow up in Kuwait in 2009, having recently returned to her country after several years away. She was passionate about the future and the importance of sharing information. I met a young social entrepreneur in Jeddah who started a green campaign called GreenJeddah. She and her peers were seized with this issue and wanted to educate their community about recycling. I met a young man in Baghdad who started a tech company and wanted to do more to build networks of young people to share feedback and experiences. We need to enable and empower them. This is exactly what we are trying to do with the initiatives Secretary Clinton announced.

As the Secretary said, “it is results, not rhetoric, that matter in the end.” While listening and learning from each other are key first steps, true change will only come from building partnerships. When we work together, whether in government, academia, a non-profit organization, or as entrepreneurs, we each bring a unique perspective. Harnessing these different perspectives towards partnerships for action enables us to work together for the common good.

“Ask U.S.”: Engaging on Sudan Strategy

2009-11-04T19:20:03+00:00

Submit Your Questions: Save Darfur Coalition | STAND: Genocide Intervention Network

About the Author: Major General (Ret) Scott Gration serves as the President’s Special Envoy to Sudan.

On October 19, Secretary Clinton, accompanied by Ambassador Rice and myself, released the Obama Administration’s new comprehensive strategy to confront the serious and urgent situation in Sudan. As mentioned in my past blog post, the strategy focuses on three major areas: ending the conflict in Darfur, implementing the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), and ensuring that Sudan does not become a safe haven for terrorists.

This approach involves engaging with all stakeholders, in and out of Sudan, and calls for addressing the myriad set of issues facing Sudan in a coordinated and comprehensive way, based on verifiable progress on the ground.

Today, we continue this engagement and conversation in a new and unique way.

The Sudan advocacy community is extremely active and deeply committed to raising critical awareness about the situation in Sudan. The Obama Administration is eager to continue an active dialogue with the advocacy community, and as such the White House and the State Department are partnering with the Save Darfur Coalition and STAND, the student-led division of Genocide Intervention Network, to launch “Ask U.S.”

“Ask U.S.” is an effort to reach out to the advocacy communities and to solicit questions on the U.S. Sudan policy from activists deeply and passionately engaged on this critical issue. As part of the “Ask U.S.” campaign, the Save Darfur Coalition and STAND will collect questions from their members over the course of this week and weekend. Next Tuesday, November 10, leaders from these organizations will come to the White House and, in a live streamed video event, will pose selected questions to myself and Samantha Power, NSC Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs.

I would like to invite you to join the conversation and to watch the live stream at 3:00 p.m. EST, Tuesday, November 10. Through the State Department page on Facebook you can watch as members of the advocacy community have their questions posed to us, and I also encourage you to participate by inviting your friends and family on Facebook to join in the chat as this conversation unfolds.

We look forward to opening up this dialogue, listening and learning and ultimately building ways that we can work together to support the Sudanese people in their quest for peace, security and prosperity.

The advocacy community has had a major impact by raising awareness about the situation in Sudan. By maintaining an open conversation and working together, we can make a real difference with real progress for the Sudanese people.

We hope you will join us.

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Outlines New Relationship With Muslim Communities Around the World

2009-11-03T15:07:59+00:00

Trip Information Page | Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

Today, Secretary Clinton delivered remarks at the Forum for the Future in Marrakech, Morocco. The Secretary said:

"Five months ago in Cairo, President Obama called for a new beginning between the United States and Muslim communities around the world – a relationship that is comprehensive rather than focused on a few political and security issues, a relationship based on partnership between people as well as government, and a relationship that lasts for the long term. Those were some of the important words that President Obama spoke in Cairo, and his speech generated a great deal of enthusiasm around the world. Many people heard his call and asked, what can we do; what can you, the United States do; how will President Obama’s vision bear out in a new approach to U.S. policy; and how will that new approach translate into meaningful changes in people’s everyday lives?

As President Obama and I believe, it is results, not rhetoric, that matter in the end. Economic empowerment, education, healthcare, access to energy and to credit, these are the basics that all communities need to thrive. And the United States seeks to pursue these common aspirations through concrete actions. We know that true progress comes from within a society and cannot be imposed from the outside, and we know that change does not happen overnight. So we will not focus our energies on one-time projects, but we will seek to work with all of you in government and in civil society to try to build local capacity and empower local organizations and individuals to create sustainable change.

I have asked our Embassy to engage with local communities to solicit ideas for how the United States could be a better partner. I also appointed the first-ever U.S. Special Representative to Muslim Communities. The ideas we have heard have helped to shape our plan. Farah Pandith, our new Special Representative, is traveling widely and listening and coming back and expressing the concerns that she has heard from those who are living and working for a better life.

Now, we are focused on three broad areas where we believe U.S. support can make a difference. The first comes from the work and research that has been done over many years. When you ask people in all countries in this region or anywhere in the world what is the biggest concern you have and what do you want to see that happens differently in the future, the answer overwhelmingly is 'I want a better job. I want rising income. I want to give my family, especially my children, more opportunities.' It cuts across every society no matter where that society is.

I often say that while talent is universal, opportunity is not. And so we are committed to building ladders of opportunity to help develop the enormous talents that reside in the people of this region. Early next year, the President will host an entrepreneurship summit in Washington to convene people focused on creating small businesses, expanding their businesses, taking the talent that they have and translating it into income generations to assist their families.

We have launched a website for this summit. It is www.entrepreneurship.gov/summit. And I invite you to submit the names for delegates that could possibly benefit from coming to this summit, and please provide your comments on topics for the agenda. Because this summit is part of a broader effort to expand support for entrepreneurship in the region, including by establishing new business development centers. It is also my hope that together, we can launch a virtual entrepreneur network that connects the range of people engaged in such activities in the region and even beyond.

There are so many good ideas that die because the conditions are not right for bringing those ideas to market. There are so many people who work so hard every day that they can’t realize the benefits of that hard work to the extent that they should. Now we already, as you know, give billions of dollars in ongoing direct aid programs in this region, ranging from a community’s livelihood program in Yemen to a youth employment program in Jordan to our work here in Morocco.

We have invested $700 million in Morocco through a Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact. And this is an approach that we are working on that grows and has a partnership between our government and the government of people of a country – in this case, Morocco – where we say we’re not here to tell you what you need from us; we’re here to ask you what we can do to help you realize your own goals. In this case, we are supporting to two agricultural sectors – fruit tree farms and small-scale fisheries – as well as artisan craft and strengthening financial services and enterprise support. Over and over, we hear from small and medium-sized businesses that cannot get the financial assistance, they can’t get the technical support that would grow their business. So working with the Government of Morocco, we are hoping to really help to see blossom a lot more economic activity at the lower level that will then, from the bottom up, build prosperity.

Our second area will be advancing science and technology, something that we have heard from many of you, to help create jobs and to meet global challenges. It’s not something you don’t know; it is your history. But it was the Islamic world that led the way in science and medicine. It was the Islamic world that paved the way for much of the technology and science that we now take for granted. And now we face global challenges. How do we address water issues? How do we solve the climate crisis? How do we eradicate disease? Well, we want to look to your societies and we want to help Muslim majority communities develop the capacity to meet economic, social and ecological challenges through science, technology, and innovation.

The State Department has established a science envoys program, and I’m pleased to announce today that the first envoys will be three of America’s leading scientists: Dr. Bruce Alberts, a former president of our National Academy of Sciences; Dr. Elias Zerhouni, a former director of our National Institutes of Health; and Dr. Ahmed Zewail, the Nobel Prize-winning chemist. Each of these men has agreed to travel to North Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia to fulfill President Obama’s mandate to foster scientific and technological collaboration. The State Department will also expand positions for environment, science, technology, and health officers at our embassies. To finance these solutions, the United States Overseas Private Investment Corporation known as OPIC is launching a technology and innovation fund.

Our third area of engagement is education. Last week, I announced our support for a new program for higher education in Pakistan. We have also begun a program to support partnership between U.S. community colleges and institutions in Muslim communities to share knowledge and to train students for good jobs. We are expanding our scholarship opportunities, particularly for underserved secondary school students. One of our most successful education programs is called Access. It provides English language instructions to bright students in poor communities. I am personally committed to this program, and I look for ways to provide additional support, because I have seen firsthand its power.

Earlier this year, I visited an Access classroom in Ramallah. I walked into an enthusiastic discussion of Women’s History Month. These were students who did not come from educated families, but they were students with the same ambition and motivation that we heard described by our colleague, the Palestinian foreign minister, about his own son. We want to create more opportunities for students like these to fulfill their God-given potential.

And this points to a related priority – the empowerment of women. I have said, as some of you know, for many years, and President Obama said it in Cairo, no country can achieve true progress or fulfill its own potential when half of its people are left behind. When little girls are not given the same opportunities for education, we have no idea what we are losing out on because they’re not going to be able to contribute to the growth and the development of their countries.

The United States has named our first-ever Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, Ambassador Melanne Verveer. We strongly support the call made at last year’s Forum for the Future for the creation of a regional gender institute to help advance women’s empowerment across the board politically, economically, educationally, legally, socially, and culturally. And we look forward to working with other governments and civil societies to launch this initiative soon. And we will provide initial funding to make it a priority.

We seek to support civil society efforts worldwide because we believe that civil society helps to make communities more prosperous and stable. It helps to drive economic growth that benefits the greatest number of people. And it pushes political institutions to be agile and responsive to the people they serve. So the United States is launching an initiative called Civil Society 2.0. This organized effort will provide new technologies to civil society organizations. We will send experts in digital technology and communications to help build capacity.

Now, these are some of the ways that the United States is pursuing President Obama’s vision for a new relationship. Our work is based on empowering individuals rather than promoting ideologies; listening and embracing others’ ideas rather than simply imposing our own; and pursuing partnerships that are sustainable and broad-based. We believe that despite our differences, there is so much more that unites us. Fathers and mothers everywhere want safety and opportunity for their daughters and sons. People everywhere want to have a role in the decisions that affect them, to express their needs to their leaders to be heard, and to help chart their own futures." Full Text

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton To Amplify Message of Partnership and Respect

2009-11-03T01:38:05+00:00

Trip Information Page | Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

Secretary Clinton is currently traveling in Morocco and will address the Forum for the Future. During remarks with Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi-Fihri this morning, the Secretary said, "...The foreign minister and I had a very productive conversation about a range of issues, including our shared goal of strengthening stability and prosperity throughout North Africa and the Middle East. I’m looking forward to participating tomorrow in the Forum for the Future, and I look forward also to working with the foreign minister on the issues that come from this forum.

The Forum for the Future is a gathering dedicated to creating the broadest possible network of partnerships in pursuit of common goals. It brings together not only government ministers, but representatives from civil society. And I am grateful too that we will work on the important issues confronting us – from regional security, economic development, religious tolerance, social reforms – because none of these goals can be accomplished through laws or governments alone. They require a broad coalition of likeminded people who translate laws into lasting change.

...So, Minister, I have come to Morocco to echo and amplify President Obama’s message of partnership and respect, and we will work together to advance our shared goals of security, prosperity, and opportunity. Much of what you have done can serve as a model for other nations, and I believe that this model can benefit people not only here in Morocco, but those who care about increasing the opportunities for a better life for all people. Thank you, sir." Full Text

Sudan: Instruments of Peace

2009-11-03T00:00:24+00:00

About the Author: Major General (Ret) Scott Gration serves as the President’s Special Envoy to Sudan.

I am currently in Sudan, where I am visiting Juba and Khartoum to hold discussions with representatives from the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). Together, we are working to move forward on the outstanding issues of Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) implementation. It’s a difficult and lengthy process, but failure is not an option – both the national elections and the referendum on self-determination in Southern Sudan are only months, not years, away.

Besides holding meetings and discussions, I also had the chance to speak on All Saints Day (November 1st) at the All Saints Cathedral in Rejaf, Southern Sudan. I used the opportunity to share a bit about my background and to give a message of hope and peace to those in attendance. Peace, justice, and reconciliation require us all to work together toward to the same goal – this message is so important, and I tried to convey its urgency.

The only way we will able to achieve stability and a lasting peace in Sudan is by working to involve all those who have a stake in the process. This is why it is essential that we work to resolve the differences surrounding the national elections and the referendum. It is why it is critical that we ensure that the process is fair and credible and that the will of the people, as expressed through the national elections and the referendum, is respected.

Below you will find a condensed version of the remarks I delivered to the congregation in the All Saints Cathedral in Rejaf, Southern Sudan. As always, I want to thank you for your continued interest, Scott.

Remarks at All Saints Day, All Saints Cathedral
Rejaf, Southern Sudan
Sunday, November 1, 2009

I feel so very much at home in Africa. My parents came to Africa in 1952 as missionary teachers, and I lived in Africa in Congo, Uganda, and Kenya for almost twenty years in my youth. I lived for a long period in northeast Congo until severe conflict broke out following independence. The fighting and the violence forced my family and me to flee the country for safety.

After fleeing Congo in 1964, we became refugees. We lost all of our possessions, and we escaped with just our lives. My parents were forced to establish a new home; we had to start again. I still remember the pain and loss of that difficult experience, but it has helped me to understand in a very small way the suffering, pain, and loss many of you have experienced here in Sudan for decades.

In 1979, I went back to Uganda as Idi Amin was leaving and President Binaisa was coming to power. The Ugandan people had suffered so much, and I heard terrible stories of pain and loss. As I stand here in this church today, I am reminded of the shocking story one woman shared with me of how she escaped from a burning Catholic church that had been lit on fire by Idi Amin’s soldiers as the congregation worshipped inside.

The church has been instrumental in promoting reconciliation and restoration across Africa—not only in Uganda, but in places like South Africa and Congo. The church as a whole, and each one of you as individuals, can continue to play an instrumental role in bringing reconciliation and peace to Sudan.

Let us remember the prayer that Saint Francis of Assisi offered 800 years ago, "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, where there is hatred, pardon; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy." Be an instrument of peace. Register to vote, express your will, and do this in peace and for peace. Spread love, forgiveness, faith, hope, light, and joy as you register to vote and as you work to bring stability to this very special land. Thank you very much.

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Encourages Use of New Media Communications in Pakistan

2009-11-02T19:23:44+00:00

Trip Information Page | Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

About the Author: Ashley Bommer is Special Advisor to Special Representative to Afghanistan & Pakistan Richard Holbrooke. She previously worked on the “Text SWAT” initiative whereby donations of $5 were made to UNHCR for refugees in the Swat Valley by sending an SMS on a personal cell phone.

Pakistan, the world's second largest Muslim nation, is often viewed in America as a land infiltrated by extremists and has even been labeled by Newsweek as "The World's Most Dangerous Nation." Whereas I have grown to love this country and its people: spirited shopkeepers along the cobbled streets; women conversing over chai tea; hungry diners huddled over steaming clay pots of chicken handy; the calming sound of morning prayer.

But living in Pakistan is not easy. The suffering of the citizens of Pakistan is often overlooked. The people live in fear of terror. Last week, a bomb ripped through the middle of downtown Peshawar. Merely two years ago, I strolled through Peshawar's bazaars and bobbed in and out of rug shops. I can't help but ask how the situation has changed so radically in such a short time. Today, the entire city of Peshawar is on lockdown. You can't get anywhere from anywhere, and the shops are blackened shut.

And on top of the constant security threats, there is poverty, joblessness, and desperation. There is little opportunity for youth. The boy from South Waziristan does not know where he can get a job. The farmer in Dera Ismael Khan cannot purchase fertilizer for his crop. The student can't get a loan. And the tourism operator in Gilgit desperately waits at the internet cafe to see if he can email friends to drum up business.

Something is broken. People want help. They want an alternative to the terrorism and hopelessness. Despite the United States longstanding relationship with Pakistan it is clear: Government to government and military to military ties do not always translate directly to the people. The people here do not think of America, and the American people, as a long term ally and friend.

Last week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went to Pakistan to help change this misperception. She responded to the negative perception of the United States with an American style vigor and demonstrated her committment to 21st century statecraft by engaging not just with the government but also with the Pakistani people. She met the government and military officials, but reached beyond normal channels to emphasize a new connection with the people of Pakistan in boisterous townhalls and forums with student groups, businessmen, and civil society leaders. She engaged women, tribal elders and Pakistani talk show hosts and senior editors. She spoke of her commitment to working with the people of Pakistan as partners, that her priority is “first and foremost, listening and consulting with one another.” Secretary Clinton set out the basis of American engagement “by underscoring the fact that I am here because the Obama Administration and I personally am committed to Pakistan and to the Pakistani people.” She spoke of a “broader partnership, one that we hope will improve the lives of people in both our nations in many ways, so that more people can develop their talents and make the most of their God-given potential.” She confronted the negative image of America and championed a new page: country to country, people to people.

But what really was amazing is that she did this while also bringing a new technology and communication forum to this country of 170 million people. At Government College in Lahore, she announced support from the United States for the first free Pakistani mobile phone-based social network, known as Humari Awaz (“Our Voice”). She declared that the United States would fund the first 24 million text messages for people to communicate directly with one another in what she noted is “a service you can use on your cell phone to distribute news stories, to invite people to an event, to share your thoughts and opinions, to report problems that you see, to call for actions to solve those problems.” With more than 95.5 million mobile phone users, many of whom are youngsters, the mobile platform have enabled immense opportunity for wide range of community strengthening and social uplift applications like the one that was launched today.

The Director of Wireless at the Ministry of Information and Technology, summed it up in an email earlier this week. "Social Connection can transform society," he wrote, "and in Pakistan there is immense opportunity for using technology to deploy citizen centric services, that can help bring about socio economic change for the Pakistani people. Active involvement of Pakistani stakeholders both in the public and private sectors will be crucial to achieve optimal results."

Leveraging the immensely popular SMS medium, the Humari Awaz network will allow Pakistanis, many of whom do not have access to computers or the internet, to participate in the freedom of social networking and communications on infinitely diverse themes and subject of their choice using their mobile phones. In addition to linking friends and families, the network will be able to provide those interested in any issue at all to connect: from the rural farmers and sellers. to wholesalers and their retail outlets, with instant industry related information regarding prices, new orders, weather and road conditions or news.

As I finish this post and get ready for tomorrow, I hear Saima Mohseni, leading correspondent for Dawn News, Pakistan's first English language news channel on television, say, "It's a media charm offensive ...the U.S. Secretary of State's three day visit to Pakistan has taken the country's tv screens and radio airwaves by storm. Her team's organised more coverage than we've ever seen before for a top U.S. official." And then I smile as she picks up her phone and introduces Humari Awaz and discusses that for the first time Pakistanis have the chance to engage with the Secretary and each other by texting the words HELP or MADAD to 7111.

In the first day of service over 20,000 texts were sent using the “Our Voice” platform: 703 user ids were created, 1,360 followers linked up, and 2,363 updates were posted. Over the first weekend, 1,564 keywords were registered, followers reached 7,012, and total SMS sent has reached 232,947.

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Meets With Senior Officials in Jerusalem

2009-10-31T23:53:35+00:00

Trip Information Page | Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

Secretary Clinton recently visited Jerusalem to meet with senior officials. During a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, she stated:

"Thank you so much, Prime Minister. It is a great personal pleasure for me to be back in Jerusalem and a great honor to be here as Secretary of State once again. ... I appreciate the very positive words about the need to get back into a negotiation that would be in the best interests of Israel and Israel’s security, as well as create a state for the Palestinian people. Both President Obama and I are committed to a comprehensive peace agreement because we do believe that it holds out the best promise for the security and future of Israel, and for the aspirations of the Palestinians. ...I’m very much eager to begin those discussions. Full Text

A View From the Middle East: Ambassador Rice Visits Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Iraq

2009-10-30T20:39:21+00:00

About the Author: Carolyn Vadino serves as Deputy Spokeswoman at the United States Mission to the United Nations in New York.

On October 18, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice traveled to Jerusalem on behalf of the Obama Administration to deliver a speech to the Israeli Presidential Conference, hosted by President Shimon Peres. She also spent time traveling in the region, meeting with key leaders and making important stops along the way.

In Israel, Ambassador Rice met with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. In the Palestinian Territories, she met with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Fayyad and PLO General Secretary Yaser Abed Rabbo.

She stopped at the historic Yad Vashem Memorial, where she laid a wreath in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.

Ambassador Rice also visited Jalazoun Camp in Ramallah, where she spoke with students at the UNRWA Girls School, visited the Jalazoun health clinic, funded by the U.S. Government; and toured a USAID emergency jobs program in Bir Zeit.

She also held a roundtable discussion with Palestinian civil society and business leaders and a discussion at Exalt Technologies focused on the information technology industry.

Ambassador Rice visited Iraq, holding meetings with Iraqi leaders such as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani. Other highlights of her travel include meetings with the leadership of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and a meeting with Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. She concluded her trip with a tour of the site of the August 19 terrorist bombing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and expressed America's condolences for those killed in the attack.