Dipnote - U.S. Department of State Official Blog

Spirit of Chicago Evokes American Experience in Brussels

2009-07-04T15:26:30-05:00

Secretary Clinton's 4th of July Message

About the Author: Kallie Knutson serves at the U.S. Mission to the European Union.

The annual Fourth of July celebration is special in Brussels. It is a “tri-Mission” event, noting that Brussels is home to three official U.S. representations, the U.S. Mission to NATO, the U.S. Mission to the European Union, and , of course, the United States Embassy to the Kingdom of Belgium. Accordingly, our celebration gathers guests from 27 member states of the EU and 28 members of NATO (many of which they share in common), and many celebrants from Belgian government, non-profit, academic, and media organizations. Brussels is also home to more than 1,000 international media and the largest number of think tanks in a single European city! This makes for an incredibly multi-cultural July 4.

For this year’s theme, we selected “Chicago” to show off a great American city and express support for its bid for the 2016 Olympics. But how does one reflect the vibrant spirit of Chicago in a party at the Ambassador’s residence in Belgium? The party planning committee thought big. After much preparation and inevitable last-minute adjustments, stunning 9-square meter photos of Chicago, highlighting Chicago’s past and present, adorned the 18th century residence, and an expanded banner of the Chicago skyline is neighbor to the Park Royal. Suspended at rue Zinner, it displayed to passersby our pride in a great American city and our celebration of our nation’s birth.

In-house, the unique character of a tri-Mission event was also in high evidence. Which Ambassador or Chargé speaks first on the program? In what order should the band play the various anthems? How many invitations does each mission send out? Procurement, construction, assembly, and securing the necessary donations further kept us busy. The party planners were a diverse set — political officers, local employees, public affairs officers, economic officers, management specialists, and interns — and through planning for this event, we discovered new ways to get in touch with our creative sides in celebrating the United States and Chicago with Brussels.

The final reception on July 2 at rue Zinner was a hit, as more than 500 guests marked our holiday and recalled their own special — and quite varied — memories of the United States: studies at our universities, tours of duty at military, diplomatic, or media postings, business exchanges, or driving down Route 66 with a special “Route 66” tie to prove it.

How Can the U.S. Effectively Support Democratic Efforts in the World Today?

2009-07-03T16:03:07-05:00

In honor of our nation's 233rd birthday, Secretary Clinton delivered a video message for U.S. Embassies worldwide to play at their Fourth of July celebrations. Secretary Clinton said:

"For Americans, the Fourth of July is a day to reconnect with loved ones, to remember our history, and to renew our commitment to democracy, tolerance, and justice. As President Obama said in Cairo last month, these are not just American values, these are core principles we share with people everywhere."

How can the U.S. effectively support democratic efforts in the world today?

U.S. Embassy Kabul Salutes Friendship, Solidarity

2009-07-03T21:48:47-05:00

Secretary Clinton's 4th of July Message

About the Author: Mark Stroh serves as Information Officer at U.S. Embassy Kabul.

Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry praised both American and Afghan democracy at Embassy Kabul’s Independence Day celebration on Thursday, July 2. Flanked by Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta and addressing a crowd of several hundred invited guests including Afghan ministers, National Security Forces personnel, government officials, members of the international community and others, Ambassador Eikenberry said, “This is a dual celebration: the birthday of the world’s oldest democracy, and our deepening partnership with one of the world’s newest democracies, Afghanistan.”

Ambassador Eikenberry noted the efforts of the United States to assist Afghanistan, and also the extraordinary hardships that the Afghan people have endured. “We have contributed our resources and our time,” the Ambassador said. “More importantly, we have sacrificed the lives of our sons and daughters.” Ambassador Eikenberry then quoted President Barack Obama, who recently said, “Despite the costs involved, America’s commitment will not weaken.”Foreign Minister Spanta described the example that American democracy sets for emerging nations. “It has shown to the world the promise of freedom, liberty, constitutionalism, and democracy.” Foreign Minister Spanta further noted that sustainable development and peaceful coexistence can only come about within a democratic system of governance.

The Embassy celebration included performances by the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division brass band and a joint performance by American jazz musicians and traditional Afghan players. Ambassador Eikenberry said that the joint musical performance was a tribute to the great partnership between the United States and Afghanistan. “So today,” the Ambassador said, “we salute the friendship and solidarity between our people and we celebrate our common purpose.”

We the People…

2009-07-03T20:46:18-05:00

Secretary Clinton's 4th of July Message

About the Author: Evelyn Boettcher serves as a Public Affairs Section Intern at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

The July 4th Reception was held on June 26, 2009; it was the first such celebration at Embassy Beijing's new compound, which opened last summer. This year’s celebration focused on showcasing the diversity of American life with the theme: "We the People of the United States."

Route 66 style road signs led more than 700 guests on a road trip across America highlighting four distinct regional cuisines and cultures. The embassy's atrium hosted the "New Orleans Gumbo Shop," where guests sampled traditional gumbo while listening to contemporary American music ranging from Frank Sinatra to Aaron Copeland. A "California Wine Tasting Lounge" offered samples of six California wines as jazz music from the State Department’s “The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad” CD played softly in the background. The Cherry Garden of the embassy was transformed into "Coney Island Carnival" -- bringing the legendary New York area to the international guests. Kansas City barbeque came hot off the grill outside on our embassy patio with live music from the Woodie Alan Blues Band. A highlight of the afternoon occurred when Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Bill Weinstein joined the band onstage with his harmonica.

The official program featured the embassy’s Marine Security Detachment presenting the colors and Chinese and American national anthems being performed a capella by the Beijing Playhouse Choir. With the Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun standing just a few feet away, Charge d’ Affairs Dan Piccuta first introduced Secretary Clinton who spoke to us via videotaped message. Charge Piccuta reminded everyone in the soaring atrium of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing of the democratic principles upon which our nation was founded. He emphasized the ideal that forms the basis of our democracy: the fundamental value of a government elected by and for the people. Piccuta said that in the history of our country, our ideals of freedom of speech, thought and action were at one time denied to many citizens based on their race or gender. But what makes America great, Piccuta said, is that Americans find the strength to admit when we are wrong and seek to correct mistakes from the past. He toasted the achievements of President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by saying that they are symbols of the diversity, strength and freedom that can be found in the United States.

Our embassy also prominently displayed booths commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Lunar Landing and Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics. Guests could even pose for pictures on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle painted with an American flag! But despite all the fun that we had, our primary message to visitors was that the United States is built on diversity, strength and freedom. These values written in our Constitution and Bill of Rights --- those of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness --- are the values that "We the People of the United States," here at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, chose to highlight this Fourth of July, 2009.

History Resonates at July Fourth Celebration in Vietnam

2009-07-03T18:38:18-05:00

Secretary Clinton's 4th of July Message

About the Author: Angela Aggeler serves as Assistant Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Just say Fourth of July to many of us in the Foreign Service and our first thought is of an official reception. I immediately imagine standing in the backyard of the Ambassador’s Residence (could be anywhere), heels sinking into rapidly degrading lawn, sweating fiercely (usually), clutching an empty glass and trying to make myself understood in the local language. All to say these events can be, at a minimum, hazardous to one’s wardrobe.

This year seems different though, and I feel quite moved to be here in Vietnam for our Embassy event. For starters it’s in a hotel with air conditioning and good solid flooring. But even more compelling is the grand echo of history reverberating around us. Ambassador Michalak wrote a statement for this year’s Independence Day, invoking what has been called the most famous sentence in the English language: “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Yet in 1852, in a famous Fourth of July speech Frederick Douglass demanded to know what the meaning of Independence Day was for our nation’s slaves. Today, 233 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and 157 years after Frederick Douglass’ speech against slavery in the U.S., we have an African American President, who took office in our 43rd peaceful transfer of power of our nations office – watched by millions of people here in Vietnam.

Many Americans are surprised to learn that these moving words were evoked here in Vietnam as well, in 1945 by Ho Chi Minh. Quoting that famous sentence verbatim, he added, “This immortal statement was made in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America in 1776. In a broader sense, this means: All the peoples on the earth are equal from birth, all the peoples have a right to live, to be happy and free.”

It was only 14 years ago this month that President Clinton announced the normalization of bilateral relations between the United States and Vietnam - again, reverberations of history: a sad, shared history of tragic loss of beloved life on both sides. And though, as with race in the United States, we have much work ahead of us, there is so much that is good that is moving briskly forward. We are cooperating on education, security, trade, health, climate change, governance and myriad other issues. And at our Independence Day reception, Ambassador Michalak and a Senior Vietnamese Minister will raise a toast to our two countries, with genuine wishes for the prosperity, security and a deepening friendship. Reconciliation is an extraordinary force for change.

Celebrating July Fourth in Jakarta

2009-07-03T14:50:53-05:00

Secretary Clinton’s 4th of July Message

About the Author: Ted Osius serves as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Arriving in Indonesia a week ago, I’m here in time for our National Day celebrations. Jakarta is booming, with gleaming malls and lots of traffic, and I am busy settling in to my new house, new city and new position at the U.S. Embassy Jakarta.

Sam, our Labrador retriever, just emerged from quarantine and is happy in his new home. My sister Meg’s visit began this week. Meg and I will accompany the Ambassador to Independence Day events here in Jakarta and later in Surabaya (East Java) and Medan (Sumatra).

For a U.S. diplomat, Independence Day overseas is more formal than it is at home. Instead doing what most Americans do to commemorate the Fourth of July, at Embassies worldwide the celebration of our nation’s birth is held inside a large hotel ballroom, without a hot dog, sparkler or beer can in sight.

Often it takes place on a different day than the Fourth. In Jakarta, we held it last night, the 2nd. Embassy staff, foreign dignitaries and VIPs from the host country mingled, while the ambassador spoke about the nature of the bilateral relationship.
Ambassador Hume’s remarks were brief, yet they hit all the right notes. Saying he was humbled by the opportunity to strengthen relations between the world’s second and third largest democracies, he spoke about some of the values Americans and Indonesian share: respect for diversity, religious freedom, and free and fair elections. In fact, Indonesians will exercise their civic duty by voting in their Presidential elections next week.

As the Ambassador welcomed on stage a children’s choir from President Barack Obama’s former elementary school in Jakarta, our guests shared a moment of hometown pride in our new president, who grew up just down the street from my new house in Menteng. My neighbors love the fact that President Obama enjoys eating nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice) just as much as he does Five Guys’ hamburgers.

Secretary Clinton, visiting Jakarta in February, underscored the U.S. commitment to Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Since then, we’ve seen swift progress in building a comprehensive partnership with Indonesia.

In April, the U.S. Export-Import Bank approved over $1 billion in financing for Indonesian airlines to upgrade passenger fleets, improve aviation safety and increase their business. In May, the U.S. sent a large delegation of top scientists, technology experts, as well as officials to the World Ocean Conference (WOC) in Manado. In early June, Secretary Clinton announced $10 million for higher education funding for Indonesia, including projects for English language teaching and encouraging U.S. – Indonesia educational links.

And just this week, our governments agreed to redirect $30 million dollars of debt to protect Sumatra’s tropical forests. These are the kinds of projects which reflect the strong partnership our two countries are building.

Although I’ve just arrived here, it’s clear that U.S. – Indonesian relations are surging, and I’m happy to be here to help catch the wave.

U.S. Embassy Tokyo Celebrates Independence Day

2009-07-03T04:28:23-05:00

Secretary Clinton's 4th of July Message

About the Author: Lori Shoemaker serves as the Assistant Press Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan.

Enjoying great food is often a part of Independence Day celebrations in the United States, and it was certainly a part of our embassy’s Independence Day celebration in Tokyo, Japan, which is a competitive culinary market. Japanese today enjoy one of the highest quality food supplies and food cultures in the world, with Tokyo restaurants sporting 227 Michelin stars.

We offered our Japanese guests a wide spectrum of American foods, which this year included a special menu inspired by the First Family’s garden on the South Lawn of the White House. Some well-known figures in the world of cuisine were involved in the menu. Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, who was named by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Japan office as “Honorary U.S. Food Ambassador to Japan” in recognition of his unique ability to create a special connection between American and Japanese cuisine, unveiled in advance of the event several new Independence Day menu items, including Alaskan Crab and California Rice Salad and California Green Gazpacho. At the Independence Day reception itself, Iron Chef expert commentator Yukio Hattori participated in a tasting of the menu with our Chargé James P. Zumwalt. (Chargé Zumwalt, by the way, has his own blog on our embassy website.)

The United States is foremost among reliable foreign suppliers to Japan, which imports about 60 percent of its caloric needs. Japanese companies have invested in American agriculture and purchased U.S. agricultural products for over 60 years. The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, in partnership with nearly fifty non-profit American food associations in Japan, has been in the lead of bringing what is new and exciting about American food to the Japanese people and fostering our already strong food and agricultural trading relationship.

Our Independence Day celebration also included an inspiring ceremony reaffirming our enduring and productive alliance with Japan, and recognizing the ideals of freedom, justice, and democracy shared by Japanese and American citizens. A popular Japanese-American singer sang both national anthems, the 7th Fleet Band provided great music, and our own embassy Marine Security Guards performed the Color Guard Ceremony, my favorite part of the event.

Nevertheless, on this year’s occasion celebrating America’s birthday, I feel that we best expressed our sincere appreciation to our guests through the delicious food made with American ingredients.

Pacific Partnership Contributes to Samoan Communities

2009-07-02T23:05:33-05:00

About the Author: Tom Weinz is the dedicated Foreign Service Liaison Officer (FSLO) aboard the USNS Richard E. Byrd for Pacific Partnership 2009 (PP09).

Organizations love acronyms, so I had best introduce some of the most important ones right away. The U.S. Navy calls its humanitarian outreach “civic action programs,” or CAPs. By affixing the first few letters of each specialty (engineering, medical, dental, veterinarian), we are blessed with the catchy ENCAP, MEDCAP, DENCAP, VETCAP. There are also “community relations” programs: COMRELs. COMRELs are made up of volunteers, primarily from the ship’s crew, who go out each day and contribute in some way to the local communities. They may play soccer with local children, join a local group of volunteers to clean up a field or participate in some other local program, or help paint a school, hospital ward—whatever might be suggested by community groups. As a former Peace Corps volunteer, I see great similarities in the people-to-people relationships that are formed during Pacific Partnership visits, short term though they be. (By the way, the U.S. Peace Corps has an active program here in Samoa, and some of the volunteers will assist during PP09 with translation and other participation, according to their talents and interests.)

On July 1 (Samoa lies just east of the international date line; at noon in New York, which is 9 a.m. in Seattle, it is 5 a.m. on the same day in Samoa), our anxious crew awoke to rain coming down in sheets. The rain was so heavy that nothing was able to begin according to schedule. Somehow, the engineers, who are not easily deterred from their intended tasks, managed to raise their tents (they will camp at the National Hospital for the entire program, allowing them to work sun-up to sun-down on their ENCAP) and begin renovation of a family hall at the hospital. It is common here for families to provide food for members who are in the hospital, and to spend time with the person who is hospitalized. Although there is a large hall on the hospital grounds for family members to use, it had fallen into serious disrepair over the years. PP09 will completely renovate it during our stay.

A small MEDCAP also got underway today in the town of Lalomanu, in the southeastern part of Upolu. In spite of the downpour, more than 150 patients visited the clinic. I hope to visit that MEDCAP early July 2, and still make it back to Apia in time for the official opening ceremony, which will take place in a large park at the edge of Apia Harbor. The Prime Minister of Samoa will officially welcome PP09; Commodore Andy Cully, who leads PP09, will speak, as will Chargé Robin Yeager, officer in charge of the American Embassy in Apia. So we are very hopeful that the rain will stay at sea for the day.

Read Tom Weinz's previous entry from aboard the USNS Richard E. Byrd.

Operation Jacque: One Year Later

2009-07-02T22:00:13-05:00

About the Author: Ana Duque-Higgins serves as Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia.

One year ago today, July 2, 2008, the Colombian Armed Forces rescued 15 hostages, including three Americans, held by the terrorist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in a daring and creative rescue. Operation Jacque, Spanish for “Checkmate,” was not only a great achievement in the history of the Colombian military, but also a victory for the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, which had worked for five long years to free their three compatriots, Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves, and Thomas Howes.

The three American contractors were kidnapped in February of 2003 after their plane experienced engine trouble during a routine mission and had to make a crash landing in the middle of dense jungle occupied by the FARC. All five passengers aboard the plane survived the crash landing, but sadly American pilot Tommy Janis and Colombian Army Sergeant Luis Alcides Cruz were executed by FARC rebels shortly after the crash. The FARC held the three remaining Americans in inhumane conditions for more than five years, keeping them on the move constantly through the Colombian jungle to avoid detection.

During these five years, U.S. government officials from a variety of agencies joined Colombian government officials in the search for the three Americans and other long-held Colombian hostages. In 2008, the Colombian military came up with a brilliantly simple plan. Due to several blows against FARC leadership in the months leading up to the rescue, communication between the unit holding the hostages and the FARC’s top commander were severely weakened. The Colombian military used this weakness to their advantage and convinced the unit that FARC leadership wanted the hostages turned over to a nongovernmental organization that would send helicopters into the jungle to pick them up.

On July 2, 2008, two white, Russian made MI-17 helicopters bearing the logo of a non-existent NGO arrived at a previously agreed upon location. On board each helicopter were members of the elite Colombian Special Forces, disguised as employees of the NGO and members of the press. The hostages boarded the helicopter with the two senior FARC leaders in charge. Shortly after take-off, the Special Forces troops attacked and handcuffed the FARC leaders and exclaimed to the surprised hostages, “We’re the National Army. You are free!”

The helicopters were met at a Colombian Army base by U.S. Ambassador William R. Brownfield, who presented the three Americans with their new U.S. passports created using photos taken from proof of life videos provided by the FARC the year before. The three were then transferred to the Bogota airport where they were greeted by dozens of embassy employees, including members of the team that spent years working to free them and contractors who flew with them before their captivity.

Two days later, on July 4, 2008, the embassy celebrated Independence Day with an unprecedented level of jubilation, excitement and remembrance of what freedom truly means. On July 4, 2009, Americans and Colombians will gather together at the embassy to raise the flag and celebrate the 233rd anniversary of our nation’s declaration of independence. On this day, however, we will all be remembering more than just that. Ambassador Brownfield will dedicate a plaque to the five heroes who went down with the plane in February of 2003. The plaque will hang in the lobby of the chancery where -- using traditional military symbolism -- for more than five years photographs of the hostages, yellow roses, lemons and salt were displayed to keep their memory alive.

Strengthening Women in Afghanistan Creates Foundation for Peace, Prosperity

2009-07-02T16:16:55-05:00

About the Author: Ambassador-at-Large Melanne Verveer serves as director of the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues.

I traveled to Afghanistan on June 24, to learn firsthand what conditions are like for Afghan women today and to reaffirm our commitment to them. I spent time in Kabul and in Badghis, and I spoke with women and men at every level that I could: parliamentarians in Kabul, and villagers in Badghis; female candidates for the Provincial Council, brave businesswomen, journalists, and dozens of NGO workers. I visited a state-of-the-art women’s detention center that housed inmates whose crime was suspicion of having a boyfriend. And I heard how this clean and modern jail was sometimes the safest place for such young women: upon their return, some former prisoners have been shot by their relatives; others have been scalded to death by boiling water.

I returned with the firm conviction that we must stop losing ground on women’s rights in Afghanistan.

I saw progress in the unity of the women’s organizations, which speak with one voice now more than ever. I saw hope in the growing realization, among ordinary Afghan citizens, that a country in which 42 percent of the population earns less than one dollar a day cannot afford to let half its economic potential go untapped. But I also saw the challenges that remain: the 700 schools that the Taliban burned down last year alone; the crimes against women that will never be solved or, likely, even investigated; the women who remain unaware that their own national Constitution guarantees them equal rights.

Afghanistan is preparing for elections, both for president and for the provincial councils. This is the time to ensure that all the candidates in what we hope will be fair and inclusive contests prioritize women’s needs. We must work with Afghanistan, through the Ministry of Interior, to ensure that all candidates have the physical security and freedom of movement they need to conduct their campaigns. We must ensure that every woman is able to vote and able to cast her ballot free from coercion.

The status of women in Afghanistan is a bellwether for the future of that country. When we strengthen them – when they make progress towards an equal political voice, towards economic participation, towards access to education and healthcare and freedom from violence – we create a stable and lasting foundation for a peaceful and prosperous society.

Read Ambassador Verveer’s recent press briefing on her travel to Afghanistan and follow the activities of the Office of Global Women’s Issues on Facebook.

Building a Science Network of the Americas

2009-07-02T14:25:12-05:00

About the Author: Portia Boone serves as an intern in the State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Scientists, researchers and students from throughout the Americas are working on innovative projects on diverse issues including the environment, climate change, energy and pandemic preparation. Unfortunately, there is no system currently in place to link these people and projects, allow them to share best practices and collaborate on related initiatives. State’s Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA) Bureau is working to change this by building a "Science Network of the Americas."

To help build enthusiasm, support and content for this project, Dr. Timothy DeVoogd of Cornell University led a webchat on Wednesday, July 1 via WHA’s online media hub. Dr. DeVoogd, a Jefferson Science Fellow in the Public Diplomacy Office of State’s WHA Bureau, has made a number of contacts at research and academic institutions, national institutes of health and development agencies during his travels throughout the hemisphere. Dr. DeVoogd — in his role as WHA’s resident “Ambassador of Science” — is leveraging his contacts to develop a network through a free classifieds, Craig’s List model. Right now, WHA is actively exploring partnerships to host an online Science Network of the Americas.

Attracting participants from a variety of Latin American countries, this event allowed scientists, academics, and many others to discuss concerns such as climate change, the need to develop renewable energy sources, and options for improving communication within the Americas. Representatives from Universidad de la Sabana (Colombia), TEC de Monterrey (Mexico), science experts from the Organization of American States (OAS), and Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA-Colombia) took part. The online media hub allows the conversation to continue via a discussion forum on the same topic.

This event was an excellent example of diplomacy in action and a testament to the fact that diplomacy is not just the business of senior officials, but can also be carried out by engaged and passionate individuals at any level within any field. As an intern in WHA, I assisted with the webchat and was quite impressed by the reciprocity of the interchange. Not only did the webchat allow Dr. DeVoogd to share meaningful insights on the positive impact of a science network for the region, but it also created an environment in which participants could learn from one another and explore how to collectively address the challenges affecting the region. While there remains a great deal of work to be done to promote and strengthen this network, I am certain the ideas shared during the webchat have helped lay a strong foundation for a scientific network that will play a major role in the advancement of our region and our world.

Nations Work in Partnership To Prevent Nuclear Terrorism

2009-07-01T20:05:31-05:00

About the Author: Graham Lampa is a Presidential Management Fellow currently on rotation with International Security and Nonproliferation, Office of WMD Terrorism.

In his Prague speech calling for renewed international action to rid the world of nuclear weapons, President Obama singled out nuclear terrorism as “the most immediate and extreme threat to global security.” To address the threat of terrorists acquiring nuclear weapons, the President called for nations to come together to turn the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism into a “durable international institution.” At this year’s plenary meeting in The Hague, Netherlands held June 16-17, the partner nations of the Global Initiative came together to move toward that goal.

At the plenary meeting, the U.S. and Russian Co-Chairs announced new participants in the Global Initiative: INTERPOL as an observer organization and Belarus as the 76th partner nation.

The Global Initiative 2009 Plenary’s Dutch hosts introduced a new element that promises to improve the organization and build on its focus on capacity-building. After the first day of high-level diplomatic discussions in the large plenary room at the World Forum, subject matter experts from the partner nations rolled up their sleeves and joined together in working groups to share their experiences and develop best practices in the areas of equipment and technology, exercises, public-private partnerships, and Web-based collaboration.

The United States sent 27 delegates to the plenary meeting; in addition to representatives from the Department of State, experts from the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice as well as other agencies also participated. Acting Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation Dr. Eliot Kang led the U.S. team as head of delegation.

Once ideological rivals who threatened mutually assured destruction, the United States and Russia now work together as co-chairs of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. Begun in 2006, the Global Initiative is a partnership that is building capacity in each of its partner nations to better equip national, regional, and local officials with the knowledge and expertise needed to prevent nuclear weapons and related technologies from falling into the hands of terrorists and to lock down sensitive nuclear materials inside their borders.

The Global Initiative is neither a treaty nor a traditional international organization. Rather, it is a global partnership based on a Statement of Principles endorsed by each partner nation and observer organization.

As the Global Initiative continues to develop into the “durable international institution” called for by President Obama, its co-chairs and partner nations will retain their focus on the mission that brought them all together: to prevent the possibility of an act of nuclear terrorism.

Pacific Partnership Marks First-Day Success in Samoa

2009-07-01T15:20:21-05:00

About the Author: Tom Weinz is the dedicated Foreign Service Liaison Officer (FSLO) aboard the USNS Richard E. Byrd for Pacific Partnership 2009.

The Scottish poet, Robert Burns, noted that our best laid plans “…gang aft agley.” Aye, Robbie, and June 30 was a fine example. The USS Dubuque was originally chosen for Pacific Partnership 2009; it is an amphibious ship with a well deck, which is an internal deck that can hold a landing craft. The landing craft is loaded within Dubuque itself, and is simply floated out to sea when ready. But in May, several Dubuque crewmembers contracted H1N1 flu, and the USNS Richard E. Byrd replaced the Dubuque. Byrd is a cargo ship and uses cranes to lower cargo onto piers or other fixed platforms. But Apia’s pier was busy today, so Byrd had to transfer all the cargo for the mission onto a local ship, the Samoa Express. Imagine two ships in heavy swells, trying to transfer cargo from one to the other without mishap. Thanks to expert seamanship, and a great deal of patience, the Samoa Express reached Apia and offloaded cargo at 6:00 p.m. Our weary crew and drivers then transported everything to National Hospital, where the medical mission will kick off on July 1.

The Samoa Express must now carry all the materials needed for the island of Savai’i (which I erroneously called “smaller” in my previous piece; Savai’i is physically larger, but has a population of about 45,000--approximately a quarter of Upolu’s) overnight on a four to five hour trip to two additional sites. Thanks to a pre-positioned team member waiting on Savai’i, and two intrepid Navy medical personnel willing to ride the Samoa Express all night, we expect to have everything in place and ready to go as scheduled. Yes we can.

In the meantime, volunteers from Japan, New Zealand, Australia and the United States have been arriving via commercial air and picked up by PP09 coordinators. Two fast rubber inflatable boats make the trip from Apia marina to the Byrd hourly until midnight, or later should one of the incoming flights be delayed. So everyone will get to bed a little later than planned tonight, weary from the extra effort required in overcoming unforeseen obstacles, but a wee bit proud to have taken them in stride.

Read Tom Weinz's previous entry from aboard the USNS Richard E. Byrd or his next entry from Samoa.

U.S. Embassy London Helps Return Lost Sea Turtle to U.S. Waters

2009-06-30T18:48:54-05:00

About the Author: John Whittlesey serves as Environment, Science, Technology and Health Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in London.

In 2007, a rare Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, whose normal habitat is the warm waters of the Caribbean and the southeastern United States, took a very wrong turn and swam all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to southern England. The turtle was found near Devon, England, nearly dead from starvation and hypothermia.

The turtle, later named Willy, was rescued, taken to the Sea Life Center in Weymouth, and nursed back to health.

In 2008, the NGO Marine Environmental Monitoring contacted the U.S. Embassy in London for help in shipping Willy back to the United States. The Embassy's Environment Section worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife authorities in the U.K., the Sea Life Center, and American Airlines to get Willy home. Here is her story.

Pacific Partnership 2009 Sets Sail for Samoa

2009-06-29T21:04:53-05:00

About the Author: Tom Weinz is the dedicated Foreign Service Liaison Officer (FSLO) aboard the USNS Richard E. Byrd for Pacific Partnership 2009.

The annual humanitarian mission, this one known simply as Pacific Partnership 2009 (PP2009), is about to begin. It will commence on the two major (and the one very small) islands of Samoa, which are called Upolu and Savai’i, and will continue across thousands of miles of the Pacific over the next several months, visiting five island nations, ending in the Republic of the Marshall Islands on September 18.

The devastating earthquake-induced tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004, killed more than 200,000 people in 13 countries, more than 128,000 in Indonesia alone. The United States Navy responded forcefully to that disaster, both with ships in the area immediately following the tragedy, and later by sending the large hospital ship, the USNS Mercy, to help assist some of the tens of thousands of Indonesians affected by the destructive flooding and its aftermath. Out of the experience of that event, Pacific Partnership was born. The USNS Mercy conducted five-nation humanitarian missions in 2006 and 2008; the USS Peleliu undertook a similar mission in 2007. The USNS Richard E. Byrd was selected for PP2009.

As I write this, the Byrd is approaching the smaller Samoan island of Savai’i, carrying 110 doctors, nurses, dentists, veterinarians, engineers and support personnel. U.S. Navy personnel are in the majority, but there is a substantial number of participants from partner nations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other U.S. and international government agencies. Others will arrive by air over the next two days, as will several U.S. Navy planes carrying additional personnel and materials; a ten-person advance team has been here in Samoa working with the U.S. embassy and local officials since June 3. Our small American embassy in Apia, the capital, has played a major role in the preparations, from issuance of the initial diplomatic note of request to the Samoan government, to providing local expertise and contacts within the pertinent ministries.

The Byrd carries two helicopters and a number of small boats. In addition, local boats, trucks, cars, ferries, and volunteers will be utilized to move everything and everyone necessary to carry out the medical programs and engineering renovations (primarily to schools and hospitals) that will work in pre-selected sites on both islands over the next ten days. (A one-day medical program, and another one-day engineering program will be carried out on the tiny island of Apolima, which lies between the two major islands.) As of this moment, all of us who have been working on this mission for a very long time are ready to move everything into place for Day One of PP09 on site: June 30 at the National Hospital in Apia.

Read Tom Weinz's next entry from aboard the USNS Richard E. Byrd.

Global Road Safety Depends On Action, Awareness

2009-06-29T15:18:12-05:00

About the Author: Nancy Carter-Foster serves as Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science.

Driving may seem like a commonplace activity to many Americans, but it is still a dangerous task at home and in much of the world. Nearly 1.3 million people die and 20-50 million more worldwide are injured in road crashes every year. That translates to 3,500 people dying and 137,000 more being seriously injured or disabled every day. More than half of those killed in traffic crashes are people in the prime of their lives, between the ages of 15-44. It is also the second leading cause of death for children between the ages of 5-15. Road crashes are the leading non-natural cause of death for Americans living, working and traveling abroad.

In November, this critical issue will be addressed in a summit to be hosted by the Russian Federation in Moscow, under UN auspices, to call attention to the far-reaching impact of motor vehicle injuries and fatalities from unsafe driving conditions and roads in both the developed and developing world. This very first Ministerial Summit on Global Road Safety will establish a public, international dialogue about this issue.

Low and middle-income countries carry a disproportionate burden, accounting for 90 percent of the total road fatalities, which is not only costly in human life, but also in economic development and growth. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the annual cost of road traffic crashes in these countries exceeds $100 billion, which amounts to nearly double the total combined development assistance these countries receive every year from bilateral and multilateral donors. Road safety is also a key component in attracting – or discouraging – foreign investment and tourism. As developing countries continue to build infrastructure and add motorized vehicles to the roads at a rate of up to 18 percent per year, it is critical to address the traffic safety issue now. According to the WHO, this growing problem could become the third leading cause of global burden of disease by 2020, if steps are not taken to stem the tide.

There is a great deal of effort and international collaboration on road safety. Improving road safety does not happen by “accident,” but rather through the efforts of many sectors of society, both governmental and non-governmental, to take action and to raise awareness for prevention efforts. The summit host, the Russian Federation, has implemented a special-purpose federal program to reduce road fatalities by 25 percent by 2012. In the last 40 years, the United States has reduced crash rates by more than 50 percent — an encouraging figure that demonstrates that this problem is not insurmountable when addressed appropriately.

I know that deliberate and determined efforts of society are the only way we can drastically improve road safety. This is why it is so important to address the problem as a global community. We are looking forward to the summit and will keep you posted with updates on its progress.

Sudan: Comprehensive Peace Agreement

2009-06-26T21:33:18-05:00

Deputy Secretary Steinberg's Remarks | Participants' Statement

About the Author: General Scott Gration serves as U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan.

We stand at a critical time in Sudan’s history. It has been four years since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended the longest running civil war in Africa. We only have 164 days until historic national elections in February 2010 and only 403 days until the January 2011 referendum on self-determination for South Sudan. Meanwhile, a final decision on the Abyei border region remains outstanding. Before elections occur, though, it is vitally important to address the parts of the CPA that have not yet been implemented or that have fallen short. It is for all these reasons that I convened the “Forum for Supporters of the CPA” -- to refocus and revitalize the international community’s commitment to tackling the challenges of further CPA implementation and to strengthen support for it. This effort brought together representatives from 33 countries and international organizations, including delegations from the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).

The goal of the forum was to take a comprehensive look at all the outstanding issues and to build consensus around resolving those highest priority issues that currently impede the full implementation of the CPA. In this spirit, I invited all key stakeholders to Washington to participate and weigh in on ways we can collectively help support this crucial enterprise. I also convened a Special Envoys Council, consisting of Sudan envoys from around the world, to highlight and identify the challenges and roadblocks facing the CPA along with broader issues of peace and stability across Sudan. I then participated in an NGO forum to elicit feedback and ideas from the humanitarian, advocacy and civil society communities on how government efforts and private efforts can support each other. Finally, I convened three working groups to build on the discussions from the general session of the conference. These working groups focused on the three most critical areas facing implementation of the CPA: governance, security, and economic issues, and in the days and weeks ahead will produce a series of concrete steps and recommendations that the international community, along with the parties, can take to accelerate CPA implementation.

I am proud to say that the conference was a huge success! We were able to identify and address both achievements and shortcomings of the international community’s role in the implementation of the CPA, and we had productive discussions with the delegations from the NCP and SPLM on how we can work together to ensure better implementation of the remaining elements of the CPA. By assisting the parties in Sudan, the United States and its international partners can help create the environment necessary for historic elections next year. By working together, we can pave the way for a stable, secure, and prosperous Sudan. Thank you for your continued support.

United We Serve: Answering the Call

2009-06-25T21:54:16-05:00

About the Author: L.J. Krizner serves as an Education Program Specialist at the U.S. Diplomacy Center.

Have you ever cracked 50 dozen eggs at once – and then scrambled them? The State Department Young Professionals have!

Motivated State Department employees from State’s Young Professionals Group (YPro) generously offer their time, energy and cooking skills to Miriam's Kitchen, one of the soup kitchens in the District of Columbia.

Each month, YPro volunteers rise extra early to arrive at Miriam’s by 6:00 a.m. in time to crack eggs, make biscuits, fill the coffee pots and cereal bowls, and serve up to 250 guests. A dedicated group, YPro volunteers also participate in other service opportunities with Miriam’s Kitchen. YPro members collect cereal, clothes and books when needed. This year, YPro also gathered a team to "Walk for the Homeless" and volunteered at Miriam's annual gala event. The State Department's YPro has been privileged to maintain a relationship with Miriam’s Kitchen for five years.

Miriam’s Kitchen is centered on a breakfast program that provides delicious food and meets the nutritional needs of homeless individuals, particularly those who are the lowest functioning among the homeless population. Food is donated from local groceries, farmers’ markets and individuals, and is prepared each morning by volunteers. By providing food and relief from the elements, Miriam’s is able to attract a large number of guests. Because Miriam’s staff also includes skilled social workers, case managers, and volunteers, Miriam’s is able to develop individual relationships with its guest, so longer-term needs can be addressed.

This summer, President Obama is calling on all of us to serve in our communities, and there are many ways to get involved. Serve.gov is your online resource for not only finding volunteer opportunities in your community, but also creating your own.

U.S. Embassy Kabul Hosts Popular Web Chat

2009-06-24T15:53:55-05:00

About the Author: Rachel Cooke serves as a Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Embassy Kabul’s Election Team – a group of political officers who are assisting Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission on issues such as election security, voter registration and training for voting officials – joined forces with the embassy’s Public Diplomacy Section on June 18 to host a web chat about the upcoming presidential and provincial council elections in Afghanistan.

The Political Section’s Lyra Carr and Robert Gerber spent over an hour answering a phenomenal 76 questions, and there were more that we simply couldn’t get to. Over 100 people participated in the web chat. Many of the participates joined the chat from seven Lincoln Centers, small American libraries and cultural centers that provide English language and computer skills classes at no cost to the general public. The Lincoln Centers also host seminars, workshops and fun activities that help their patrons better understand the United States.

The discussion questions touched on topics such as security during and after the elections, the role of the United States, presidential candidates, and ways to ensure that the elections are free, fair and transparent. This is the second web chat on elections to have taken place, with at least one more likely prior to the August 20 election day.

Community-Based Demining Links Development and Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan

2009-06-23T20:31:36-05:00

About the Author: Peter Villano is a Program Manager in the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

In a small village in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province, a young Afghan man works to remove landmines in his village. Several weeks ago, he was unemployed and worried about supporting his family. He would travel long distances looking for work. Now, he is employed locally as a deminer by an Afghan non-governmental organization (NGO), and returns home every afternoon to see his wife and children.

The Kunar project is a community-based initiative, which centers on the removal of landmines and other unexploded bombs that threaten the local population. In Afghanistan and in other post-conflict countries around the world, mines and other unexploded munitions ─ what we call “explosive remnants of war” (ERW) ─ have denied locals access to arable land, and limited their ability to gather firewood to cook, stones to build their houses, and, ultimately, the prospect of rebuilding their communities. In 2008, mines and ERW killed or injured over 445 Afghans, an average of 37 per month.

This project is managed by a small core staff from the Organization for Mine Action and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR), based in Kabul. The United States Department of State has partnered with OMAR in this community-based demining initiative. Unlike most mine action projects in Afghanistan where trained deminers come from elsewhere to remove landmines and unexploded ordnance, community-based demining utilizes a local workforce that is recruited, trained, and employed by an Afghan NGO that oversees all aspects of the operation. In Afghanistan, which has suffered decades of conflict, these projects can last for several months, providing income and economic opportunity to hundreds of families.

Community-based demining in Kunar furnishes jobs that keep young men employed, and perhaps most importantly, establishes trust with local leaders by removing one of the one of largest hidden killers in Afghanistan: ERW. What’s more, the project is not just outsiders coming in to conduct mine clearance; it is owned by the population, thereby reinforcing local governance and reducing insurgent influence.

When this community-based demining project ends, follow-on agricultural and vocational training as well as immediate development projects can commence, allowing locals to capitalize on their cleared land and an available labor force with new job skills. Since these demining projects are planned, coordinated, and run in conjunction with local tribal leadership from the beginning, community priorities are taken into account even before a project is initiated.

Since 1993, the United States has been the world’s leading contributor to post-conflict efforts to remove landmines and ERW around the globe. In 2009, the Department of State will provide over $22 million to Afghanistan alone, enabling the Afghan government and a constellation of local and international NGOs to continue the essential tasks of clearing mines and ERW, caring for survivors of ERW accidents, and destroying or securing recovered munitions to prevent their use by insurgents in future attacks.

Community-based demining represents an opportunity to effectively link Afghan and U.S. humanitarian, development, and counterinsurgency objectives like never before. It offers an Afghan-led solution they stand ready to implement.

International Students Learn About Marine Conservation

2009-06-23T18:55:56-05:00

About the Author: Erin Hatch serves in the State Department's Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science.

On Wednesday, June 17, the State Department’s Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science (OES) met with twenty undergraduate students from Malaysia, Singapore, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea who were competitively selected to participate in a “Study of the United States Institute on the Environment” (USIE) program, coordinated by the East-West Center and funded by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program provides a platform for international undergraduate students to meet with leading scientists, community leaders, business owners, state and federal government agencies, and NGO groups in the United States to discuss key environmental challenges with a focus on viable solutions. At the end of the program, each student is required to investigate a research question pertinent to environmental challenges facing his or her country of origin. During the six-week program, participants visited the Hawaiian islands of Maui and Oahu, the San Francisco and Monterey Bay area, and the District of Columbia.

Christine Dawson of OES's Biodiversity Team and Todd Capson in OES's Office of Marine Conservation provided an overview of the bureaus’ programs on biodiversity conservation for flora and fauna as well as sustainable fisheries management in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. NGO representatives from The Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund spoke about recent successes with the Coral Triangle Initiative, a regional marine conservation program which aptly demonstrates multilateral partnering in achieving sustainable marine conservation and development.

An education and research organization, the East-West Center was established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific, and the United States. The Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsors worldwide programs of international exchange, including the Study of the United States Institute on the Environment, to increase mutual understanding and empower the next generation of leaders with transformative experiences. OES looks forward to continuing its relationship with the East-West Center and was thrilled to host the promising scholars from ECA’s and East-West Center’s 2009 summer programming.

Taft Fund Supports Hospital Renovation, Refugee Return in the Congo

2009-06-22T18:01:44-05:00

About the Author: Todd Pierce serves as Public Affairs Advisor in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.

For refugees around the world, deciding to return home is one of the most momentous decisions they make. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), lack of medical care can deter refugees who might otherwise go home. Last year, a donation from the State Department’s Julia V. Taft Refugee Fund enabled a non-governmental organization to rehabilitate a hospital that serves a region of 400,000 people. Refugees from the area are slowly starting to return from neighboring countries.

On May 6, 2009, U.S. Ambassador Garvelink formally reopened Moba Hospital in the DRC’s southern Katanga state. An audience of 250 people, including doctors, nurses, local officials and area residents gathered to mark the ceremony.

The Ethiopia-based NGO Africa Humanitarian Action used the $20,000 it received from the Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration to install windows, lights, doors and new walls in three hospital buildings, as well as repair the roofs and repaint the facility. Patients are now recovering in a refurbished ward – equipped with mosquito nets. Good quality, affordable and readily available medical care is one of the keys to successful refugee reintegration.

A Note From the Spokesman

2009-06-18T21:17:39-05:00

Status Update: June 19, 2009

About the Author: Ian Kelly serves as the State Department Spokesman.

Thank you all for your get-well wishes to Secretary Clinton. The Secretary is currently working from home and resting comfortably. Please see the statement below from Cheryl D. Mills, the State Department’s Counselor and Chief of Staff that we released last night. As the statement notes, the Secretary will have surgery in the coming days. Again, we thank you for your concern, and we’ll keep you updated.

Statement of Cheryl D. Mills, Counselor and Chief of Staff, State Department

On the way to the White House late this afternoon, Secretary Clinton fell and suffered a right elbow fracture. She was treated at The George Washington University Hospital before heading home. She will undergo surgery to repair her elbow in the upcoming week. Secretary Clinton appreciates the professionalism and kindness she received from the medical team who treated her this evening and looks forward to resuming her full schedule soon.

A Tribute to the Strength and Resourcefulness of the World’s Refugees

2009-06-18T20:30:03-05:00

About the Author: Todd Pierce serves as Public Affairs Advisor in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.

The Secretary of State was unable to make it due to injury, and CNN anchorman Anderson Cooper was stymied when the bad weather cancelled his flight. But this year’s World Refugee Day event was a hit nonetheless, with moving speeches by Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie and by three refugees who resettled in the United States.

Today's event, one of several worldwide sponsored by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), commemorates the resilience of displaced people around the world and raises awareness of their needs. Drawing on the theme “Real People – Real Needs,” this year’s 90-minute ceremony focused the audience’s attention on the human stories behind the sometimes numbing figures we hear about in the stories of displaced people. Ann Curry, host of the popular American morning news show “Today,” served as MC.

Representing the U.S. government, Acting Assistant Secretary Sam Witten thanked UNHCR and other organizations that help refugees, and said supporting them is “in the best part of the U.S. tradition.” UN High Commissioner Antonio Gutteres remembered the two UNHCR staff who died in the line of duty in Pakistan this year, victims of terrorist attacks on humanitarian workers, and thanked the U.S. for its support of UNHCR.

The tech triumph of the event was a live satellite link with the students at the “Obama School” at a refugee camp for Darfuris in eastern Chad. The Washington audience and the students waved at each other, and the young spokesman for the students told us they wished that the school had more teachers. Most of all, he said, he and his classmates wanted to go home.

Angelina Jolie, who has done almost 40 field visits for UNHCR since becoming a Goodwill Ambassador, singled out the resilience of the refugees she had met. She told moving stories of hospitality she received from refugees who were destitute. Later in the day the foundation she created with her partner, actor Brad Pitt, announced a gift of $1 million to UNHCR to help newly displaced people in Pakistan.

Perhaps the most moving moments of the day came from former refugees themselves. The Baral family spoke about being forced out of Bhutan and living in refugee camps in neighboring Nepal. They qualified for resettlement in the United States and moved to Phoenix. They expressed their gratitude to the U.S. government, to UNHCR and all the other groups that have helped them in all phases of their journey. They were realistic about how difficult it can be for refugees who come to the U.S., between culture shock and the recession, but optimistic that life would be better in the United States. Rose Mapendo, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, gave a harrowing account of her time in a Congolese prison . As the mother of 10 children, she was forced to deliver twins by herself, in her cell, with no doctor present. She thanked those who had helped her escape and qualify for resettlement in the U.S. Since her arrival she has founded a non-profit group to draw attention to the plight of refugees and to help recently arrived refugees adapt to life in the United States.

United We Serve

2009-06-17T16:35:46-05:00

Today, President Obama announced United We Serve – a call to action for all Americans to volunteer this summer.

This summer, President Obama is calling on all of us – young and old, from every background, all across this country – to participate in our nation’s recovery and renewal by serving in our communities. From June 22 to September 11, United We Serve will begin to engage Americans from coast to coast in addressing community needs in education, health, energy and the environment, and community renewal. Serve.gov is your online resource for not only finding volunteer opportunities in your community, but also creating your own.

On the White House Blog, Cammie Croft provides more information:

"Since his Inauguration, the President has called on all Americans to serve our communities and be a part of building a better future for our country. And given this unique moment in our history with the unprecedented challenges we are facing, there isn't a more important time than now for us to get involved.

That is why today the President is announcing United We Serve – a call to action for all Americans to volunteer this summer and be part of building a new foundation for America, one community at a time.

We know that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things when empowered with the proper tools. The Corporation for National Service, the federal agency dedicated to fostering service in communities across the country, is providing those tools on their website, Serve.gov. They make it easy to not only find volunteer opportunities in our neighborhoods, but also to create and promote our own projects. It's time to roll-up our sleeves and get to work."

View the President's announcement and get started at Serve.gov.

Democracy Video Challenge Winners Announced

2009-06-17T14:51:55-05:00

The U.S. Department of State and its partners announced the results of the Democracy Video Challenge, a worldwide online competition.

The Democracy Video Challenge asked young video makers to complete the phrase, “Democracy is…” through three-minute videos posted on the competition’s YouTube site. More than 900 people from 95 countries answered the challenge. An independent jury co-chaired by Hernando de Soto (President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy) and Michael Apted (President of the Directors Guild of America) selected the 18 finalists, and the online voting public chose the six winners, one from each region of the world.

The winners are:

· Chansa Tembo from Zambia (Sub-Saharan Africa)
· Aissa Peñafiel from the Philippines (East Asia and Pacific)
· Lukasz Szozda from Poland (Europe)
· Rodin Hamidi from the United Arab Emirates (Near East and North Africa)
· Tsering Choden from Nepal (South and Central Asia)
· Anna Christa dos Santos from Brazil (Western Hemisphere)

The winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to New York, Washington, and Los Angeles in September, where they will meet with democracy groups, film and television companies, the media, and government organizations. Screenings of their films are planned in all three cities.

The Challenge Partners include: the Center for International Private Enterprise, the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, the International Youth Foundation, TakingITGlobal, the Directors Guild of America, Motion Picture Association of America, NBC Universal, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and the U.S. Department of State. YouTube is providing the video platform, and William Morris Endeavor Entertainment is providing part of the prize package.

Coercion in a Time of Crisis

2009-06-16T14:12:36-05:00

About the Author: Ambassador Luis CdeBaca serves as Director of the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State.

Today, Secretary Clinton, along with Members of Congress, released the annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. This report, which is mandated by our anti-trafficking law, analyzes the problem of modern slavery. Millions of people worldwide are held in compelled service through coercion, often in such areas as prostitution, agricultural work, or domestic service. Some of these people are vulnerable because they’ve migrated to work, but many are enslaved in their own countries.

Moviegoers around the world were shocked the see the forced begging and sexual slavery depicted in the Academy Award-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire. But for too many people – especially women and children – this is their sad reality. The annual TIP report looks at what governments are doing to address this crime, especially their efforts to prevent trafficking, to protect victims, and to prosecute the slaveholders.

This year’s report addresses the theme “Coercion in a Time of Crisis,” because our staff and officers at embassies around the world have seen an increased vulnerability to trafficking as a result of the global economic crisis. When I was working as a federal civil rights prosecutor, I saw that traffickers very often would prey on their victims’ hopes for opportunity and a better life. It is not just intuitive sense that a person who needs to help pay for medicine for their parents or school for their siblings would travel to work, and be vulnerable to exploitation.

The 175 country narratives in this report are the product of our excellent reports staff, the subject-matter experts who study the human trafficking problem in each country in depth. Working closely with partners in the U.S. embassies around the world, the staff includes the input of nongovernmental organizations, press accounts, and information provided by the governments. The photographs that accompany this post illustrate the cost of coercion for so many who seek a better life.

We look forward to hearing your views on human trafficking, and we urge everyone to join us in the fight against modern slavery.

Bright Lights Among Dark Clouds

2009-06-15T22:40:28-05:00

About the Author: Lillian deValcourt-Ayala serves as Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome.

Much of the news out of Rome last week had high entertainment value. With much of the coverage focused on Gaddhafi decked out in shades for his meetings with Italian officials and the tent set up to accommodate him and his delegation in the Villa Pamphili park, one could completely miss the fact that food security topped the agenda of two multilateral gatherings here.

At the beginning of the week, the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP) held its annual meetings and focused their discussion on funding frameworks and priorities in light of the global economic slowdown.

The U.S. delegation, headed by U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Undersecretary Burnham John “Bud” Philbrook, arrived at WFP from Washington with a strong sense of pride in a recent accomplishment. Leveraging the widest range of our humanitarian assistance tools in recent memory, the U.S. is enabling the UN food agency to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of Pakistani refugees fleeing the Swat valley. Going far beyond the provision of traditional American food aid, U.S. financial support of WFP’s outstanding logistics capabilities enabled the set up of 25 innovative humanitarian hubs that continue to operate despite security challenges. An infusion of U.S. cash allowed the organization to purchase emergency food rations in local and regional markets, supporting developing economies and small holder farmers. And the reprogramming of wheat already in Pakistan as well as the dispatch of U.S. commodities from a prepositioned facility in Djibouti provided another tool for WFP to rapidly respond to rising needs. Such flexible, broad-ranging support from the U.S. forms the backbone of WFP’s emergency response operation.

While the Executive Director of WFP warned G-8 leaders of darker days to come in a world where more than one billion live with chronic hunger, Secretary Clinton honored Dr. Ejeta of Ethiopia, one of Africa’s brightest lights in the fight against hunger. The Secretary also outlined seven principles that support an emerging new global approach to hunger with a strong emphasis on comprehensive investment in agriculture.

Bill Gates, Bob Geldof, and Desmond Tutu echoed the concerns of a report released by Bono’s ONE group by urging G-8 countries to deliver aid they promised to Africa. Advocacy on food security could not be more welcome at a time of such serious challenges. “Chicken Little-ing” the issue, however, can be counter-productive. The sky is not falling.

At the G-8 Development Ministerial in Rome on Friday, Acting USAID Administrator Alonso Fulgham announced President Obama’s intention to double U.S. foreign assistance by 2015. The Ministerial, under Italy’s G-8 Presidency, included a variety of developing countries to strengthen the collective response to such a crucial international issue. Widening the discussion will help bring more bright lights together in dialogue to ward off the menacing clouds.

U.S. Embassy Manila Highlights Wildlife Rescue

2009-06-15T17:59:35-05:00

About the Author: Caron De Mars serves as U.S. Embassy Manila's Environment, Science, Technology and Health Officer.

The Philippine Wildlife Rescue Center was the perfect backdrop for showcasing public service announcements featuring Dr. Jane Goodall and the ideal venue for Filipino youth to learn about the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products on World Environment Day, June 5, 2009. U.S. Embassy Manila invited the Director of the Philippines Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau and a volunteer veterinarian to talk to 50 students about wild animal rescue, care, rehabilitation, and release facilitated by the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Nature Center. The students also toured the Wildlife Rescue Center, handled some of the birds and reptiles, and received coloring books on the illegal wildlife trade. We shared copies of the Jane Goodall PSAs with the zoo's volunteers, and they gave the U.S. embassy posters from their anti-wildlife trafficking campaign.

The Philippine Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau owns the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Nature Center and uses it as a repository for animals that are rescued from illegal air and sea shipments; wild animals confiscated from private owners; and endangered species sold in local pet stores. Manila is a transit point for illegally traded animals and products and the Rescue Center contains confiscated animals and parts from the Americas, Africa, and Asia.

The Center’s volunteer group, MyZoo, helps rescue illegally traded wild animals and aims to release the animals back to their natural habitat. MyZoo educates the public to conserve biodiversity; appreciate endemic species; and improve the image, facilities and programs of different zoos.

Embassy Manila invited students from a non-governmental organization-supported school that educates children from the poorest communities in Manila. The organization provides educational and after-school activities for over 800 children, livelihood projects for teens and adults, and health care and religious services for the entire community. Many of the funds for these programs are generated by selling trash to junk shops, recycling paper and aluminum, and selling handbags and jewelry made from recycled material. Many of these recycled accessories made by the students’ parents were on display and for sale at the Wildlife Center on World Environment Day.

U.S., Canada Celebrate Boundary Waters Treaty Centennial

2009-06-13T20:08:11-05:00

About the Author: Suzanne Hall serves as the Public Diplomacy Advisor for Canada and Mexico in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Secretary Clinton flew to Canada to participate in the 100th anniversary of the Boundary Waters Treaty between the United States and Canada on June 13, 2009. The ceremony could not have taken place in a more beautiful setting: the Rainbow Bridge overlooking Niagara Falls.

The Secretary arrived early in the morning and proceeded directly to the bridge. Officials from both sides of the border — including Canadian Foreign Minister Cannon, legislators, governors, provincial premiers and mayors — were on hand for the celebration.

A brass ensemble from the National Academy Orchestra of Canada kicked off the event with a musical arrangement. Mayors from communities on either side of Niagara Falls then walked in, accompanied by an Honor Guard. Canadian Mayor Ted Salci from Niagara Falls, Ontario and Mayor Paul Dyster, representing Niagara Falls, New York, spoke to the importance of the Boundary Waters Treaty. Both talked about how U.S. and Canadian citizens have all benefited from its application over the last century.

The main event then began, with a processional from either end of the Rainbow Bridge. The two delegations — including Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Cannon — met in the middle of the bridge to shake hands. A binational honor guard then sang the national anthems from both of our countries and presented the colors. During her remarks, Secretary Clinton noted that over the last 100 years, the Boundary Waters Treaty has successfully prevented and resolved boundary waters disputes between Canada and the United States. Thanks to the Boundary Waters Treaty, our two countries have been able to smoothly move forward with important projects including dams. Of equal importance, the Boundary Waters Treaty is an important vehicle through which the U.S. and Canada seek to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of our shared waters.

The final moments of the ceremony were perhaps the most moving, providing a beautiful tribute to the importance of our shared water resources to Native Americans and Canadians. A young man named Ryan, a member of the Tuscarora tribe, read from the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, a Native poem praising the Earth. The portion of the poem talking about water was particularly poignant. Ryan read:

“We give thanks to all the Waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know its power in many forms — waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the spirit of water.”

The ceremony closed with the sound of carillon bells above Niagara Falls. The centennial celebration — held in a spectacular location — served to highlight the breadth and depth of the U.S.-Canadian bilateral relationship.

Ambassador Daalder on the NATO Defense Ministerial

2009-06-12T17:25:54-05:00

About the Author: Ivo Daalder serves as U.S. Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

It was an extraordinary scene, today, in the NATO Council chambers. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, newly confirmed by a unanimous vote in the U.S. Senate just 36 hours earlier, was introduced by Secretary of Defense Gates to his 41 NATO and non-NATO colleagues who provide forces and military capabilities to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. Gen. McChrystal thanked the nations for the honor of leading their young men and women in bringing security and stability to Afghanistan. He will travel to Afghanistan on Saturday and immediately take up command of ISAF operations.

Afghanistan dominated the proceedings of the Defense Ministerial. The NATO Ministers agree to stand up a robust training mission for Afghan Army and Police forces. They also agreed in principle to restructure the command of ISAF to better address the implementation of President Obama’s new strategy, which NATO endorsed at the 60th Anniversary Summit.

The challenges in Afghanistan remain great – ensuring successful elections, enhancing Afghanistan’s governing and security capacity, defeating the insurgency. But NATO remains united in trying meet these challenges in the months and years ahead.

Developing a New Global Approach to Ending Hunger

2009-06-12T00:26:01-05:00

Today, Secretary Clinton spoke at the 2009 World Food Prize announcement ceremony and posted a blog entry about chronic hunger and food security.

Today, Secretary Clinton spoke about the Obama Administration's commitment to providing leadership in developing a new global approach to ending hunger. The issue of chronic hunger and food security is at the top of the agenda at the State Department. Secretary Clinton said, "For too long, our primary response has been to send emergency aid when the crisis is at its worst. This saves lives, but it doesn't address hunger’s root causes. It is, at best, a short-term fix."

Secretary Clinton reminded us, "This morning, one billion people around the world woke up hungry. Tonight, they will go to sleep hungry. Today, in a village in Niger, a woman will walk for miles in search of water to irrigate crops that are parched by drought. Today, in Haiti, a farmer’s surplus fruit will go to waste because he has no way to store it or to bring it to market. Today, in Congo, a family will flee a conflict that has left their farms and fields fallow. And today, in a schoolhouse in Bangladesh, children will struggle to learn because their bodies are struggling to survive on insufficient nutrition. The effects of chronic hunger cannot be overstated. Hunger is not only a physical condition, it is a drain on economic development, a threat to global security, a barrier to health and education, and a trap for the millions of people worldwide who work from sunup to sundown every single day but can barely produce enough food to sustain their lives and the lives of their families.

Most of all, hunger belies our planet’s bounty. It challenges our common humanity and resolve. We do have the resources to give every person in the world the tools they need to feed themselves and their children. So the question is not whether we can end hunger, it’s whether we will."

In her remarks, Secretary Clinton highlighted the efforts of 2009 World Food Prize Laureate Gebisa Ejeta to advance food security.

"Dr. Ejeta began his journey in a hut in Ethiopia, where he was born to a mother who was passionately committed to his education. He walked 20 kilometers every Sunday to attend school. He boarded in town for the week, and then he walked home to his family every Friday. Eventually, he made it to college, where he planned to study engineering, but his mother convinced him he’d do more good for the world if he studied agriculture.

After completing his Ph.D. at Purdue...he has gone to work focusing on sorghum, a staple crop in parts of Africa, Central America, and South Asia. He helped develop Africa’s first commercial hybrid strain, which needed less water and actually yielded more grain. Then he developed another variety, resistant to Striga weed, which had regularly wiped out a significant portion of Africa’s cereal crops.

Even while he was making breakthroughs in the lab, he took his work to the field. He knew that for improved seeds to make a difference in people’s lives, farmers would have to know how to use them, which meant they would need access to a seed market and the credit to buy supplies. ...Now, he reminds us that a system of agriculture that nourishes all humankind requires more than a single breakthrough or advances in a single field. It requires a sustained and comprehensive approach. We need to create a global supply chain for food. Today, that chain is broken, and we need to repair it and make it stronger."

Secretary Clinton identified seven principles that support sustainable systems of agriculture in rural areas worldwide.

"First, we will seek to increase agricultural productivity by expanding access to quality seeds, fertilizers, irrigation tools, and the credit to purchase them and the training to use them.

Second, we will work to stimulate the private sector by improving the storage and processing of foods and improving rural roads and transportation so small farmers can sell their fruit, the fruits of their labor, at local markets.

Third, we are committed to maintaining natural resources so that land can be farmed by future generations and that it help – that includes helping countries adapt to climate change.

Fourth, we will expand knowledge and training by supporting R&D and cultivating the next generation of plant scientists.

Fifth, we will seek to increase trade so small-scale farmers can sell their crops far and wide.

Sixth, we will support policy reform and good governance. We need clear and predictable policy and regulatory environments for agriculture to flourish.

And seventh, we will support women and families. Seventy percent of the world’s farmers are women, but most programs that offer farmers credit and training target men. This is both unfair and impractical. An effective agricultural system – (applause) – an effective agricultural system must have incentives for those who do the work, and it must take into account the particular needs of children.

So these are the seven principles that will guide us in the coming weeks, as we scale up our work and help us set benchmarks to measure our efforts. We are committed to collecting data and assessing our progress, and when necessary, correcting our course. Now for us, sustainable agriculture won’t be a side project. It is a central element of our foreign policy."

Read the Secretary's full remarks from today's ceremony or her Huffington Post blog entry on "Attacking Hunger at Its Roots."

Public Diplomacy: A National Security Imperative

2009-06-11T22:45:42-05:00

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith A. McHale spoke today at the Center for a New American Security.

Today, at the Center for a New American Security Under Secretary McHale spoke about renewing U.S. engagement with the people of the world and restoring the kind of leadership that made the United States a force for global progress for so much of history. Secretary Clinton has put people-to-people diplomacy at the heart of smart power and has underscored our need to, “build new partnerships from the bottom up, and to use every tool at our disposal.”

Under Secretary McHale said, “Whether we are strengthening old alliances, forging new partnerships to meet complex global challenges, engaging with citizens and civil society, or charting new strategies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, our national interests depend on effective engagement and innovative public diplomacy. The stakes could not be higher. We must get this right…This is not a propaganda contest — it is a relationship race. And we have got to get back in the game.”

In particular, Under Secretary McHale highlighted the work to be done in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“Enhanced public diplomacy is a key component of the President’s new strategy in the region…To achieve the President’s aims, we are launching a multi-faceted strategy to provide platforms for local moderate voices, support democratic institutions and civil society, and position the United States as a long-term partner working to create opportunities and enable the people of the region to chart the futures of their own countries.

We are responding to requests from the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to help meet the needs of their people. Secretary Clinton recently announced more than $100 million in humanitarian support for the people of Pakistan. And Ambassador Holbrooke just announced another $200 million. Since 2002, the United States has provided a total of more than $3.4 billion to alleviate suffering and promote economic growth, education, health, security and good governance in Pakistan.

Yet we have a credibility gap with many in the region — some have called it a ‘trust deficit.’ So part of our task is reassuring the people that our aim in the region is to support their own aspirations. We need to do a better job of getting the word out about what we are doing to help Pakistan and Afghanistan become more stable and prosperous, both through the local media and by communicating directly with people.”

Under Secretary McHale concluded her remarks by saying, “A few days after I started at the State Department, I moved into George Marshall’s old office. General Marshall saw a world beyond our shores devastated by war and reeling from economic crisis. He knew that our fates and our fortunes were intertwined and that America had to engage with the world to ensure our future. So he launched one of the most far-reaching engagement efforts in history. And today we are still reaping the rewards of that investment in mutual prosperity and security. From Cairo to Kabul, from quiet villages to crowded cities, America is once again reaching out a hand of friendship and seeking new relationships. We know it is the right thing to do and we know, like General Marshall did, that our future depends on it.”

You may read the full transcript of the Under Secretary's speech here.

A Whole of Government Approach to Stability

2009-06-10T20:39:02-05:00

About the Author: Matthew Cordova is Deputy Director of Planning for Civil-Military Affairs in the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization.

Secretaries Clinton and Gates have spoken frequently and eloquently about the need to strengthen civilian instruments of national power to leverage the full potential of the U.S. Government (USG). Current U.S. national security challenges include violent extremist organizations, ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the global financial crisis, and weak and failing states. These challenges are highly dynamic and complex because of the number of actors involved and the speed at which the environment changes. Whole-of-government capabilities are necessary to manage national security issues that are by nature complex, dynamic and of international concern. There is no single agency or country solution and no single strategy that will endure over time to solve these challenges.

The U.S. civil-military approach to stability operations demonstrates the development of a dimension of smart power, using the right tool, or combination of tools, for each situation. Stability operations are diverse in nature and require flexible responses. The United States has been involved in 17 stability operations since the fall of the Berlin Wall -- ranging from present-day efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq to prior efforts in Bosnia, Kosovo and Haiti among others.

Now approaching its fifth year, the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) is maturing into an operational component of U.S. smart power. S/CRS is charged with building and managing a civilian-military capability to plan, manage and conduct U.S. stabilization operations on behalf of the Secretary of State. Civilian-military coordination is a central feature of the whole-of-government capability S/CRS is building with domestic, foreign affairs and national security agencies of the federal government. This is consistent with our highest priority – keeping the American people safe – and based on the premise that homeland security goes hand in hand with national security.

S/CRS has led a range of interagency activities to coordinate civilian and military efforts to plan, train and operate together for overseas stability operations. Since 2005, the USG has developed an interagency planning and coordination framework for interagency stability operations – the Interagency Management System (IMS). The IMS has been robustly exercised at U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Joint Forces Command, and components of the framework have been employed in real-world situations, such as the fall 2008 crisis in Georgia. In April, we worked with U.S. European Command and U.S. Army Europe on our most sophisticated exercise to date – Austere Challenge 2009, which exercised planning mechanisms and the Civilian Response Corps with U.S. European Command. These efforts to operationalize smart power through the Civilian Response Corps and interagency planners reflect the USG’s new approach to planning and conducting stability operations: a civilian-led whole-of-government plan, properly resourced civilian capabilities and the U.S. military in a support role. The Department of Defense has been among the strongest champions of this new approach.

The civil-military approach we have developed is not hypothetical; it is being applied to U.S. national security priorities today. In Afghanistan, the new Interagency Civil-Military Action Group (ICMAG) within the U.S. Embassy is the lead body for policy implementation and problem solving. Already, ICMAG has facilitated integrated guidance and geographically-based plans for Regional Command-East and is now moving to Regional Command-South. It has supported development of functional sectoral efforts in areas such as health and focused district development and is increasingly coordinating with international actors such as the International Security Assistance Force (on metrics), the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (on district mapping) and with the United Kingdom (Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team). ICMAG is also working on developing an integrated metrics system in-country.

To ensure the changes described above endure, the State Department is leading a significant USG effort to institutionalize these new processes and capabilities in interagency doctrine, training and planning efforts. Along with other civilian agencies, the Department of State has contributed to emerging Department of Defense doctrine, concepts and capabilities related to irregular warfare, stability operations and counterinsurgency. S/CRS has made significant investments in building habitual relationships with the Geographic Combatant Commands, Joint Forces Command, Special Operations Command and professional military schools to ensure that these key military actors are integrated into the civilian-led Smart Power construct for Stability Operations. S/CRS played a significant role in assisting the U.S. Army in its development of an updated stability operations field manual that emphasizes military support to civilian-led efforts.

A key enabler to these efforts is the civilian resources called for by Secretaries Clinton and Gates. Civilian agencies and the Department of Defense are now planning, operating and training together in a more concerted manner. Congress is a crucial partner and has recognized the value of a whole-of-government capability by permanently establishing S/CRS in legislation and authorizing and funding the stand up of an initial Civilian Response Corps. While this capability is maturing, sustaining it will require a concerted civil-military effort to ensure a balance of resources that meets both the immediate and longer term international security needs of the nation.

Counter-Piracy Contact Group Meets in New York

2009-06-09T17:54:10-05:00

About the Author: David McKeeby is a Public Affairs Specialist in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

Piracy may have largely dropped out of the headlines here in the United States, but these armed gangs at sea remain a serious threat to global shipping and humanitarian aid transiting the Horn of Africa.

On May 29, representatives from over 30 countries and international organizations participating in the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia met at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. I got to come along for the ride ─ my first time as part of an official U.S. diplomatic delegation! Here’s what happened...

First, let me tell you a couple of things about the Contact Group. Think of it as kind of a diplomatic “pick-up” team ─ 28 countries and six international organizations (the African Union, the Arab League, the European Union, the International Maritime Organization, NATO, and the UN Secretariat) who have created an informal forum to share information and coordinate efforts against piracy.

The Contact Group gives countries a new way to come together to creatively use what Secretary Clinton calls “smart power” to coordinate a broad range of diplomatic and security efforts to confront piracy in the short to medium term, while parallel international development initiatives to bring stability to Somalia continue in other multilateral bodies, such as the United Nations International Contact Group on Somalia.

Most of the Contact Group’s work is done in its four working groups:

• Military and Operational Coordination, Information Sharing, and Capacity Building, chaired by the United Kingdom;
• Judicial Issues, chaired by Denmark;
• Commercial Industry Coordination, chaired by the United States; and
• Public Information, chaired by Egypt.

Two big developments came out of the Contact Group meeting:

• The New York Declaration: While multinational naval patrols can help improve security conditions, the pirate “danger zone” covers an area of ocean four times the size of Texas ─ there simply aren’t enough naval ships in the entire world to protect all of it! Therefore, private industry has a vital role in protecting their ships from attempted boarding by pirates. During the meeting, representatives from Panama, Liberia, the Bahamas, and the Marshall Islands signed a statement saying that they will require all ships registered in their countries to do just that ─ a significant step because the maritime registries of these four countries account for over half of the world’s shipping!

• A New International Trust Fund: Bringing piracy suspects to justice can require unusual expenses, such as when witnesses from the ship’s country have to testify in another country where a trial is taking place. The Contact Group endorsed the creation of an International Trust Fund with administrative help by the United Nations to help defray the expenses associated with the prosecution of suspected pirates, as well as other activities related to combating piracy.

Bottom line, many countries may be affected in a single pirate attack ─ from the owners of the vessel to the country in which the ship is registered, and from where the ship’s cargo is being transported to the crew’s countries of citizenship. Each has a responsibility to take action against piracy as surely as all countries ultimately bear the burden of piracy in the form of increased risk to global shipping and humanitarian aid deliveries.

Each Contact Group participant can choose their contribution, be it naval vessels, hosting prosecutions of suspected pirates, contributing to the new international trust fund, or a combination of the above. A lot of work remains ahead, but the Contact Group meeting marked solid progress against a shared security challenge.

Behind the Scenes at the 39th General Assembly of the Organization of American States

2009-06-08T18:37:57-05:00

About the Author: Nell Triplett serves as Alternate Representative, U.S. Delegation to the Organization of American States.

There is but one word that has dominated the world of the U.S. Mission to the Organization of American States (OAS) for months: Cuba. With all the talk surrounding whether or not the OAS would be able to reach consensus to lift the 1962 suspension on Cuba’s participation in the regional organization and, if so, with what conditions, there was heightened interest throughout the hemisphere in the 2009 OAS General Assembly.

During the sometimes chaotic and challenging two days of negotiations in San Pedro Sula, Honduras – punctuated by aftershocks from the previous week’s 7.1 earthquake; screaming motorcades accompanying presidents, foreign ministers, and ambassadors; and heavily armed security forces patrolling every downtown street corner – all eyes were on the Cuba issue. The participation of Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras, President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, and President Fernando Lugo of Paraguay only increased the attention given to this General Assembly.

The sense of excitement and urgency was palpable as delegates rushed in and out of the plenary and working group rooms. And yet as an Alternate Representative working on social and development issues, not political issues, I tended to the other discussions and motions that will not be making news but rather that are the routine items of a regular General Assembly. It was business as usual for those of us negotiating the last set of resolutions, as we sat in the U.S. chair, listened to simultaneous translation, took the floor, and caucused on the sidelines to reach consensus on language for resolutions concerning potential support of member states for the recapitalization of the Inter-American Development Bank if deemed necessary by the bank’s board of governors; support of the democratic institutional system in Guatemala amid current challenges; and fundraising for peaceful settling of territorial disputes.

Some colleagues and I kept busy in the General Committee while hundreds packed into the plenary sessions next door in order to watch the hemisphere’s leaders in action. As we made urgent calls back to Washington to clarify U.S. positions, cameramen and reporters set up in front of us. As we debated with other missions to try to reconcile our different national positions on a host of development issues, we saw our U.S. Ambassador to the OAS, Hector E. Morales, moving urgently between the Cuba working group room and spontaneous meetings on the side. And lastly, as we finalized closed resolutions through the Style Committee to ensure there were no errors, the news everyone had been waiting for broke – a consensus had been reached to lift the suspension on Cuba and establish a process for Cuba, should they choose, to make the next move for a return to the OAS, including compliance with the principles of human rights and democracy enshrined in the OAS’ fundamental instruments.

As the General Committee adjourned, the rest of us quickly grabbed a bite to eat before discussion of the next agenda item began.

Commemorating the 65th Anniversary of D-Day

2009-06-06T22:04:52-05:00

In Normandy this morning, President Obama spoke at the D-Day 65th Anniversary Ceremony.

"Lyndon Johnson once said that there are certain moments when '...history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom.'

D-Day was such a moment. One newspaper noted that 'we have come to the hour for which we were born.' Had the Allies failed here, Hitler's occupation of this continent might have continued indefinitely. Instead, victory here secured a foothold in France. It opened a path to Berlin. It made possible the achievements that followed the liberation of Europe: the Marshall Plan, the NATO alliance, the shared prosperity and security that flowed from each.

It was unknowable then, but so much of the progress that would define the 20th century, on both sides of the Atlantic, came down to the battle for a slice of beach only six miles long and two miles wide.

More particularly, it came down to the men who landed here -- those who now rest in this place for eternity, and those who are with us here today. Perhaps more than any other reason, you, the veterans of that landing, are why we still remember what happened on D-Day. You're why we keep coming back.

For you remind us that in the end, human destiny is not determined by forces beyond our control. You remind us that our future is not shaped by mere chance or circumstance. Our history has always been the sum total of the choices made and the actions taken by each individual man and woman. It has always been up to us."

Read more on the White House Blog.

Buchenwald

2009-06-05T21:55:08-05:00

In Germany today, President Obama met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and visited the Buchenwald Concentration Camp.

In Germany today, President Obama held meetings and a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. President Obama and Chancellor Merkel also visited Buchenwald Concentration Camp, where they were joined by Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and Bertrand Herz, a survivor of the camp.

The President said: "I've known about this place since I was a boy, hearing stories about my great uncle, who was a very young man serving in World War II. He was part of the 89th Infantry Division, the first Americans to reach a concentration camp. They liberated Ohrdruf, one of Buchenwald's sub-camps.

And I told this story, he returned from his service in a state of shock saying little and isolating himself for months on end from family and friends, alone with the painful memories that would not leave his head. And as we see -- as we saw some of the images here, it's understandable that someone who witnessed what had taken place here would be in a state of shock.

My great uncle's commander, General Eisenhower, understood this impulse to silence. He had seen the piles of bodies and starving survivors and deplorable conditions that the American soldiers found when they arrived, and he knew that those who witnessed these things might be too stunned to speak about them or be able -- be unable to find the words to describe them; that they might be rendered mute in the way my great uncle had. And he knew that what had happened here was so unthinkable that after the bodies had been taken away, that perhaps no one would believe it.

And that's why he ordered American troops and Germans from the nearby town to tour the camp. He invited congressmen and journalists to bear witness and ordered photographs and films to be made. And he insisted on viewing every corner of these camps so that -- and I quote -- he could 'be in a position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever in the future there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to propaganda.'

We are here today because we know this work is not yet finished. To this day, there are those who insist that the Holocaust never happened -- a denial of fact and truth that is baseless and ignorant and hateful. This place is the ultimate rebuke to such thoughts; a reminder of our duty to confront those who would tell lies about our history."

Read the President's full speech or more on the White House Blog.

President Obama’s Cairo Speech Inspires Interfaith Dialogue in Tokyo

2009-06-05T19:12:13-05:00

About the Author: James P. Zumwalt serves as Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan.

Many of you have seen and heard President Obama’s speech in Cairo about America’s renewed commitment to seek common ground with the Muslim world. I was proud and happy to hear these words, because I share the President’s view that religion can bring people together.

On Friday, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo invited ambassadors from countries with major Muslim populations, Japanese politicians, scholars, and journalists to gather over lunch and view the President’s speech. We discussed ways to strengthen our ties to Muslims in Japan. I felt excitement about this important dialogue, which is very much a tradition at our embassy in Tokyo. For example, over the past four years, the embassy has hosted an Iftar celebration during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan for Muslim ambassadors in Japan. As a gesture of appreciation, last year these same ambassadors hosted a Christmas party for the U.S. embassy staff.

In his speech, President Obama highlighted the importance of interfaith dialogue, such as service projects in America that bring together Christians, Muslims and Jews as well as Buddhists, Hindus, and people of many other faiths.

Personally, I know the importance of religious freedom. My wife Ann is a Buddhist. Before we married, we attended the Buddhist temple in Washington, DC, so I could learn about Buddhism. She joined me in counseling sessions on marriage with a Protestant minister. We held our wedding ceremony at the Nishi Honganji Buddhist temple in Los Angeles, a special place for my wife, because her uncle had been a priest at the temple, and her brother had been married there. We knew that for our relationship – indeed, for any relationship – to succeed, mutual respect, understanding, and appreciation would be essential.

I’m very interested to hear your thoughts about the President’s speech.

Online Exhibit Explores Legacy of Marshall Plan

2009-06-05T17:29:33-05:00

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

The Marshall Plan is one of the most effective examples of U.S. diplomacy in 20th century American history. To mark this accomplishment, the U.S. Diplomacy Center at the Department of State has created an online exhibit The Marshall Plan: The Vision of a Family of Nations to explore Marshall’s vision, the leadership and motivating forces behind the plan.

The exhibition examines the ingenuity of the Marshall Plan and how its implementation served as the genesis of peacetime cooperation among former enemies.

After living through a World War, no one understood the importance of diplomacy better than the great American statesman and former Secretary of State George C. Marshall. In a commencement address delivered at Harvard University on June 5, 1947, Secretary George Marshall laid a diplomatic vision in which he proposed U.S. assistance to aid Europe's failing economies after World War II and challenged war-torn nations to work together. The vision resulted in the European Recovery Act (ERA), otherwise known as the Marshall Plan.

Explore the different exhibition chapters to learn how the Marshall Plan projected a new vision of Europe -- one with open borders, free trade, freedom to travel and cooperation and peace among all European countries. Today, Europe’s ever increasing economic and political unity reflects the legacy of the Marshall Plan.

World Environment Day: Illegal Wildlife Trade Threatens Endangered Species

2009-06-05T04:36:02-05:00

About the Author: Billie Gross serves as a Public Affairs Specialist in the Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science at the U.S. Department of State.

As the black market wildlife trade continues to flourish, the Department of State remains steadfast in its efforts to highlight this critical issue and to spread public awareness of the problem. To continue the momentum spurred by the highly successful Harrison Ford PSAs, the Department of State has once again partnered with WildAid.

Today, in recognition of World Environment Day, the U.S. State Department is showcasing two Public Service Announcements (PSAs) featuring conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall. Dr. Goodall, a world renowned primatologist and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, agreed to film the PSAs to further spread the message that reducing demand for illegally trafficked goods will prevent the killing of endangered species. These PSAs were filmed in New York City in September 2008 and are now being distributed to overseas audiences with the help of U.S. embassies around the world.

The illicit trade in wildlife amounts to at least $10 billion a year globally and is an even greater threat to wildlife than the loss of their habitat. Many of the animals currently being captured, killed and trafficked are at the brink of extinction, and the demand for these goods is pushing these creatures ever closer to the edge. Ultimately, extinctions have grave impacts for ecosystems and human communities as well.

The Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT), initiated in 2005, focuses public and political attention and resources on ending the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products. Members of the CAWT include the governments of Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom as well as a host of other nongovernmental organizations.

The U.S. works with its CAWT partners to improve wildlife law enforcement by expanding enforcement training, information sharing and strengthening regional cooperative networks. CAWT works to energize high-level political will to fight wildlife trafficking by broadening support at the highest political levels for actions to combat the illegal trade in wildlife. It also focuses its efforts on reducing consumer demand for illegally traded wildlife by raising awareness of the impacts of illegal wildlife trade.

Awareness is critical because we may be contributing to the illegal wildlife trade simply by unknowingly purchasing goods that are a result of that trade. It’s very easy to find tourist souvenirs made from illegally harvested ivory, tortoise shells, feathers, fur, bones, skins or other products originating from endangered species. The sale of these products not only puts many species at risk of extinction, but also supports criminal activity. Wildlife trafficking also contributes to global health problems because diseases such as avian influenza, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Ebola and tuberculosis can cross species lines and jump from animals to humans.

The United States is the second-largest consumer market (after China) in terms of demand for illegal wildlife products. In light of this, the messages narrated by Dr. Jane Goodall have resonance not only for a global audience, but also for all of us closer to home.

Website Challenge Opens Doors to Diplomacy

2009-06-04T22:06:03-05:00

About the Author: Janice Clark serves as Deputy Director of Electronic Information in the Bureau of Public Affairs.

What if you could entice high school students to form teams, learn about a foreign policy topic, engage their classmates and community, and then build a website to show what they learned? What if you then made the websites available for all the world to see, teaching millions of others around the globe about these issues? What if you could sweeten the pot with special certificates of achievement and scholarship prizes?

We’ve done it — it’s called Doors to Diplomacy. “Doors” is an online challenge that the Bureau of Public Affairs developed in partnership with Global SchoolNet. Since the contest’s inception in 2003, thousands of Doors to Diplomacy websites have been built by teams of exceptional students who find foreign policy topics interesting and view the challenge as a medium through which to speak out and change the world.

I’ve been involved in the contest since the beginning. Each year, I’m amazed by the efforts these kids expend. Many participants are already among the high achievers — involved in challenging coursework, on extracurricular teams and clubs, working in their communities. But they find the time to do this, too.

While the original goal of the contest was to gin up interest in foreign policy among tomorrow’s leaders, it also provides a forum for showcasing student talents. One year, after the winners were chosen and scholarship money was awarded, we learned that one student, an incredibly talented high school senior of modest means, assumed he would immediately go to work after graduation. The scholarship prize was just the ticket to set him on course toward an advanced degree. He was able to pursue a profession he loved and for which he had natural ability.

Another year, one team had no internet access. Determined to see the project through to completion, the students used outdated computers to write and craft their pages, while their teacher walked to an internet café to send their materials to a U.S. team with whom they collaborated so their hard work could be posted to the Web. Similar hardships challenge many teams, but they don’t let outdated hardware and limited internet access get in their way

Teams often start with modest goals, but then grow excited about the topic. Several teams have used “Doors” as a launchpad for raising money to fight hunger, homelessness, environmental degradation, and the like. While others are sleeping late and vacationing, “Doors” students use precious school breaks to build schools, plant trees, and raise international awareness.

Today, the 2009 Doors to Diplomacy contest winners were announced. Take a few minutes to see what today’s youth are doing in their spare time. I think you’ll be impressed.

A New Beginning: President Obama Speaks to Muslims of the World

2009-06-04T14:20:06-05:00

Today, at Cairo University in Egypt, President Obama addressed America’s relationship with Muslims around the world. President Obama said:

"I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles -- principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings....I will try to...speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart."

Read the President's full speech or more from the White House.

Watch Live Webcast of President Obama’s Speech in Cairo

2009-06-03T20:51:49-05:00

On June 4, President Obama will deliver a speech at 1:10 in the afternoon in Cairo, 6:10 in the morning in Washington, D.C. No matter where you are, watch it live on WhiteHouse.gov/live.

The White House Blog previews President Obama's June 4 speech in Cairo:

The history of the relationship between America and the Muslim World is deeper and more complex than the common perception might suggest. Thomas Jefferson taught himself Arabic using his own Quran kept in his personal library, and had the first known presidential Iftaar by breaking fast with the Tunisian Ambassador at sunset. President Dwight Eisenhower attended the dedication ceremony of the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C. on June 28, 1957. President Bill Clinton issued the first presidential greeting for Ramadan, appointed the first Muslim American ambassador, M. Osman Siddique, to Fiji, and sent the first presidential Eid al-Adha greeting to Muslims. And one year after President George W. Bush placed the Holy Quran in the White House library in 2005, Representative Keith Ellison took the oath of office on the same Quran owned by Thomas Jefferson two hundred years before.

With his speech in Cairo, the President will lay another marker, addressing America’s relationship with the Muslim World in the heart of the Middle East. Whereas the past years and decades have deepened the rift in that relationship, the President will seek a new start by opening up a serious, honest dialogue to find areas of common interest where we agree, and new ways of communication where we do not. By continuing unprecedented outreach to the Muslim World, the President is strengthening national security and opening up new opprtunities to address some of the problems that have seemed so intractable over recent years.

The speech will be given at 1:10 in the afternoon in Cairo, 6:10 in the morning here in Washington, D.C. No matter where you are, watch it live on WhiteHouse.gov/live.

Poetry Contest Inspires Palestinian Youth

2009-06-03T19:26:39-05:00

About the Author: Christina Higgins serves as Assistant Information Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem.

It’s sounds corny, but it’s true. Every time I have the honor of representing the United States at a local event, I choke up. It’s not hard to represent the United States, because we stand for enduring values. President Obama spoke about these values in a powerful speech on May 21, calling them, “a light that shines for all who seek freedom, fairness, equality, and dignity….” But I also choke up, because I feel an immense honor representing my aunts and uncles in Wisconsin and Ohio, my cousins in Florida, Texas, and Oregon, my friends throughout the United States.

It happened most recently in Bethlehem. I had the honor of attending graduation at a Palestinian high school. I presented an award for the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem’s online poetry contest. The contest winners hailed from Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem and Gaza. As I entered the assembly hall, just behind the Boy Scouts clad in Scottish kilts, I was reminded of the fascinating and rich history of the Holy Land, where young Palestinians play traditional Arabic tunes on bagpipes. I presented the award to the winner, the beaming graduate, Khalid, and congratulated him on his poem, “Let’s rejoice. It’s Springtime!” Reflecting the contest’s theme of nature and conservation, he wrote, “I see the flowers, the roses, everywhere, like the stars in the sky…I hear the sound of rivers and waterfalls, like a melody and a song.”

Khalid displayed all the exuberance of a high school graduate anywhere in the world. He was looking toward the future with anticipation. In fact, many in the region are filled with anticipation, encouraged by U.S. statements of support for the two-state solution, a future where Israel and a Palestinian state will live together in peace and security. All eyes are now on Egypt where President Obama will deliver an important speech on June 4 about America's relations with the Muslim world. I am sure that Khalid will be listening.

Model United Nations Session Examines Children’s Rights

2009-06-03T16:21:40-05:00

About the Author: Mark Schlachter serves as Public Diplomacy Chief for the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of serving as the Secretary-General of the fifth-grade Model United Nations of Cold Spring Elementary from Potomac, Maryland. Tuesday’s special session of the Model Security Council was based on the most recent meeting of the actual United Nations Security Council on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), in which they discussed the Secretary-General’s reports on CAAC.

The students had been studying the United Nations and issues surrounding children’s rights, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Their overall objective was to understand the many issues facing children around the world and how the UN works to protect their rights.

The roughly 50 students broke into groups representing each of the 15 Security Council members and developed speeches to deliver during our mock Security Council special session. There were many impassioned pleas for children’s rights. Speaking second, the esteemed Permanent Representative of the Model Delegation from Austria set the tone for the discussion, demanding, “We must keep children safe by building walls against these dangers.”

The Model Japanese delegation raised the issue of using children to clear minefields, while the American delegation discussed child access to health care. The Ugandan delegation recognized the continuing problem of the recruitment of child soldiers in their own country, and requested assistance in curbing it. Speaking last, the Model Ambassador from Turkey, who served as the rotating president of the Council, reminded everyone that we came here “to talk about the next generation—our children,” and implored all parties to do everything possible to curb the injustices perpetrated against our most vulnerable population in areas of conflict.

It was an educating experience for everyone involved, including those of us who have worked with the real Security Council. Prior to the session, the din of discussions and negotiation of text sounded all too familiar, if, perhaps, a little higher pitched.

Secretary Clinton, Carribbean Counterparts Discuss Security Cooperation, Trade and Development

2009-06-02T20:25:26-05:00

Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

About the Author: Ruth Urry serves as Alternate Representative, U.S. Delegation to the Organization of American States.

The air is steamy, and everyone is standing around anxiously. It’s but a few moments before the Secretary arrives for her breakfast meeting with the foreign ministers of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and we’ve worked hard to get everything prepared for her arrival.

This meeting, held on the margins of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OASGA), is an important opportunity for Secretary Clinton to discuss with her counterparts the U.S.-Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. President Obama has requested $45 million from Congress to fund this initiative, which is dedicated to the strengthening of regional security by addressing transnational threats. Trade and development are also on the agenda, as we recognize the link between development and human prosperity.

As we are scurrying around, setting up the final touches, participants start poking their heads in. First, the cameramen start arriving, and then the print journalists. The foreign ministers begin arriving, and their ambassadors. They all know each other well, so they begin mingling. It has the atmosphere of a class reunion, since these ministerials are a chance for all of the foreign ministers to catch up in the same place. The CARICOM foreign ministers meet on a regular basis since so many nations in the Caribbean share similar interests in the fields of security, trade, the economy, and the environment. Tourism is a mainstay of many of the Caribbean economies.

Secretary Clinton sought this meeting with CARICOM because she wanted to build on the positive momentum established at Summit of the Americas when President Obama met with his Caribbean counterparts in April. The Secretary will encourage CARICOM to work with the U.S. Trade Representative to convene a Trade and Investment Council (TIC) meeting later this year. She will also promote increased cooperation between CARICOM and the United States on regional security issues, such as the upcoming Caribbean-U.S. Dialogue on Security Cooperation to be held later this year. Meetings such as these are important because the Secretary can exchange views with delegations on issues of mutual concern, in a frank setting.

All of a sudden, we hear the signal that the Secretary has arrived. We hear her entourage coming up the steps, we’re positioned in front of the head table, and are ready for action!

Secretary Clinton Travels to El Salvador, Honduras

2009-06-02T19:37:49-05:00

Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

Secretary Clinton travels to El Salvador and Honduras.

Secretary Clinton traveled to El Salvador to attend the presidential inauguration of Mauricio Funes on June 1. While in El Salvador, the Secretary attended a ministerial meeting of Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas. The Secretary then traveled to Honduras to lead the U.S. delegation to the Organization of American States General Assembly in San Pedro Sula on June 2.

At the General Assembly, Secretary Clinton is meeting with her counterparts from the other member nations of the Organization of American States to discuss the theme “Toward a Culture of Non-Violence,” as well as continue the dialogue on issues identified at the 2009 Summit of the Americas, including promoting human prosperity, energy security, and environmental sustainability.

Look for photographs from her travel on the U.S. Department of State's Flickr photostream.

Public Affairs Must Inform Foreign Policy

2009-06-01T20:53:58-05:00

About the Author: P.J. Crowley serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs.

Last week, I began my tenure as the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. I am humbled and exhilarated by the task before me and am grateful for the trust and confidence President Obama and Secretary Clinton have placed in me.

Almost 20 years ago, I was assigned to Germany, one of the highlights of my 26 years serving with the U.S. Air Force. I have been contemplating those days as I prepared for this assignment. During my time in Germany, the Berlin Wall ceased to divide East from West. The people of East and West Germany literally pushed until the wall was breached and ultimately removed.

In the aftermath, when given a choice, the people of Eastern Europe rejected Communism and moved swiftly to associate themselves with the rule of law, market economies and responsible and accountable governments. This success was due in no small measure to institutions like the United States Information Agency, Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, which helped foreign publics understand that they could have the rights and opportunities of free people. This was public diplomacy at its best, and proved to be a cornerstone of our policy of containment. Now, Secretary Clinton’s focus on using smart power – the full compliment of diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal, and cultural tools is leading us back to a balanced approach to foreign policy that served us well throughout our history.

As we know, global challenges hardly disappeared with the end of the Cold War. Today, we continue to combat extreme ideologies in an expanding conflict in Afghanistan while dealing with festering violence in Iraq. Success in this current struggle will require the same kind of patience, determination and skill that we demonstrated during the Cold War – identifying a clear, peaceful and modern alternative to the people of the world, reinforcing our strategic narrative while diminishing that of extremist insurgents. As Secretary Clinton stated in her recent testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the State Department is seeking the resources to deploy a new strategic communication strategy to buttress our foreign policy. Ultimately, we cannot succeed unless we build and sustain public support at home and around the world.

Today’s global communications environment is dramatically different than it was even a few years ago. A digital image can be transmitted from anywhere in the world at an instant, as we saw with the cell phone image of the execution of Saddam Hussein and its impact.

One of my goals is to have the State Department communicate its message more strategically. In order to do this, we must be dynamic and use all available means both old and new media - traditional methods such as the Daily Press Briefings as well as experimenting with new media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and video through the Internet. The culmination of this effort will be a virtual presence that is engaged in a global dialogue, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in all corners of the world.

Given the expanded nature of the communications environment, Secretary Clinton decided to restructure the Bureau of Public Affairs. I will serve as the Assistant Secretary, but not as the every day spokesman for the department. One of my foremost responsibilities will be to ensure that public affairs informs public policy. This is why you’ll hear me repeatedly coming back to the idea of a strategic communications plan. My task, working with Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale and the newly designated spokesman, Ian Kelly, will be to serve as the senior advisor to the Secretary, contribute to the administration’s interagency strategic planning and lead the Bureau of Public Affairs and the dedicated public affairs professionals at the State Department and around the world. I am an avid Red Sox fan. Judith is a Yankees fan and Ian, a Cubs fan, but we are united by a higher calling and significant challenges.

Tackling these global challenges – extremism, nonproliferation, climate change, global health and food security just to name a few – will require, as Secretary Clinton has said repeatedly, coordinated, international partnerships at the government-to-government and people-to-people levels and all variations in between. In order to build and sustain such partnerships, we must communicate effectively. Effective communication is a two-way street, so as much as I look forward to keeping you informed on new initiatives, I’m even more eager to hear your ideas.

Public Diplomacy: Renewing America’s Engagement With the People of the World

2009-06-01T16:47:11-05:00

About the Author: Judith McHale serves as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

I am deeply honored to join President Obama and Secretary Clinton in spearheading America’s renewed engagement with the people of the world. As Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs I will work with a talented team of career diplomats all over the globe to build lasting relationships of mutual trust and respect between the American people and foreign publics.

As the daughter of a U.S.Foreign Service Officer, I was taught that there is no higher calling than public service. When my father was stationed in apartheid-era South Africa, our home was under police surveillance, friends were detained and mistreated, and I saw what it means to live in a society that is not free. That experience instilled in me the importance of fulfilling our responsibilities as citizens, of public service, and of standing up for what we know is right.

So even though I am new to the State Department, I am deeply aware of the importance of engaging people across the globe. At Discovery Communications, which I helped expand into 170 countries, we prided ourselves on building bridges of knowledge and information that connected people all over the world. We believed in engaging people internationally on their own terms, respecting their languages, customs, and interests.

I believe passionately that public diplomacy is both integral to our foreign policy and essential for our national security, and I plan to bring that same spirit of respectful engagement to my new role here at the State Department.

In today’s rapidly changing world, the United States must continue to move beyond traditional government-to-government diplomacy and seek innovative ways to communicate and engage directly with foreign publics.

The challenges we face require a complex, multi-dimensional approach to public diplomacy. We have to listen more and lecture less. And we have to learn how people in other countries and cultures listen to us. We need to understand their interests and aspirations, and use our leadership to provide them with information and services they value. If we do this right, we can forge relationships that become part of their daily lives. They may come to see their relationship with us, the United States of America, our government, and our greatest asset of all – the American people – as essential to their ability to achieve progress and prosperity, and fulfill their dreams of a brighter future.

This vision is more possible than ever because new communications advances provide unprecedented opportunities to engage people directly, to connect them to one another, and to dramatically scale up many traditional public diplomacy efforts. They provide us the opportunity to move from an old paradigm in which our government speaks as one to many, to a new model of engaging interactively and collaboratively across lines that might otherwise divide us from people around the world. Public diplomacy is not something the government can or should do alone. New technological tools will help us tap into the spirit, optimism, and diversity of the American people, including our many Diaspora communities with their deep ties and networks spanning the globe.

I look forward to working with the dedicated professionals here at the State Department and new partners from across our country to provide the open hand of friendship the President promised the world in his inaugural address.

Memorial Day Reflections From Baghdad

2009-05-30T19:06:34-05:00

About the Author: Nicole Thompson serves as a Press Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.

A colleague in Washington asked me to write a Memorial Day post for DipNote. I understood his reasoning; I am, after all, a third generation American war veteran. My father was sent to Vietnam in 1970, and his father was drafted to be a cook aboard a U.S. Navy battleship in 1943. As a member of the U.S. Army, I touched down in the Middle East two days before combat began in 2003, and rolled into central Iraq a month later. This year I voluntarily returned to Baghdad, this time out of uniform, with a diplomatic passport in hand.

I thought I’d write about the importance of service to country and the gallant sacrifice of those who defend our freedom. Instead, I opt to tell another tale — the story of my first Rest and Recuperation (R&R) break from Iraq. Through a series of blunders, I managed to miss the flight specifically designated to lift U.S. Embassy employees out of Iraq and into surrounding countries for departure and dispatch to all parts of the globe. I wound up stuck at a hot, dusty airport with little prospect of getting out of the country for at least 48 hours.

After much sad-eyed pleading, I was squeezed onto a non-embassy flight. I was ushered to a seat as over 250 battle-hardened soldiers, tossing their grimy gear and massive back packs to the ground, began to fill the small airport’s waiting area. Their talk varied wildly; spanning excitement to see spouses, progress of a pit bull puppy’s growth, to plans for college enrollment, pending divorce and ultimate fighting championships. The men themselves were as varied as their talk. A lanky young Asian American lieutenant, a hawk-eyed Latino sergeant keeping close watch of a group of rosy-cheeked privates, and a bellowing major sporting a cap of red crew-cut hair all surrounded me. Each of the men was so different, but somehow, they were one. These men, I later learned, were members of the U.S. Army’s 1st Armored Division, 2nd Brigade. They had served over 14 months in Baghdad. On the Monday we observed Memorial Day in 2009, they were finally going home.

I cannot describe the honor of being among these men. Inside this cadre of warriors, I was the lone civilian and the only woman. One small diplomat dressed in a concert t-shirt and colorful head wrap, filled with respect and admiration. Once we were all crammed aboard the giant aircraft that would ferry me to vacation, and the soldiers to their homes and families, a couple of them took a moment to entertain my questions about their mission and experiences in Iraq. I dared not ask how many of their brothers had fallen during the long tour.

Unbeknownst to them, these men provided a memory that will last my lifetime. Those few hours among their ranks were a great privilege. Sometimes it’s so easy to become entrenched and consumed by the day-to-day meetings and receptions and memos that accompany diplomacy in a war zone. To the battle-hardened men and women of the armed forces, I’d like to pause for a moment to say, thank you.

Twenty-first Century Statecraft

2009-05-29T17:24:30-05:00

In a YouTube video message, Secretary Clinton speaks about 21st century statecraft.

On the U.S. Department of State's YouTube Channel, Secretary Clinton speaks about 21st century statecraft and encourages the American people to be citizen ambassadors who use the communication tools at our disposal to advance the interests of our nation and humanity everywhere. Twenty-first century statecraft brings together technology and the talents of citizens in ways that previous generations could not have imagined. Watch the Secretary's video message to learn more about how the State Department is engaging the public and harnessing the energy of a rising generation of citizen diplomats.

Saluting UN Peacekeepers Around the World

2009-05-29T14:09:57-05:00

About the Author: Judy Buelow serves as Deputy Director of the Office of Peacekeeping, Sanctions, and Counter-terrorism in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.

Today marks the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, and offers us an opportunity to reflect on the purpose and role of UN peacekeeping missions around the world and the men and women who serve in those missions. It may come as a surprise to many that the first UN peacekeeping mission was established 61 years ago, and that there have been a total of 63 such missions in the years since.

Peacekeeping has evolved a good deal over the last six decades, from maintaining ceasefires and stabilizing conflict situations, to more robust mandates that can include helping to build government institutions, monitoring elections, and disarming, demobilizing, and reintegrating former combatants. What hasn’t changed is the fact that it can be a dangerous business.

There are currently more than 92,000 personnel serving in 16 UN peacekeeping operations from Haiti to Cyprus, Darfur to Lebanon. And while UN peacekeeping can’t resolve every conflict, the U.S. firmly believes that it can be a valuable tool for helping parties to a conflict restore peace and stability.

The truth of that statement can been seen in places like Sierra Leone, Guatemala, and Mozambique, which are at peace today with the help of successful peacekeeping missions. The U.S. strongly supports the UN’s “blue helmets,” and in part that support stems from the fact that multilateral peacekeeping allows the U.S. to share the burdens and risks of peacekeeping with the world community.

So, today we salute the brave and dedicated men and women serving in UN peacekeeping missions around the world. The world is a safer, more stable place as a result of their efforts.

Safeguarding the Seaways From Piracy

2009-05-26T19:07:47-05:00

About the Author: David McKeeby is a Public Affairs Specialist in the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

U.S. diplomatic leadership in the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia and stepped up international naval patrols are making a positive difference in the waters off the Horn of Africa, resulting in an increasing number of successful interdictions and prosecutions of pirates prowling the region.

On May 29, representatives from the Contact Group’s 28 participating countries and six international organizations (the African Union, the Arab League, the European Union, the International Maritime Organization, NATO, and the UN Secretariat) will meet at the United Nations in New York City to build on international progress against piracy, which continues to threaten global shipping traffic and humanitarian aid deliveries transiting the region.

“We may be dealing with a 17th century crime,” Secretary Clinton said, following the rescue of the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama,” but we need to bring 21st century solutions to bear.”

Just how multinational is this 21st century effort to suppress modern-day piracy? Consider this: when a Greek-owned, Egyptian-flagged vessel recently came under attack south of Yemen, South Korean destroyer Munmu the Great from Combined Task Force 151 came to the rescue, joined by flagship USS Gettysburg and the force’s commander, Turkish Rear Admiral Caner Bener, detaining 17 Somali suspects. Created by the U.S. Navy to confront piracy, the force has also included naval personnel from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, and Singapore.

In all, around 20 countries have sent naval vessels to join in the international patrols against piracy. The United States is not only working closely with NATO and European Union allies; we also hope to build on new maritime security partnerships with China, India, and Russia, which have also joined in the counter-piracy effort.

Since January 2009, over 300 individuals suspected of engaging in piracy have been captured in the waters off the Horn of Africa. Approximately 200 of these suspects are currently the subject of criminal investigations or proceedings in Kenya, the Puntland region, Yemen, France, the Seychelles, the Netherlands, and the United States.

In New York, Contact Group members will continue to discuss the many challenges remaining ahead. How can the Contact Group stem the overall rise in pirate attacks, which are currently on track to be double the number of incidents in 2008? How can partners in the shipping industry best minimize their vulnerability to piracy? How can states affected by piracy fulfill their responsibility to bring suspected pirates to justice?

And not far from anyone’s mind will be the fact that 14 ships and over 200 crew members from the Philippines, China, Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine, and several other nations currently remain in pirate custody.

ExchangesConnect Reaches 10,000 Members

2009-05-22T23:43:45-05:00

About the Author: Michele Peters serves as the Special Assistant in the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ groundbreaking ExchangesConnect global social network promotes mutual understanding among youth and adults of all ages by highlighting cultures, customs, and values through user-generated content and multimedia tools (forums, photos, video, podcasting, etc). We welcomed our 10,000th member this month, and this thriving community continues to grow!

Members from more than 180 countries are initiating and engaging in educational, entertaining, and thought-provoking conversations. Members share their personal experiences, views and cultures, sometimes centered on particular themes. They counter stereotypes and open minds.

And, where else can you gain a firsthand account of a young woman’s experience voting for the first time in local elections in Iraq, converse with a young Palestinian living in Gaza, or learn about all the great Global Youth Service Day projects classrooms in which Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Tajikistan are engaged?

As an open, inclusive social networking site, Connect.state.gov gives people around the world a voice and a connection to the world around them. Rather than my singing the praises of this global online community, read what some of the members have to say:

“I would like to say hi and thank to ExchangesConnect that enables everyone from around the globe to have a space to exchange their culture, traditions and so forth. It is also fascinated to have a say with everyone from different cultures so that we can avoid culture misunderstanding. Hope all enjoy as I do.”

“ExchangesConnect is a great place to share your experiences that I had in U.S.A. being an exchange student. It's safe as it is administered by U.S. Department of State. It is also beneficial for students that are not on exchange programs but they can read the experiences of the exchange members and learn from it. I would say I am having a wonderful time so far with ExchangesConnect and I will keep in touch with it.”

“I am a middle school teacher in a small rural town in Oregon, U.S.A. ...We are in the beginning stages of exploring other cultures. I am interested in schools/individual students both in North America and throughout the world!”

“I thought I'd join this forum since my 17 y/o son has applied to NSLI-Y. I hope I might learn something more about the program from other parents and learners who have experienced the program.”

“My two top reasons for participating in ExchangesConnect are: (1) to share and to get information with others and from others about my own country that how I can reconstruct it. (2) To practice the English language and to interact with new people and create a sound friendship with them.”

“I am international student from Egypt. I have been in the United States of America for seven months. I am interested in exchange culture because I think that it is very important to know about the others and let the other to know about you. I have had a great time in the U.S.A. I like communicate with the other nationalities. I have loved the American culture. People attitudes, respect each other, the education system, and a lot of other points. I am so glad for Obama. My favorite times when I watch his speech. He is very nice and smart president.”

“I really want to have this experience ... and to feel what it's like to be an American teen-age .... I really want to learn about the new world culture ... and teach them mine, because just in this way we can make peace, by creating some kind of understanding.”

At this writing, 10,287 ExchangesConnect members from over 180 countries are sharing 5,168 photos, 378 blogs, 329 discussion forums, and learning more about the people from around the world.

ExchangesConnect is also on Twitter, which was launched January 15th with bloggers from around the world covering the U.S. Presidential Inauguration. We now have over 500 followers and counting. Twitter extends the ExchangesConnect mission by connecting with exchange participants and contributing to the general online conversation about international exchange.

Join ExchangesConnect and become part of a growing global community of people interested in cross-cultural dialogue and international exchange. Also, check out the “Mascot Challenge”...just announced!

Talking the Walk: Explaining the Provincial Reconstruction Team Mission

2009-05-22T21:26:41-05:00

About the Author: Aaron Snipe is a Foreign Service Officer with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Muthanna, Iraq.

If you've read my previous DipNote posts, you know that diplomats and development professionals are making a real difference in rural Iraq. Our work with our Iraqi counterparts in the Department of Veterinary Affairs is helping revive Muthanna's agricultural sector. This is certainly important work, but as a the PRT's public diplomacy officer, it's my job to ensure that Iraqis know about the work we are doing out in the field.

Driving through even the most rural areas of Muthanna it is common to see houses made of mud . . . with brand new satellite dishes on the thatched roofs. Rural Iraqis, like millions of others around the developing world, want to be connected to the rest of the world, and satellite TV is helping make this connection. Satellite networks across the Middle East, like Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, and LBC out of Beirut, are the news sources many in the Arab world turn to. Here in Iraq, many Iraqis look to these satellite stations and their own state-owned network, Al Iraqiya. Not long ago, my Deputy Team Leader and I were invited to give an hour-long interview on the local Al-Iraqiya affiliate, Muthanna TV. The program called "Al Hadath" ("The Event") is a nightly broadcast and helps Muthanna's residents learn about what is happening in and around the province. The interviewer was gracious and genuinely interested in asking us about the work of the PRT. It gave us an opportunity to share highlights of what we've been up to and also stress the cooperative nature of the U.S. role in Iraq. I was particularly pleased to talk about the PRT's partnership with municipal officials in providing 500 tons of alum (aluminum sulfate) to help improve the quality of drinking water for hundreds of thousands of Muthanna's residents.

While it's important to blog about our accomplishments, I'm pretty sure most of Muthanna's farmers and rural residents aren't reading DipNote. Having U.S. diplomats take the air waves to explain our policy is one of the best ways to get the message out.

Read more entries about Aaron Snipe's experiences serving with the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Muthanna, Iraq.

Working With Iraqi Farmers Reminds Me Why I Serve

2009-05-20T22:45:50-05:00

About the Author: Aaron Snipe is a Foreign Service Officer with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Muthanna, Iraq.

Sometimes I find myself muttering five little words: I hate being in Iraq.

The problem with this statement is that it’s actually not true. I don’t hate being in Iraq. Working in the fast-paced, high-stress environment of a PRT is always a challenge. The seven-day work week can be difficult to manage. But, when I step back from the stress and look at what we are doing, I actually quite like Iraq. I love talking to Iraqis about their country. I like the intellectual challenges inherent in Iraq. I enjoy hearing what Iraqis have to say about things I think I’ve figured out – and I love it when Iraqis tell me I’m wrong. Though, I have to say, I love it even more when Iraqis tell me I’m wrong, and then I prove to them I am right. But most of all, I don’t hate being in Iraq, because I can call my colleagues – both American and Iraqi – friends.

I was reminded of why I like being in Iraq during a visit to a veterinary research center where we are assisting Iraqi farmers with new techniques in animal husbandry. As I wrote in a previous blog entry, Muthanna is an agrarian society at heart, and some of our most meaningful efforts here are focused in this sector.

The PRT is working with the Director General of Veterinary Services to help farmers replenish their fleeting livestock numbers. The PRT has purchased liquid nitrogen machines that will make it possible for the Iraqis to implement a province-wide bovine artificial insemination (BAI) program. Decades of neglect under Saddam Hussein, years of war, and other economic factors forced many of Muthanna’s farmers to slaughter their livestock for food to feed their families, instead of keeping the cattle to produce dairy products. The dwindling numbers of breeding bulls have created an agricultural crisis for provincial farmers. With a vibrant Iraqi-led (and PRT-supported) BAI program in place, the numbers of livestock will certainly increase. This assistance is taking place at the grassroots level, and agricultural officials and farmers can attest to the positive impact it will have on the province.

My visit to the veterinary research center also reminded me of one of my fondest, childhood memories. For many years as a kid, I attended summer camp in Pennsylvania. On a Saturday morning, many summers ago – it must have been when I was about fifteen-years-old – the camp director asked if I would help him fetch hay for the horses.

We drove a truck a few miles away from camp to a large field. Seated in neat rows, evenly placed across the field’s wide expanse, were countless bales of hay. My job: to toss the heavy bales of hay into the truck bed. We drove up and down the lanes of hay for hours. When we finished, I looked up to see the hay stacked five, six, maybe even seven, tiers high. That day was the first time I can recall working hard and loving it. Riding back to camp atop a mountain of hay, baked in the summer heat, drenched in sweat and smelling like the farm, I felt like a king sitting on a throne. It was just a truckload of hay, and I was just a kid, but it was a day I’ll never forget.

At age fifteen, I’m sure I’d never even heard of Iraq. Twenty years later, though, I feel a similar pride in the work I am doing here.

Read more entries about Aaron Snipe’s experiences serving with the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Muthanna, Iraq.

Secretary Clinton: Text Your Disaster Relief Donation for Pakistan

2009-05-19T17:54:20-05:00

Full Briefing | More on Announcement | Text Your Donation

At a White House press briefing this morning, Secretary Clinton addressed the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan, announcing a pledge of more than $100 million in humanitarian support.

Secretary Clinton said, "Pakistan is facing a major humanitarian crisis. Approximately 2 million people have fled their homes, and Pakistan's government, their military, and relief organizations are working to meet the needs of these displaced persons. So many are finding refuge with family members, or in schools or mosques; they are relying on the generosity of relatives and friends. And I'm confident that Pakistan's institutions and citizens will succeed in confronting this humanitarian challenge if the international community steps up and provides the support that is needed. ... Providing this assistance is not only the right thing to do, but we believe it is essential to global security and the security of the United States, and we are prepared to do more as the situation demands."

The Secretary also invited the American people to join in the world-wide effort to bring stability to Pakistan: "Now, Americans can use technology to help, as well. Using your cell phones, Americans can text the word 'swat' -- to the number 20222 and make a $5 contribution that will help the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees provide tents, clothing, food, and medicine to hundreds of thousands of affected people. And before I came over here, we did that in the State Department. So we are making some of the first donations to this fund."

Deployment Stories: Assessing Conflict in Eastern Congo

2009-05-19T04:18:00-05:00

Jason Lewis Berry serves in the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization.

My name is Jason Lewis Berry. I’m with the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization in the Planning Division. I deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and that was in November of 2008. This was a scoping mission to see how S/CRS might be able to support Embassy Kinshasa’s efforts to bring stability in Eastern Congo. During this deployment, we met with a wide range of stakeholders, both U.S. Government, international community, and Congolese Government officials, as well as NGOs, and tried to get a better picture of what exactly S/CRS can bring to the table to assist in the very complex issues in Congo.

The conditions in Congo – they vary. We certainly spent some time in Kinshasa in the capital. And in that place, we were working at the Embassy and staying in a hotel. But in Eastern Congo, we were based in Goma. That’s a much less stable area. We still stayed at a hotel, but the security conditions were much different.

DRC is an interesting place. It’s a place I had worked before, prior to this deployment. The – it’s always nice to see a connection to what you’re trying to help in the long run. So while most of our work on this particular mission involved talking with the experts in the field from the different agencies and the different international partners, we were also able to go to, for example, IDP camps and see how this instability is affecting people on the ground and get a better idea of what their needs were and how we might be able to help in the strategic picture.

This was a useful deployment in that we came back with a better idea of what the U.S. Government is trying to do in DRC and what international partners are trying to do and how we can work together. And I think that’s a key thing for future deployments and something that I’d be happy to do again in the future. We are still looking at what kind of additional expertise S/CRS and its interagency partners would be able to provide to Embassy Kinshasa.

Related Entries: Watch Ambassador Herbst discuss the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization and the Civilian Response Corps or read more Deployment Stories.

International Parental Child Abduction: What Can You Do?

2009-05-18T20:28:40-05:00

About the Author: Ryan Palsrok serves as the Public Outreach Coordinator for the Department of State's Office of Children's Issues.

You may have recently read about an international child custody case with Brazil. This particular case has received significant media attention. It has been a very long, painful journey for those involved, especially the young boy’s father.

Sadly, this case is not unique. Records kept by the Department of State’s Office of Children's Issues show more than 1,600 children wrongfully taken or kept abroad by a parent during 2008. This reflects roughly a 40 percent increase in cases from 2007.

Parental child abduction is a tragedy – and a federal crime – that jeopardizes children and has substantial long-term consequences for the “left-behind” parent, the child, the family, and society. Children who are abducted by their parents are often suddenly isolated from their extended families, friends, and classmates. They are at risk of serious emotional and psychological problems. Similarly, left-behind parents experience a wide range of emotions including betrayal, loss, anger, and depression. In international cases, they often face unfamiliar legal, cultural, and linguistic barriers that compound these emotions.

That is why the Department of State has an office dedicated to the issue. The Office of Children’s Issues assists parents in the United States and overseas whose children have been taken or kept abroad against their wishes by the other parent. It aims to protect the welfare of children who have been victimized in these cases.

If you find yourself in a situation that could result in an abduction of a child, visit Travel.State.gov/ChildAbduction. You can learn about best ways to work out your custody decree with your ex-spouse, discover how to enter your child’s name into the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program, and find how to contact the Office of Children’s Issues. We are here to help.

Democracy Video Challenge: Cast Your Vote Now

2009-05-16T14:12:33-05:00

We asked people around the world to create short videos completing the phrase, "Democracy is..." Over 900 contestants from 95 countries answered the call! Now it's your turn to choose the winners.

The Department of State and its partners announced the eighteen finalists for the Democracy Video Challenge, an online video competition that asked participants to complete the phrase, “Democracy is...” Also today, public voting to select the six winners opened (www.youtube.com/democracychallenge) and will continue until midnight June 15th (EST).

The finalists, chosen from among a pool of more than 900 entries from 95 countries, represent Brazil (2), Cote d’Ivoire, Germany, India, Iran (2), Japan, Nepal, Philippines, Poland, Serbia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, the United States, Uzbekistan, and Zambia. These videos provide an array of voices and visions about democracy from around the world. The finalists were selected by an independent jury, co-chaired by Michael Apted (President of the Directors Guild of America) and Hernando de Soto (President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy).

Six winners - one each from the Western Hemisphere, Europe, Middle East/North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central Asia and East Asia/Pacific - will be announced mid-June 2009. The winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip in September to Washington, New York and Hollywood. The prize package includes time on television/film sets, meetings with film professionals, democracy advocates, the media, government officials, and special screenings of their videos.

The Democracy Video Challenge was launched online and at the United Nations on International Democracy Day (September 15, 2008). It was created through a unique partnership consisting of democracy and youth organizations, the film and entertainment industry, academia and the U.S. Government. Partners include the Center for International Private Enterprise, Directors Guild of America, International Republican Institute, International Youth Foundation, Motion Picture Association of America, NBC Universal, National Democratic Institute, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, TakingITGlobal, the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, and the U.S. Department of State. YouTube is providing the video platform, and the William Morris Agency is contributing part of the prize package.

Shark Dive Highlights Indonesia’s Underwater Biodiversity

2009-05-15T16:04:57-05:00

About the Author: Nicholas Throckmorton serves as ASEAN and Regional Economic Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta.

U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Cameron R. Hume dived into a shark tank at Sea World Indonesia to celebrate Earth Day 2009. The Embassy organized a day of environmentally-themed, youth-oriented activities for approximately 100 Indonesian children from several Jakarta public schools and a foundation serving youth with cancer. This year’s celebrations were aimed at calling attention to Indonesia’s unique underwater biodiversity and Indonesia hosting the World Oceanic Conference in Manado and Coral Triangle Initiative Summit, May 11-15, 2009.

U.S. corporations, including Starbucks, General Motors, Coca-Cola, and McDonalds generously sponsored the Embassy’s Earth Day event, providing transportation, books, games and refreshments for the participating children.

Secretary Clinton Encourages University Graduates Not To Sit on the Sidelines

2009-05-14T00:04:33-05:00

About the Author: Nora Toiv serves in the Office of the Secretary of State.

Today, New York University (NYU) graduates filled the seats of Yankee fans and NYU’s faculty, trustees, and honored guests occupied the spots of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, and Mark Teixeira.

As a Yankee fan and an NYU grad, I was ecstatic to sit in the dugout and listen to an inspiring, global call to action delivered by Secretary Clinton, NYU's commencement speaker this year.

Two years ago, I graduated from New York University in Washington Square Park. When I left NYU, I headed to Washington to work for then-Senator Clinton, and I was delighted to return to NYU with the country's newest Secretary of State.

The Secretary’s speech reminded me of why I’m working in public service and how important young people are to forming global policy. She encouraged the crowd to pursue global service and to use technology to become more involved in global politics. NYU’s dedication to study abroad programs and to attracting students from around the world made the NYU commencement ceremony the perfect venue for the Secretary’s pitch.

"We can sit on the sidelines,” she said. “We can wring our hands; we can retreat into cynicism, and we know what the results will be. We will cede the field to those whose ideologies are absolutely anathema to people of conscience and faith all over the world."

She also made the excellent point that the State Department is hiring, and I hope she inspired some of my fellow NYU grads to apply. For the members of the Class of 2009 who already have jobs, I hope they will consider becoming "citizen diplomats” and “citizen activists." The Secretary’s new Virtual Student Foreign Service (VSFS) internships sounded especially accessible and interesting for any young person considering the Foreign Service.

Next year NYU will hold commencement back in Washington Square Park and our Yankee Stadium days will be over. I’m grateful to have returned to NYU with the person who inspires me most, passing on her wisdom and congratulations to the class of 2009.

Secretary Clinton Launches Virtual Student Foreign Service Initiative

2009-05-13T18:23:00-05:00

Secretary Clinton launched a new initiative today to allow for a rising generation of citizen diplomats to conduct digital diplomacy.

Virtual Student Foreign Service (VSFS) Internships, announced by Secretary Clinton at the 2009 New York University commencement speech, are part of a growing effort by the State Department to harness technology and a commitment to global service among young people to facilitate new forms of diplomatic engagement. The VSFS Internships will be developed over the next year and will seek to harness the energy of a rising generation of citizen diplomats.

Working from college and university campuses in the United States, American students will partner with our embassies abroad to conduct digital diplomacy that reflects the realities of our networked world. By combining the talents of young people across America and the right technology, we can forge the solutions that our century demands.

Sign up to receive more information and updates on Virtual Student Foreign Service Internships.

Join the Virtual Student Foreign Service Facebook community.

U.S. Department of State Becomes “Global Classroom” for Model UN Students

2009-05-12T15:42:18-05:00

About the Author: Mark Schlachter serves as Public Diplomacy Chief for the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.

The State Department’s Dean Acheson auditorium rarely hosts a more excited and dynamic audience than assembled there on May 11 for the 2009 Global Classrooms Model United Nations conference. The 650 middle and high school students from around the DC area buzzed with interest and curiosity as they prepared for a day of debate, negotiation, and consensus-building. Before they began, however, they received a very personal endorsement from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The Secretary recalled the participation of her daughter in just such an event and polled the students on international issues of greatest concern to them. Energized by the Secretary’s remarks, the students spent the rest of the day working on such thorny matters as climate change, nuclear terrorism, and migration. By the end of the day, the students were exhausted, the auditorium was empty, and the 2009 Model UN program was a smashing success.

This Model UN program is sponsored and coordinated by the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area as part of the Global Classrooms project. The U.S. Department of State hosted the daylong event.

My First Day at the Podium

2009-05-11T22:56:52-05:00

About the Author: Ian Kelly serves as the State Department Spokesman and Acting Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs.

Today I stood at the podium of the State Department’s Carl T. Rowan Press Briefing Room for my first time as the Department Spokesman. After 24 years as a public diplomacy professional, I find it most exciting to be in a position in which I can help shape the message and communicate what the United States is seeking to achieve through diplomacy.

It is critical to help Americans understand the importance of diplomacy and foreign affairs. The State Department’s daily press briefings are an important part of that process. I look forward to working with the journalists who attend our daily press briefings and report on the State Department. Journalists have a very important job, and I will remain committed to the work they do.

As I stood at the podium today, I was immediately humbled by the task before me. It is a great honor to represent Secretary Clinton and my State Department colleagues and to communicate U.S. foreign policy to America and the world.

My second thought was that this job is tough, perhaps more so than I had realized. Robert Wood and Gordon Duguid who have served as Acting Spokesman and Acting Deputy Spokesman have made it look easy during this period of transition. I thank them for their work and will continue to rely upon their counsel.

My job, of course, is much easier when the Secretary has authorized me to speak on her behalf. I am grateful for the confidence Secretary Clinton has shown in me and was very appreciative that she took the time out of her schedule today to introduce me. I was particularly glad that Secretary Clinton mentioned in her introduction that I am a “long-suffering Chicago Cubs fan.” If nothing else, my years following the Cubs have taught me patience.

The Cubs won yesterday. I made it through my first press briefing. Not bad for the first week, so far.

International Adoptions: Consular Officers Assist New Families Abroad

2009-05-11T17:54:54-05:00

About the Author: Josh Glazeroff serves as the Visa Chief in the consular section of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.

Working in the visa section of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, my colleagues and I spend a lot of our day interacting with Indian citizens (and thousands of citizens of other nations around the world). As consular officers, however, our primary responsibility is to assist American citizens and provide them relevant consular services. These services to American citizens and visas come together in one special area: international adoptions. At the end of what can be a long process, the American citizen parents’ new children will need visas. Given the volume of people we see each day and the number of personal situations we consider, adoptions stand out as one of the most heartwarming. We are witnesses to the coming together of a family.

A couple of months ago I ran into a friend of a friend at the office.

“What are you doing in India?” I asked.

“We’re adopting a child.”

Wow. It was big news. I hadn’t been in touch for awhile, and she had just become a mom! She and her husband had invested a lot of time and energy in their decision and the process that followed. In the end, they were the parents of a son, whom they had yet to officially name. It was something with which I could identify – all new parents spend some time considering the name of their child – but this child was already over a year old! They were embarking on a journey as a new family, and their first stop happened to be our office. Their excitement certainly would not be dampened by any paperwork requirements. I was impressed by their dedication and thoughtfulness.

The flipside of the happy family addition via adoption is the terrible tragedy of baby-selling or baby-stealing. Recent news reports indicated that one or more Indian children were taken from their biological parents and “adopted” by unwitting foreigners (not Americans). The events happened a few years ago, but the very frightening possibility of such an occurrence has intensified the care with which we work on such cases. We have engaged with colleagues at other embassies in New Delhi to revisit our procedures and identify opportunities for improvement. We continue to work closely with our Indian government contacts to avoid miscommunication. We have conducted a careful top-to-bottom review of all our processes to ensure we comply with all the regulations involved.

The story of the adoptive parents finding a child to complete their family is one of genuine joy. It is very rewarding to play a role, even a small one, in facilitating the process. The care with which we undertake our work truly affects people’s lives – a lesson of which I am reminded every day.

City Slicker Learns To “Dip” Sheep in Iraq

2009-05-08T15:13:40-05:00

About the Author: Aaron Snipe serves as a Foreign Service Officer with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Iraq.

Seven years ago, I was working in the financial services industry in New York City. I had recently taken the Foreign Service exam and was pretty pessimistic about my chances of passing. I didn’t like my job very much, but I loved my office. It was in the old Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Clock Tower building at Madison and 23rd. And I loved living in Park Slope. If you had told me back then that, in a few short years, I would be working in rural Iraq, helping farmers vaccinate and "dip" their sheep, I would have found the assertion preposterous.

As fate would have it, I am here in Iraq, dipping sheep, and having a good time doing it.

Muthanna, the southern Iraqi province in which I work, is rural. Muthanna doesn't have many natural resources, and it doesn't have an abundance of water, though the Euphrates River does wind its way through our humble province. What it does have are lots of livestock. This is a province of farmers. Far away from Baghdad, the bigger questions of the Middle East don't really resonate here. While we are assisting the Iraqis here in all sectors, I suspect the greatest impact we will have in Muthanna is on its agricultural sector.

Late last year, I visited a site in rural Khider where veterinary representatives from the provincial government brought medicines for the animals. Joining me on the visit was Dr. Indu Ram, the PRT's Senior Agricultural Advisor and a native of Lucknow, India. The PRT's main contact with the provincial government on agricultural and veterinary issues, Indu has worked tirelessly on agricultural matters in the province and has developed a strong relationship with the Director General of Veterinary Services. Previous veterinary inoculations sponsored by the PRT had been in partnership with the United States Military, but this event was different. While we always enjoy cooperating with the military, Humvees and MRAPs would have changed the atmosphere of this engagement. With Muthanna’s Director General of Veterinary Services and PRT civilians leading the way, Iraqi farmers got to see something we wish more Iraqis would see: Iraqi officials cooperating with civilian representatives of the United States to respond directly to the needs of the people.

During this round of treatment, veterinarians injected livestock with vaccines for common seasonal diseases and administered oral treatments to the animals for internal parasites. A little later in the day we watched sheep being dipped to help prevent against external parasites. Indu's "hands on" approach to the work prompted him to get into the action by helping an unsuspecting sheep into the dip.

Under ideal conditions, sheep would normally receive vaccinations twice a year, but for the farmers of Khider – until now – their livestock had not received vaccinations in over three years. The vaccination partnership between the government and PRT is expected to decrease the sheep mortality rate by 80%.

As the visit came to a close everyone was happy. In this forgotten corner of Iraq, where Muthanna's farmers struggle with so many challenges, the PRT's support of provincial efforts paid large dividends. Before we left, the farmers made one very important demand on the PRT: stay for lunch. "We will slaughter a sheep in your honor! Please stay and eat with us." With other pressing business in the province on that day, we were unable to stay and break bread with our new friends. But, as the Acting Team Leader (my boss was out of town), I promised to return for another vaccination event, and I fully intended to take the farmers up on lunch. Stay tuned for more boiled sheep!

Read more entries about Aaron Snipe's experiences serving with the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Muthanna, Iraq.

U.S. Holds Trilateral Meeting With Afghanistan and Pakistan

2009-05-06T21:26:49-05:00

Secretary Clinton held the second trilateral meeting with Afghan and Pakistani leaders today. During the meeting, the Secretary said:

"I am pleased to announce that Afghanistan and Pakistan have reached an important milestone in their efforts to generate foreign investment and stronger economic growth and trade opportunities. Before President Karzai and President Zardari meet with President Obama this morning, the two ministers, Minister Qureshi and Minister Spanta, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding committing their countries to achieving a trade transit agreement by the end of the year, which we believe will have great economic benefits for both peoples.

This is an historic event. This agreement has been under discussion for 43 years without resolution. But when I think about Afghanistan and Pakistan, and I look at the map of the world and see how strategically located both countries are, this is an agreement that will bring prosperity to both countries, along the trade routes and beyond. Nothing opens up an area to economic development better than a good road with good transit rules and an ability to transport goods and people effectively. So we think this will be enormously beneficial, and I congratulate both countries."

Read the full remarks from today's meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari or Secretary Clinton's statement at the first trilateral meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Spanta and Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi.

Front Lines to Main Streets in Iraq

2009-05-06T18:39:44-05:00

About the Author: Aaron Snipe serves as a Foreign Service Officer with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Muthanna, Iraq.

I’ve had my share of sleepless nights since I came to Iraq, but my insomnia these days has more to do with the big-picture questions facing this land, than the heat, IEDs, or rocket attacks. Late one night not long ago, I finished reading a fascinating new book about Iraq. At the end of the book, the author published a copy of an unclassified U.S. Army memo dated June 21, 2008. The document, entitled “Multi-National Force-Iraq Commander’s Counterinsurgency Guidance,” included a bullet point that got me thinking. The directive was aimed at U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq. It was simple in its logic and direct in its wording. Though I was not the intended audience, it spoke loudly to me as an American diplomat. The missive read as follows:

"Walk: Move mounted, work dismounted. Stop by, don’t drive by. Patrol on foot and engage the population. Situational awareness can only be gained by interacting with the people face-to-face, not separated by ballistic glass."

The memo made me think about how diplomats travel in Iraq. I’ve been all over my province and shaken hands with thousands of Iraqis, but due to security concerns I haven't actually spent a great deal of time just sitting still in the real Iraq. Most days, the lens through which I view Iraq is the glass of an armored vehicle traveling at high speeds. Ballistic glass may protect me, but it is thick, tinted and invariably distorts my view of the outside world. Not exactly the best way to get a clear picture of things, literally or figuratively.

Recently, something I had long hoped for came to fruition. I got out from behind that ballistic glass and saw a side of the real Iraq, up close. A local mayor invited my boss and me on a walk-about through his fair city. With the appropriate level of security, we set out to visit the Land Records Office, the local bank, and many street vendors along the way.

How wonderful it was to be in Iraq that day. The sites and sounds of street life in Iraq were the sounds of any city, anywhere in the world: cars honking, motorbikes weaving through traffic, taxi drivers yelling. But it was the smells that let me know I was really in Iraq. As we walked down the street, I inhaled deeply: sharwma roasting on a spit, tea boiling in a street-side cauldron, fruits and vegetables ripening in the afternoon sun. Even the smell of sewage from the drain, though unpleasant, was remotely comforting. I was really here. Finally.

When we reached the restaurant, I immediately felt the heat from the brick oven. Skewers of kebabs roasted above the fire. A school-aged boy sliced tomatoes and onions. Religious iconography adorned the walls. With the bustling city life just beyond the restaurant's open windows, we were in Iraq. The real Iraq. I don't know if the food was the best meal I'd ever had, but it certainly ranked among the best overall dining experiences I've had in quite awhile. The kebabs were delicious, the grilled tomatoes delectable, and the bread was fresh out of the oven.

Many of the cultural differences that divide people from different backgrounds can be undone when they break bread together. There are those in Iraq who don’t want to bridge that divide. During my eight months here, I have encountered a few who have refused to “unclench their fist” as I extended an “open hand.” But, that is to be expected. The majority of Iraqis I’ve met do want a better relationship with America and Americans, and all of the respect I’ve given Iraqis has been reciprocated ten-fold.

My walk through the market and my lunch at a street-side restaurant, similar to most of my experiences here, are not stories that will make headlines or news of any kind back home. But they should. In this seldom talked about part of Iraq, front lines are turning into main streets. I’m proud to be serving on the main streets of Iraq.

Deployment Stories: Traveling to Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province

2009-05-05T18:08:31-05:00

About the Author: Claire Sneed serves in the State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization.

My name is Claire Sneed. I’m a conflict prevention officer for the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization. In January 2008, the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction was asked to assist the Embassy in Sri Lanka to carry out an interagency conflict assessment for the eastern province. I led a team of five people from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of Defense and our office to assist the country team in Colombo to carry out this assessment and develop a strategy for stabilization that used all of the U.S. Government resources that we could bring to the table.

During the three-week assessment, we went out to the eastern province. We traveled around and talked to conflict-affected populations, to local leaders, to government officials, to NGOs and other representatives of the international community who are working on this issue. We gained sort of a common understanding of what some of the challenges were and developed sort of a shared understanding of what needed to be done in order to bring stability to the region and help the region move toward, you know, peace and development.

For me, it was a really interesting experience working on an interagency process and learning a little bit more about how the U.S. Government and the different agencies of the U.S. Government think and approach and see stabilization challenges. And it was very rewarding to see the different agencies sort of come to a consensus about what we understood and what we saw and what we felt needed to be done.

The conditions on the ground in Sri Lanka at that time were fairly volatile. We were stopped at checkpoints fairly often. Although we were able to stay in hotels, we weren’t able to stay out in the east quite as long as we might have liked, just because the situation was so precarious. That said, it was very important for us actually to get out into the region, rather than just staying in Colombo and gathering information there. And so we were fortunately able to get around and actually meet some of these populations and see the conditions in which they were living and the kind of security environment that they were facing.

In the future, I think that this type of deployment is extremely useful and this function is very useful in that it enables again this sort of shared perspective to emerge among the different parts of the U.S. Government that are involved and that can bring resources to bear in a reconstruction and stabilization environment. And so I would welcome an opportunity to participate in future assessments and planning missions like this one.

Related Entries: Watch Ambassador Herbst discuss the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization and the Civilian Response Corps or read more Deployment Stories.

Giving Voice to the Voiceless

2009-05-04T17:20:02-05:00

About the Author: Ambassador-at-Large Melanne Verveer serves as director of the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues.

Secretary Clinton greeted ten emerging leaders from Iraq, participants in an International Visitor Leadership Program sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The Office of Global Women’s Issues joined in an interagency roundtable with the delegation and spoke to them about their work promoting the political, economic, and social empowerment of Iraqi women, and welcomed back Suaad Allami, who came to Washington at the beginning of March to receive an International Women of Courage award from Secretary Clinton.

Ms. Allami happily reported that the Secretary remembered her, but quickly turned serious in discussing her work establishing Women’s Centers in Sadr City, which she called “giving voice to the voiceless.” Without the awards program and other U.S. programs, she said, “I couldn’t be as I am now. I value myself now.” She expressed the hope that the others in her program would experience a similar benefit, so that they could better serve the causes and people they represent.

From Washington, this group of parliamentarians, government officials, journalists, and NGO leaders travels to New York and New Jersey, where they will have a seminar with faculty from the Center for American Women and Politics at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. From there, they travel to California and then Texas, for meetings on state politics, elections, boosting volunteerism, and fostering leadership in girls and young women.

Many members of the group are visiting the United States for the first time. While they look forward to experiencing a diverse cross-section of American culture as part of their program, all are single-minded about their goals. “This is a golden opportunity,” one participant, a government official, said, adding that she tries to stress the need for concrete support for projects in Iraq in all her meetings.

Free Media Essential to Democracy

2009-05-04T13:33:30-05:00

In recognition of World Press Freedom Day, Secretary Clinton released this statement:

The United States is proud to join the international community in celebrating World Press Freedom Day and the contributions that journalists make to advancing human dignity, liberty, and prosperity.

We live in a world where the free flow of information and ideas is a powerful force for progress. Independent print, broadcast, and online media outlets are more than sources of news and opinion. They also expose abuses of power, fight corruption, challenge assumptions, and provide constructive outlets for new ideas and dissent.

Freedom of the press is protected by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is a hallmark of every free society. Wherever media freedom is in jeopardy, all other human rights are also under threat. A free media is essential to democracy and it fosters transparency and accountability, both of which are prerequisites for sustained economic development.

Those who seek to abuse power and spread corruption view media freedom as a threat. Instead of supporting an open press, they attempt to control or silence independent voices. The methods they use against news organizations and journalists range from restrictive laws and regulations to censorship, violence, imprisonment, and even murder. Such tactics are not new, and cannot go unanswered.

We are especially concerned about the citizens from our own country currently under detention abroad: individuals such as Roxana Saberi in Iran, and Euna Lee and Laura Ling in North Korea.

On behalf of President Obama, I want to affirm the United States’ strong commitment to media freedom worldwide. We will champion this cause through our diplomatic efforts and through our exchange and assistance programs. We will work in partnership with non-governmental organizations and directly with members of the media. And we will stand with those courageous men and women who face persecution for exercising and defending the right of media freedom.

Secretary Clinton’s First 100 Days

2009-05-01T23:03:20-05:00

Today marks Secretary Clinton’s 100th day serving as Secretary of State.

The DipNote team selected some of our favorite photos to highlight the last one hundred days. We hope you enjoy them.

U.S. Foreign Policy Built on Defense, Diplomacy, and Development

2009-04-30T22:46:50-05:00

Secretary Clinton and Secretary Gates testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee today. Secretary Clinton said:

"Secretary Gates and I are here together because our departments’ missions are aligned and our plans are integrated. The foreign policy of the United States is built on the three Ds: defense, diplomacy, and development. The men and women in our armed forces perform their duties with courage and skill, putting their lives on the line time and time again on behalf of our nation. And in many regions, they serve alongside civilians from the State Department and USAID, as well as other government agencies, like USDA.

We work with the military in two crucial ways. First, civilians complement and build upon our military’s efforts in conflict areas like Iraq and Afghanistan. Second, they use diplomatic and development tools to build more stable and peaceful societies, hopefully to avert or end conflict that is far less costly in lives and dollars than military action.

As you know, the United States is facing serious challenges around the world: two wars; political uncertainty in the Middle East; irresponsible nations, led by Iran and North Korea, with nuclear ambitions; an economic crisis that is pushing more people into poverty; and 21st century threats such as terrorism, climate change, trafficking in drugs and human beings. These challenges require new forms of outreach and cooperation within our own government and then with others as well.

To achieve this, we have launched a new diplomacy powered by partnership, pragmatism, and principle. We are strengthening historic alliances and reaching out to create new ones. And we’re bringing governments, the private sector, and civil society together to find global solutions to global problems.

The 2009 supplemental budget request for the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development is a significant sum, yet our investment in diplomacy and development is only about 6 percent of our total national security budget. For Secretary Gates and myself, it is critically important that we give our civilian workers, as well as our military, the resources they need to do their jobs well."

Read the Secretary's full opening remarks before the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Country Reports on Terrorism Released

2009-04-30T21:12:44-05:00

The Department of State released the annual Congressionally mandated Country Reports on Terrorism 2008 today. U.S. law requires the Secretary of State to provide Congress, by April 30 of each year, a full and complete report on terrorism with regard to those countries and groups meeting criteria set forth in the legislation.

The Country Reports on Terrorism 2008's "Strategic Assessment" chapter highlights terrorism trends and ongoing issues in 2008. This chapter sets the scene for the detailed analysis that follows. Significant achievements in border security, information sharing, transportation security, financial controls, and the killing or capture of numerous terrorist leaders have reduced the threat. But the threat remains, and state sponsorship, improved terrorist propaganda capabilities, the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction by some terrorist groups and state sponsors of terrorism, and terrorist exploitation of grievances represent ongoing challenges.

The terrorist groups of greatest concern – because of their global reach – share many of the characteristics of a global insurgency: propaganda campaigns, grass roots support, transnational ideology, and political and territorial ambitions. Responding requires a comprehensive response that focuses on recruiters and their networks, potential recruits, the local population, and the ideology. An holistic approach incorporates efforts aimed at protecting and securing the population; politically and physically marginalizing insurgents; winning the support and cooperation of at-risk populations by targeted political and development measures; and conducting precise intelligence-led special operations to eliminate critical enemy elements with minimal risk to innocent civilians.

Significant achievements in this area were made this year against terrorist leadership targets, notably the capturing or killing of key terrorist leaders in Pakistan, Iraq, and Colombia. These efforts buy us time to carry out the non-lethal and longer term elements of a comprehensive counterterrorist strategy: disrupting terrorist operations, communications, propaganda, subversion efforts, planning and fundraising, and preventing radicalization before it takes root by addressing the grievances that terrorists exploit and discrediting the ideology that provides their legitimacy. Actions that advance these strategic objectives include building and strengthening networks among governments, multilateral cooperation, business organizations, and working within civil society. It is crucial to empower credible voices and provide alternatives to joining extremist organizations.

Working with allies and partners across the world, we have created a less permissive operating environment for terrorists, keeping terrorist leaders on the move or in hiding, and degrading their ability to plan and mount attacks. Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Jordan, the Philippines, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and many other partners played major roles in this success. Dozens of countries have continued to pass counterterrorism legislation or strengthen pre-existing laws that provide their law enforcement and judicial authorities with new tools to bring terrorists to justice. The United States has expanded the number of foreign partners with which it shares terrorist screening information. This information serves as an important tool for disrupting and tracking travel of known and suspected terrorists.

Read the full report.

DipNote Passes 5,000,000 Page Views

2009-04-30T00:36:36-05:00

About the Author: Luke Forgerson serves as DipNote's Managing Editor.

I'm proud to announce that today DipNote surpassed five million page views. When I shared the news with my colleagues, their faces brightened, and some even did a celebratory dance.

It feels appropriate to reach this milestone as we also mark the first one hundred days of the Obama Administration. During Secretary Clinton's first town hall meeting with State Department employees, she said, "There is no doubt in my mind that we have barely scratched the surface as to what we can use to communicate with people around the world, and in fact, to use them [new technologies] as tools...to further our own work and be smart about it."

Those words were particularly encouraging to me and my colleagues. The Secretary certainly meant what she said! Soon after taking office, Secretary Clinton posted a blog of her own. She has solicited questions from people around the world through "Text the Secretary." She has hosted webchats and webcast town halls and has focused on new media to amplify the Department's efforts around the globe.

State Department colleagues often informally share their thoughts with me about new media efforts, DipNote in particular. I prefer, of course, to hear when colleagues like something they see or read on the blog, but I also value their constructive comments. Their feedback demonstrates to me that State Department colleagues are taking a vested interest in DipNote. The blog enables more State Department employees to engage the five million viewers, like you, who rely on DipNote for updates on critical issues, such as climate change and food security, and share with you the work they are doing in countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

Though DipNote's success rests much upon the contributions of State Department employees, it also relies heavily upon you, our readers. On behalf of everyone at DipNote – Caroline Adler, Jeff Jackson, Tamika Johnson, Eric Jones, and Daniel Schaub, a group whose creativity and vision are at the heart of the blog – thank you for helping us reach this point. Thank you for reading, and thank you for providing your informed and heartfelt comments. We're excited that DipNote reached this milestone, and look forward to millions more!

American Corner Opens in Akko, Israel

2009-04-29T13:47:11-05:00

Watch Video | Video Text

About the Author: Will Stevens serves as the Deputy Press Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv.

On April 1, 2009, the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv opened the newest, and possibly most beautiful, American Corner in the world. This Corner is housed in the newly restored medieval structure at the A-Saraya, and is perhaps the first of the hundreds of American Corners in the world to be located in a UNESCO World Heritage site. On hand for the gala opening were U.S. Ambassador James B. Cunnigham, Akko Mayor Shimon Lankri, and over 150 community leaders, educators, and business people from Akko and surrounding areas. Peter Yarrow of the American folk group “Peter, Paul, and Mary” and Israeli music legend David Broza headlined the gala opening.

American Corners are a unique State Department program whereby U.S. embassies partner with local municipalities and community centers to open small pieces of America throughout the world that give local publics the chance to access the internet, research America, attend embassy events, and host activities. The American Corner in Akko will offer materials in English, Arabic, and Hebrew on such topics as business and education in America, English language studies, and American civics, history and culture.

The American Corner is a formal partnership between the U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, the Akko Community Center, and the Municipality of Akko. Ambassador Cunningham noted at the opening that “our great hope is that this American Corner will serve as a gathering place for dialogue, discussion and debate on issues important to the greater goal of peace….. We are confident that it will further my Embassy’s effort to extend the message of coexistence between Arabs and Jews in Israel.”

Sojourner Truth’s Example, Legacy Echo Through History

2009-04-28T22:07:36-05:00

Secretary Clinton participated today in the unveiling of the Sojourner Truth bust at the U.S. Capitol. Secretary Clinton said:

"What a wonderful day it is to be here in Emancipation Hall for this great occasion when Sojourner Truth takes her rightful place alongside the heroes who have helped to shape our nation’s history.

This is an achievement that did not come easily or quickly. It took years of hard work and faith by many people to make this day possible. And what a great honor and pleasure it is to have with us for this extraordinary moment in our nation’s history our First Lady, Michelle Obama.

I want to thank the Speaker for her leadership and also Congressman Boehner and Leader Reid and Senator McConnell, because this was a bipartisan effort. But I especially want to thank my partner in this project from the very beginning when we first co-sponsored the legislation for this extraordinary memorial years ago, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee.

This dream began with C. DeLores Tucker. All of us who knew and admired and loved C. DeLores remember that when she had her mind made up, you could not change it. She saw this through almost to the very end, and I know she is smiling down on us today in celebration and pride. And it is such a great delight to have with us her husband, William “Bill” Tucker. Mr. Tucker, thank you.

All the members of the National Congress of Black Women deserve our thanks, because you raised the money for this memorial. You raised it one dollar and five dollars at a time. It was a true grassroots effort. And you have every reason to be so proud of what you have achieved here.

I also want to take a moment of personal privilege and recognize another one of my heroines, Dr. Dorothy Height, who is here with us. You know, leaders like Dr. Height and E. Faye Williams and Michelle Battle and so many others stand in the footsteps of Sojourner’s legacy. It is all around us today. You heard the bishop. We’re here because of barriers she challenged and fought to tear down and paths she helped to forge and trod alone. So we honor her memory and we pay tribute to her life’s work, and we recommit ourselves to fighting to end injustice and inequality wherever it remains.

One hundred and fifty-eight years ago, hundreds of women and men from across the country gathered in a church in Akron, Ohio to declare a simple but revolutionary idea, that the rights afforded to men, particularly the right to vote, belonged to women too.

Now, in a few minutes, we’re going to hear from one of our great actresses, Cicely Tyson, who will recount those words. But inside that crowded church when this former slave stood to speak, at first, people were not paying attention. Some were kind of rude, if you read the history. But she knew firsthand the cruelties of slavery and oppression and the burden of gender inequality, and she drew vital connections between the two.

On that day in Ohio, she told the crowd of suffragettes that if they cared about women’s rights, they had to fight for the rights of current and former slaves, and that slaves deserved their support, just as the larger society should support the rights of women that they were campaigning for.

She lived for nearly 90 years. She never stopped fighting to extend the rights and protections of our democracy. She preached against capital punishment and advocated for prison reform. She recruited African American troops for the Union Army. She helped to desegregate the streetcars that ran through Washington, and she worked diligently to improve living conditions for freed men and women.

She did not know how to read or write. Her life was from the most humble and improbable circumstances. But she ended up counting President Lincoln and President Grant among her acquaintances. She never, never, despite what she went through, stopped believing in the promise of liberty. She lived long enough to see the end of slavery, but not the establishment of voting rights for women. The 19th Amendment would not be passed until 37 years after her death. But today, she takes her place in this Capitol, and we are the better for it.

Was any person ever better named? Think about it. She is a sojourner of truth, by truth, and for truth. And her words, her example, and her legacy will never perish from this earth, so long as men and women stand up and say loudly and clearly: We hear you echoing down through the years of history, we believe that your journey is not yet over, and we will make the rest of that journey with you. God bless the memory of Sojourner Truth."

Mentoring Partnership Prepares Next Generation of Women Leaders

2009-04-28T20:03:50-05:00

Yesterday Secretary Clinton hosted emerging women leaders participating in an innovative mentoring partnership.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has joined Fortune's Most Powerful Women and Vital Voices Global Partnership to launch the fourth Fortune/U.S. State Department Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership, April 27-May 22. This innovative program connects America's top women executives with emerging women leaders from around the world. Emerging women leaders from Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Macedonia, Namibia, Nigeria, Russia, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Vietnam will be mentored by participants of the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit.

Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Leaders share their time, talent and expertise in business with the next generation of international women leaders. This year’s mentors include Ann S. Moore, Chairman and CEO, Time Inc.; Andrea Jung, Chairman and CEO of Avon Products; Molly Ashby, CEO of Solera Capital; Kathleen Vaughan, Executive Vice President, Wholesale Lending at Wells Fargo; Linda L. Addison, Partner-in-Charge, New York at Fulbright & Jaworski LLP; Kathleen Murphy, President, Personal Investing, at Fidelity; Meredith Whitney of Meredith Whitney Advisory Group; Jean Case, CEO of the Case Foundation; Mary Wittenberg, President and CEO of New York Roadrunners; and Barbara Goodstein, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer & Chief Innovation Officer, AXA Equitable. Women in senior leadership positions at Exxon Mobil, Wal-Mart, KPMG, Accenture, Ernst & Young, DuPont, Goldman Sachs, and Skadden Arps are mentoring as well.

Read more about the Fortune/U.S. State Department Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership.

Secretary Clinton Addresses Embassy Baghdad Employees and U.S. Troops

2009-04-28T13:40:40-05:00

During her visit to Iraq, Secretary Clinton spoke to Embassy Baghdad employees and U.S. troops. Secretary Clinton said:

Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you all. Well, I apologize for being so delayed, but we’ve had a great day and I know a lot of you here this evening were the reason we did. The work you’ve been doing and the specific commitment to making this visit so successful is something that really speaks for itself. I’m very, very grateful to each and every one of you, and I must say you have certainly earned a wheels-up party when we’re out of here tonight.

I want to thank Lieutenant General Helmick for representing General Odierno, and more than that, for training the Iraqi security forces, which is part of his set of responsibilities. I also want to just acknowledge Jim Steinberg, Deputy Secretary of State, who will be working with our new ambassador and all of you, to deal with the range of issues that we have to tackle. I am here for my fourth trip. I first came in 2003 and then I came back in ’05 and then I came back in ’07. And here I am once again, this time as Secretary of State.

I am both heartened by the progress that many of you have contributed to. I want to thank Pat on behalf of everyone here. She did a great job as DCM until we could finally get the Senate to agree that maybe it was important to have an ambassador in Iraq. And I want to introduce to you your new Ambassador, Chris Hill. You should know that as soon as he was confirmed – I think he was confirmed Tuesday night, late – he packed up everything and hitched a ride to Baghdad. And he was anxious to start this job, which is such a critical one for our own security and certainly for the security and future of the Iraqi people.

I also want to acknowledge former Ambassador Ryan Crocker, who did a magnificent job here. Both Ambassadors Crocker and Hill are among the very best that our Diplomatic Corps has to offer. Ambassador Hill has been in conflict situations in Kosovo. He was part of the Dayton Peace Accord negotiations in Bosnia. He served in Poland and South Korea. He was ambassador in Macedonia during the Kosovo war there. So he is no stranger to the kind of challenges that we are facing as we try to help this transition that the Iraqis are undertaking to a stable, sovereign, self-reliant nation.

Being here in my new role, I have to tell you how very proud I am of you. President Obama was here just a short while ago and gave the same message to both our military and civilian forces. We see this as a real partnership. We are now moving into a period where we will be drawing down our combat troops and we’re going to have to be ramping up our diplomatic and development efforts.

I see diplomacy, development and defense as each supporting the core components of American foreign policy: to protect our nation, to advance our interests, and to represent our best values, which is the greatest case we have to make to those who might wonder whether a future of democracy is in their best interests.

Whether you’re from State or USAID or one of the other many agencies represented here, or you’re from our military, you have taken on one of the toughest and most tasking assignments that you could have ever been given. And I want to be very clear, while our strategy has shifted with the SOFA agreement and our commitment to drawing down, we are still committed to the Iraqi people and the future of the Iraqi nation.

I have said that the cornerstone of our foreign policy is smart power with using the best of our hard assets, with what is sometimes called “soft,” but I think either is a misnomer. Many of you in the military have done a lot of diplomatic and development work over the last several years. And a lot of you in the Diplomatic Corps or USAID have done a lot of very hard work, trying to figure out how we could be successful partnering with the military. And I see lots of signs of progress and achievement.

Much has been said about the elections that Iraq has already had. But three successful elections, including this most recent one with provincial elections, is a significant achievement, and that could never have happened without you and your predecessors. So today was an opportunity for me to follow up on the President’s visit and to have in-depth conversations with a variety of Iraqi leaders, as well as a briefing from General Odierno, whom I first met on my very first visit when he was commanding the 4th ID.

And we also tried something a little different, an Iraqi town hall. And I have to tell you, it’s not much different than a town hall in Iowa or New York or somewhere in the States. Lots of hands, lots of questions, and good ones too. It was an opportunity for me to hear directly from Iraqis, and I learned a lot, and it underscored the challenges that we face. So our commitment has not waned; we’re just going to be executing it with some different emphases and priorities. We’re still committed to security because nothing can happen in the absence of it.

I believe, as General Odierno told me this morning, that the tragic attacks of the last few days have not fundamentally altered the security situation. But we have to stay alert and vigilant and we have to continue helping to prepare the Iraqi security forces to be able to prevent and deter the suicide attacks by either explosive belts or exploding vehicles. But I am very confident that we’re going to rise to the challenge. We’re going to be putting real meat on the bones of the strategic framework agreement, which as you know, was adopted at the same time as SOFA – didn’t get as much attention, but now it’s the primary focus of our efforts. Because we have to translate into reality what we mean when we talk about economic assistance and good governance and rule of law, and many of the other services and changes that we would like to be part of.

It is such a high honor for me to serve as Secretary of State. I’ve been blessed over the last years in the positions and honors that I have been able to hold on behalf of our country. And it gives me an enormous thrill to be getting off a plane representing our President, our government, and our nation. But what really touches me is to look out at all of you, away from your families, gone from home for many months, in many cases, committed to your mission, determined to succeed. That’s what is best about our country. We’re here because we see a better future for another people, but we also see the connection between our children’s future and the future of the Iraqi children.

This world has shrunk. It is so interconnected now. There isn’t any place we can walk away from without possibly seeing consequences we’d rather not. So I want you to know that in this beautiful new embassy, that took a very long time to build – (laugher) – are some of the smartest and best people that you’ll find serving America, not just anywhere today, but anywhere in our history. We just have to make sure we deliver. And we’re going to do everything we can to give you the tools and the resources to make that happen.

But it has to be a two-way street. You know, I started a website on the State Department larger web pages to solicit your ideas. If you have a good idea about something we should do differently or better, don’t keep it to yourself and don’t just complain to the people that you work with. Let us know, because we don’t have any time to waste. We need the best practices possible and we need to change direction if we’re going down the wrong way. So I encourage you to let the ambassador know and log onto the site to let us know because we’re going to be on this 24/7. And hopefully, we’ll be back here time and time again and see even more benchmarks and measures of success that we can attribute to the hard work of this team.

Thank you all very much and God bless you. (Applause.)

Muthanna Art Exhibit Takes Risk, Earns Respect

2009-04-28T13:02:26-05:00

About the Author: Aaron Snipe is a Foreign Service Officer with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Muthanna, Iraq.

A few weeks ago I posted a blog entry entitled, “The Colors of Warka,” in which I chronicled the United States Ambassador’s trip to Muthanna. During that visit the Ambassador attended the first-ever exhibition for women artists in Muthanna. I wrote a bit about the artists in that blog but wanted to share an update.

In late 2008, when we learned that the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq was coming to Muthanna, we assembled a group of women artists from the province interested in working with the PRT on a cultural program. We asked them to contribute their paintings for a special gallery showing in honor of the Ambassador’s visit. We put it together in a few weeks, and the event was splendid. But, there was much more to the event than just a special showing for the Ambassador. The PRT, in cooperation with a local Iraqi NGO, wanted to support art in Muthanna and planned to hold a major exhibit of close to 100 paintings – all by the women of the province. Each of the participating women received canvases, paints and an easel. We gave the forty women a month to paint, after which time, the exhibit would open in three of Muthanna’s largest cities: Samawa, Rumaytha, and Khider.

After months of planning and preparation, the exhibit opened during March in Muthanna’s capital city, Samawa. It was well attended...or so I was told. Much to my disappointment, I missed the opening, but one of our local Iraqi staff who was able to attend reported that the event was a success. Eight media organizations (print and television) covered the event and a broad cross-section of Muthanna’s citizens came out to see this landmark exhibit.

Back at base, I was eager to get to the exhibit. After a bit of negotiation to arrange transportation, my colleague Albert Hadi and I found our way to Samawa for the second day of the exhibit. The NGO that co-sponsored the event did a terrific job decorating the exhibit hall and lighting the room. Many of the artists were at the exhibit again on the second day, and it was great to see them. What struck me, though, was how many other people were present. A college art professor had brought his forty male students to see the exhibit. Writers, poets, and other members of the artistic community were viewing the paintings and chatting with one another. At one point, I looked over and saw the Director General of Veterinary Affairs, whom I remembered from a PRT-sponsored sheep-dipping event some months ago (that is another story for another day). He told me he saw the exhibit on the news last night and decided to come to see it himself. The atmosphere was so relaxed and reminded me of any number of art museums I had been to in other parts of the world. Patrons, both men and women, were leaning in to look at the artists’ signatures, men sometimes disagreeing on the meaning and significance of this painting or that painting. For a moment, I forgot I was in Iraq.

For me, the exhibit was an example of public diplomacy. The fact that the United States was supporting art — its creation and exhibition — in Muthanna was a signal to the Iraqi people that the relationship between our two countries was normalizing. I was pleased to see that the artists had not shied away from portraying the difficulties facing Iraq. When we distributed the supplies a few months ago, I informed the women that they should feel free to paint whatever they liked. I made a special point of letting them know that I had no expectation that they should create art that was flattering to the United States. If there were negative feelings about the U.S. that these women wanted to express through their art, we supported that whole-heartedly. Negative feelings about the U.S. presence in Iraq expressed on a canvas were far more palatable to this diplomat than many of the alternatives.

My colleague Albert and I spent a great deal of time talking with all of the artists. What meant the most to me was the fact that many of the women had brought their families to meet us. This was a significant detail that couldn’t be ignored. Married or single, it is considered highly inappropriate for a young Iraqi woman to speak about meeting and talking with an unmarried man. But, through our meetings and planning, we had established a foundation of mutual respect with these women. This respect had begun to break down and dispel the obvious cultural prohibitions. I had never shaken hands with any of these women, and we always kept a respectable distance from one another as we spoke, but there was a genuine respect and admiration that we all shared. One woman asked for my e-mail address. She told me that her brother wanted to write me a letter to thank me. He wanted to write “to the American who respected his sister.” Respect.

One final thought on the exhibit before I conclude. The stories of these women shared one common thread: they were all taking risks by participating in this event. One of the women (not pictured above or in any photos related to this blog entry) told me a story that summed up the great risk involved in attempting to pull off the exhibit. She told us that she had watched the other women giving media interviews at the opening and wanted desperately to do so herself. Summoning up the courage to do so, she approached a reporter from a Muthanna-based television station. “I would like to be interviewed,” she said. She told us that she stood before the camera and spoke of her art, what art meant to her, and how she felt she had expressed her voice, publicly, for the first time in her life. She said she felt a sense of triumph after the interview, but that soon after a sense of dread overtook her. Her husband would certainly beat her that evening. “It was worth it,” she told us. “To have spoken to so many, to have said what I said before the people, it would be worth the punishment.” She described the long ride home, dreading the beating, but confident in her decision to speak out. When she arrived home, her husband was waiting at the door with his cell phone, in hand. "Did you see yourself?” he said. “You looked great! Mash'allah! You were on television! My wife was on television! I called my family and everyone I know. Look at you! You've made our family famous! This is wonderful!" She told us that when she walked in, her children embraced her and her husband told her that he was so very proud of her. She told us that later that evening - after her husband had finished calling everyone he knew - that he told her, "I never looked at you as an artist, only as the woman who cleans the house and raises the children. But, today, I am so proud of you."

I needed tissues more than my Kevlar vest and helmet that day, and any day that happens in Iraq is a good day.

Read Aaron's previous entry about the Ambassador's visit to Muthanna or read more about and view several of the paintings featured in the exhibit.

Mexico Travel Alert: H1N1 Flu Update

2009-04-28T01:35:10-05:00

U.S. citizens advised to avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico at this time.

The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens of the health risks of travel to Mexico at this time due to an outbreak of H1N1 “swine flu.” The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an April 27 notice recommending that American citizens avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico at this time. CDC’s notice also suggests precautions that travelers and U.S. citizen residents in Mexico can take to reduce their risk of infection while in Mexico. CDC provides recommendations for those who must travel to an area that has reported cases of swine flu, and recommends measures to take following return from an area that has reported cases of swine flu. The complete CDC notice can be found at the following link: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/. Please check this site frequently for updates. This Travel Alert expires on July 27, 2009.

The World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Alert and Response Network (GOARN) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have sent experts to Mexico to work with health authorities.

On April 25, the Government of Mexico announced that as a precautionary measure, all schools from kindergarten through university level will remain closed until May 6 in the Federal District, State of Mexico, and San Luis Potosi. All government-sponsored events involving large crowds have also been canceled, and museums and most tourist attractions are closed.

Consular operations at all consular posts in Mexico will be affected by this flu outbreak. Please refer to Embassy Mexico’s web page and that of individual posts for the latest information on closings and service reductions.

The U.S. Embassy reminds U.S. citizens in Mexico that most cases of influenza are not “swine flu.” Any specific questions or concerns about flu or other illnesses should be directed to a medical professional. Mexico City medical authorities urge people to avoid hospitals and clinics unless they have a medical emergency, since hospitals are centers of infection; instead, those with health concerns are encouraged to stay home and call their physicians to avoid potential exposure. Although the U.S. Embassy cannot give medical advice or provide medical services to the public, a list of hospitals and doctors can be found on our website in Spanish or English.

For additional information, please consult the State Department’s website at travel.state.gov, the CDC website at www.cdc.gov, or the website of the World Health Organization at www.who.int. The U.S.-based call center for U.S. citizens can be reached from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time, M-F, at 1-888-407-4747, or if calling from outside the U.S., at (202)-501-4444. The U.S. Embassy will also post additional information as it becomes available at: www.usembassy-mexico.gov. American citizens traveling or residing overseas are encouraged to register with the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate on the State Department's travel registration website.

Making Climate Change Central to U.S. Foreign Policy

2009-04-27T19:10:11-05:00

Secretary Clinton spoke today to delegates participating in the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate at the State Department. The Secretary said:

"I’m delighted to welcome all of you to the State Department for this very consequential meeting. As I look around the table, I think I have met in bilateral forums with all of the countries here, if not in multilateral forums, over the last nearly 100 days. And at each and every one of those meetings, global warming, climate change, clean energy, a low-carbon future has been part of our discussions. And I’m very pleased to welcome the personal representatives of 17 major economies, the United Nations, and observer nations to this first preparatory meeting of the major economies on energy and climate.

I think it’s significant that this discussion is taking place here at the State Department, because the crisis of climate change exists at the nexus of diplomacy, national security and development. It is an environmental issue, a health issue, an economic issue, an energy issue, and a security issue. It is a threat that is global in scope, but also local and national in impact. I’m delighted that our Special Envoy for Climate Change, Todd Stern, will be working with you, as will Mike Froman, who sits at that nexus in the White House between the National Security Council and the National Economic Council.

You know the details or you would not be here. There is much going on in the world today that challenges us, and it is remarkable that each of your nations has committed to this because we know that climate change threatens lives and livelihoods. Desertification and rising sea levels generate increased competition for food, water and resources. But we also have seen increasingly the dangers that these transpose to the stability of societies and governments. We see how this can breed conflict, unrest and forced migration. So no issue we face today has broader long-term consequences or greater potential to alter the world for future generations.

So this morning, I would like to underscore four main points. First, the science is unambiguous and the logic that flows from it is inescapable. Climate change is a clear and present danger to our world that demands immediate attention. Second, the United States is fully engaged and ready to lead and determined to make up for lost time, both at home and abroad. The President and his entire Administration are committed to addressing this issue and we will act.

Third, the economies represented here today have a special responsibility to pull together and work toward a successful outcome of the UN climate negotiations later in the year in Copenhagen, and I’m delighted that Denmark could join us because they are going to host this very important meeting. And the Major Economies Forum provides a vehicle to help us get prepared to be successful at that meeting.

And fourth, all of us participating today must cooperate in developing meaningful proposals to move the process forward. New policy and new technologies are needed to resolve this crisis, and they won’t materialize by themselves. They will happen because we will set forth an action plan in individual countries, in regions, and globally. It took a lot of work by a lot of people to create the problem of climate change over the last centuries. And it will take our very best efforts to counter it."

Read the Secretary's full remarks at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate.

Community Partnership Launches Solar Energy Campsite

2009-04-27T18:50:45-05:00

About the Author: Anthony Woods serves as Regional Environment and Health Officer for Southern Africa, based in Gaborone, Botswana.

In conjunction with Earth Day on April 22, the United States Ambassador to Botswana Stephen Nolan inaugurated the newest community-based solar energy project at Kaziikini Campsite in Botswana. This project, one of eight Clean Energy sites in Angola, Botswana, and Namibia sponsored by USAID Southern Africa, will provide clean, renewable energy to this community-managed campsite as part of a biodiversity conservation program.

Chief Moalosi of the Sankuyu community has been a leader in recognizing the importance of this project for his community. “Over the years, the projects we have started with USAID assistance have helped us employ over 150 people in Sankuyu,” he explains. “This employment saves lives, because community people can now buy food in this impoverished area and improve their economic situation. This recent solar power project will attract more tourists to the campground, and then more income and jobs will come back to community members.”

The United States government has invested $90,000 for solar installations in Angola, Botswana, and Namibia. Almost 10,000 people will be directly impacted by these projects.

Information on Flu Outbreak in Mexico

2009-04-27T14:05:08-05:00

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico provides information on the flu outbreak in Mexico. Read more in this travel alert.

The governments of the United States and Mexico are working closely together to contain the current outbreak of H1N1 influenza. In accordance with measures announced by the City of Mexico to limit the congregation of large crowds, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City will suspend all non-essential consular services from Monday, April 27, 2009 through Thursday, April 30, 2009. On Friday, May 1, 2009, the Embassy is closed for a local holiday.

From Monday, April 27 to Thursday, April 30th, consular services for U.S. citizens will be limited to citizenship applications (passports and consular reports of birth abroad, or CRBA) and emergency assistance only. Notarial and other routine services will not be available; anyone with passport or CRBA appointments is encouraged but not required to reschedule to a later date. Additionally, the Federal Benefits Unit is requesting all persons to postpone interviews on Social Security claims.

The Visa Unit will also suspend normal operations during this week. The Embassy will reschedule all visa applications which have been made for the week of April 27th. Our call center will call or e-mail applicants to reschedule appointments. Alternatively, applicants may re-schedule visa appointments without being charged by calling 01-800-719-2525. If there is an emergency visa issue please email visas_mexico[at]state.gov.

These are precautionary measures only, taken to best assure the well-being of our clients and staff.

The United States has imposed no additional constraints or limitations on travel between the United States and Mexico. Travelers are encouraged to comply with suggestions by Mexican public health officials and to be alert to good health and sanitation practices.

For more information, please see this message from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City or visit travel.state.gov.

For additional guidance on Swine Flu, please visit the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Swine Flu Page.

U.S. Committed to Sovereign, Stable Iraq

2009-04-26T14:26:05-05:00

Secretary Clinton held a press conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari yesterday in Baghdad. Secretary Clinton said:

"It is encouraging to both see and hear about the progress that is being made in Iraq, and that came through to me not only in my official meetings with the foreign minister, the prime minister, and the president, but also with the special representative of the secretary general of the United Nations. The special representative briefed me about the work that the UN is doing, including the recently concluded report on disputed internal borders.

I especially appreciated the chance to meet with Iraqis, including a group of women who were both war widows and who were helping widows and their children. I also participated in an historic town hall meeting with Iraqi citizens representing a broad cross-section of Iraqi society. At every stop, I have emphasized President Obama’s message that our strategy working with you may be in a new phase, but we pledge our full and continuing commitment to Iraq and the Iraqi people.

We are committed to seeing an Iraq that is sovereign, stable, and self-reliant, and fully integrated into the region. We are working toward an orderly transition of responsibility from the American military to the Iraqi security forces, and we continue to help train and equip these forces so they will take the lead in safeguarding their country.

Like President Obama, I condemn these violent recent efforts to disrupt the progress that Iraq is making. My heart and America’s sympathy go out to the people who have died and the families who have suffered. This violence has only reinforced the Iraqi people’s determination to seek a better future for their country. Their response and the response of Iraqi’s leaders has been united and firm.

The end of the United States’ combat presence in Iraq by 2011 will mark the beginning of a new phase in our country’s relationship. As we draw down militarily, we will deepen our civilian cooperation in accordance with the strategic framework agreement. We will work on development and diplomatic initiatives and a regional agenda that includes border security and refugees.

The Iraqi people have withstood challenges of the most vicious and violent sort from those who would have torn their society apart, and Iraqis from everywhere have made tremendous sacrifices. The United States has also shared in those sacrifices. But we are proud of the progress that the Iraqi people have made. I said today that the Iraqi people are known for intelligence, hard work, and courage. And we will stand with you as you build a future worthy of all of the children in Iraq."

Read the transcript of the press conference.

Talking, Listening To Solve Problems Together

2009-04-26T13:12:57-05:00

Yesterday Secretary Clinton participated in a town hall meeting with representatives of Provincial Reconstruction Teams and Iraqi civil society in Baghdad.

At the beginning of the town hall meeting, Secretary Clinton said, "I am pleased to be here with all of you today and very excited about this opportunity to hear from you. I’m pleased that Ambassador Hill is now here in Baghdad ready to work to further and deepen our cooperation on a range of important issues.

I wanted to come today to repeat the commitment that President Obama and I and our government have to the people and nation of Iraq, and to assure you that as we make this transition, that the United States will stand with the people of Iraq and look for ways to create a close and important relationship for the future.

So what I would like to do is to really turn this over to the audience. I know we have Iraqis from many different parts of the country with many different experiences. We have members of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams. ...[A]s we move together into the future, we will do a better job if we talk to one another and if we listen to each other and then decide how we can solve problems together."

An activist in media and human rights proposed the first question during the town hall meeting. He asked, "Following the situation in United State, we know that the new Administration in – of U.S.A. now engaged in the internal issues, especially economy. And it’s – looks like to us that the situation of Iraq is not so important or it’s not in the same level of importance for the new Administration. I would like to ask whether this policy is a kind of reprieve or a kind of making another policy different for Iraq?"

Secretary Clinton responded, "Let me assure you and repeat what President Obama said. We are committed to Iraq. We want to see a stable, sovereign, self-reliant Iraq. But we know we’re coming into office when there is a transition underway. The prior administration agreed to withdraw our troops and we support that. We want to do it in a responsible and careful way. And we also want to expand our work with the people and Government of Iraq in other areas of concern to help the government, to help the rule of law, to help the civil society. And so we are very committed, but the nature of our commitment may look somewhat different because we’re going to be withdrawing our combat troops over the next few years."

Read the Secretary's full conversation with Provincial Reconstruction Team leaders and Iraqi civil society representatives.

Secretary Clinton Travels to Iraq, Kuwait

2009-04-25T15:45:55-05:00

Secretary Clinton travels to Iraq and Kuwait today.

Secretary Clinton arrived in Baghdad, Iraq, today, her first trip to Iraq as Secretary of State. While in Baghdad, Secretary Clinton will meet with Prime Minister al-Maliki, President Talibani, Deputy President al-Hashimi, Foreign Minister Zebari, and other senior leaders in the Government of Iraq. They will discuss issues of common concern including security, stability operations and assistance.

Secretary Clinton will also meet with Ambassador Christopher Hill and Multinational Force-Iraq Commander Odierno to discuss the Administration's new direction and change of mission for U.S. forces in Iraq and hold a roundtable with Iraqi women.

The Secretary will also participate in a town hall with Iraqi citizens who work day in and day out with Provincial Reconstruction Teams, to hear from and discuss with them what they are achieving as well as issues facing the Iraqi people. Secretary Clinton will depart later today for Kuwait.

U.S. Committed to Fight Against Malaria

2009-04-24T23:13:23-05:00

About the Author: Rear Admiral Timothy Ziemer serves as Coordinator of the U.S. Global Malaria Programs.

Each year 300-500 million people suffer from malaria with children and pregnant women at greatest risk from this devastating, ancient disease. Ninety percent of these deaths are among children in impoverished areas of rural Africa. While malaria has been all but forgotten in the United States, it remains the leading cause of death for children under 5 in Africa, killing approximately 1 million people a year.

A son of missionaries, I grew up in Asia where malaria was a fact of life. Do you know or remember that malaria was prevalent in the United States until the 1950’s? Foreign diplomats to the United States who lived in Washington received hardship pay because of malaria along the Potomac. It was eradicated in the U.S. and other developed countries in the 1950’s and 1960’s due to very concerted and aggressive efforts by governments to eradicate the disease thru the use of insecticide sprays and other prevention and treatment methods. These efforts were not supported in Africa, and malaria has been allowed to fester almost unchecked. It was as though the developed world turned their back on the problem – it didn’t go away. Anopheline mosquitoes and the malaria parasites they carry have proven to be dangerously adaptable to our control methods – mosquitoes have developed resistance to insecticides and parasites have developed resistance to drugs such as chloroquine. Populations in malarial areas had no defense.

Malaria is often referred to as a disease of poverty as it mostly afflicts those who are least able to afford prevention and treatment services. Economic losses due to malaria in Africa are estimated to be about US$12 billion per year. Men and women are kept from work, children from school, and many families are forced to use much of their modest discretionary income to pay for expensive malaria treatments.

On behalf of the American people, the U.S. government has taken extraordinary steps to curb the spread of this preventable and curable disease. In 15 high burden countries in Africa, the U.S. has helped to dramatically scale up highly effective malaria prevention and treatment interventions.

The U.S. reached more than 32 million people with malaria prevention or treatment measures in the past year. Working with host country governments other development partners, Rwanda, Zambia, and Zanzibar have achieved major reductions in the number of people infected with malaria. Declines at the regional and district-level have also been reported from Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda. These achievements have been associated with substantially reduced mortality rates of children under the age of five in both Rwanda and Zambia.

The U.S. also supports the Amazon Malaria Initiative (covering the eight countries making up the Amazon Basin of South America) and the Mekong Malaria Program (covering the five countries in the Mekong Region in Southeast Asia), as well as anti-malaria activities in South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria.

Widespread distribution of mosquito nets that prevent mosquitoes from biting their intended victims, new and effective drugs to treat malaria, medicines that protect pregnant women and their unborn babies, and spraying insecticides on the inside walls of homes to kill mosquitoes that transmit the disease are all sharply reducing malaria deaths in several African countries. These efforts are bringing newfound hope that malaria is not an intractable problem, and giving children a fighting chance to improve their quality of life and build better futures.

Progress has been dramatic thanks to major contributions from our partners, including host country governments, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (Global Fund), the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and private sector companies, such as Exxon-Mobil, and NGOs like Malaria No More.

Improving the health of populations, reducing the spread and impact of diseases are not only important in their own right, but they also result in greater productivity, economic growth, and contribute to peace and political stability. Healthier populations are able to pursue education and employment opportunities, making them better-able to contribute to and benefit from economic growth and to participate in community affairs and governance. Addressing global health issues thus not only improves the lives of the people of developing nations but also directly impacts the interests of American citizens.

This is a good news story, and one you can support as well. For as little as $10 you can purchase a mosquito net for a family in Africa. This is a great way to give children a fighting chance to improve their quality of life and build better futures. To find a list of organizations that accept contributions to help in the fight against malaria, please visit our website.

Each year on April 25 the world recognizes World Malaria Day to call attention to the disease and to mobilize action to combat it. I hope that soon we can celebrate the elimination of malaria as a major public health threat.

You may watch or read Secretary Clinton's statement on World Malaria Day.

Secretary Clinton Honors World Malaria Day

2009-04-24T15:50:29-05:00

Secretary Clinton delivers a video statement in honor of World Malaria Day.

World Malaria Day is recognized on April 25. Every year, between 300 and 500 million people suffer the effects of malaria. The disease claims more than one million lives annually, and 90% of its victims are children. Together with its terrible human toll, the effects of malaria hurt educational achievement, worker productivity, and economic development. It afflicts the impoverished, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and is itself a source of poverty.

In honor of World Malaria Day, Secretary Clinton calls to attention the effects of this disease and reaffirms U.S. commitment to curb the spread of the disease and work with global partners to end malaria as a major public health threat. You may watch or read the Secretary's statement.

Secretary Clinton Responds to Questions About Caribbean Region

2009-04-24T12:19:18-05:00

Secretary Clinton answered questions taken during her trip to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago, April 16-19. Secretary Clinton selected frequently asked questions and answered them here.

Question: What are the most pressing challenges faced in the Caribbean region which the U.S. can help alleviate, and by what means?

Secretary Clinton:The Summit of the Americas held April 17-19, 2009, in Trinidad and Tobago came at a time of great challenge and great opportunity for the U.S. and the Americas. The consequences of a historic economic crisis are being felt across the hemisphere, putting new pressure on peoples and governments that are already strained. Migration to and from each of our nations has serious implications for all nations. The safety and security of our citizens is endangered by drug trafficking, lawlessness, and a host of other threats. Our energy challenge offers us a chance to unleash our joint economic potential, enhance our security, and protect our planet. And too many citizens are being denied dignity and opportunity and a chance to live out their dreams in Cuba and all across the hemisphere.

These are some of the issues President Obama and I discussed at the Summit of the Americas , where we met with the leaders of the 33 other democratically-elected nations from the Western Hemisphere . The subject of many of these meetings and conversations has been launching a new era of partnership between our nations. The message we brought to the Summit is clear—the United States wants to engage our hemisphere. We are neighbors and friends and partners on so many fronts. We obviously have disagreements with some of the leadership in certain countries in Latin America . But we approach that from a practical, not an ideological perspective. Practically, we think that vibrant markets and open political systems and dynamic democracies and free speech and good governance and the rule of law are in the best interests of the people of all of these countries.

We want to help every country realize that dream for their own people. So let’s be united against the scourge of drug trafficking which robs people of their freedom, of their future, which undermines civil society. Let’s work together on social inclusion so that no group of people are excluded from any country’s civil, social growth. Let’s work together on health and education and our young people.

Question: I note that you and Pres. Chavez have agreed to reinstate Ambassadors to Caracas and Washington. Aside from bringing Venezuela into line with our other partner countries in the hemisphere, what specific benefits derive to each country from a renewed and improved relationship?

Secretary Clinton: At the Summit of the Americas, Secretary Clinton discussed with President Chavez the return of ambassadors to their respective posts in Caracas and Washington. As we have stated previously, exchanging ambassadors will help advance U.S. interests. It is necessary for improving communications and our bilateral relations.

The subject of many of our meetings and conversations at the Summit of the Americas, held in Trinidad and Tobago from April 17-19, was the launching of a new era of partnership between the U.S. and nations throughout the hemisphere. Over the past few days, we’ve seen potential positive signs in the nature of the relationship between the U.S. and Venezuela. But as President Obama has stated, the test for all of us is not simply words, but also deeds. I believe that the signals sent so far provide at least an opportunity for frank dialogue on a range of issues, including critical areas of democracy and human rights throughout the hemisphere. We will not see eye to eye with every regional leader on every regional issue, but what we showed at the Summit is that we can make progress when we are willing to break free from some of the stale debates and old ideologies that have dominated and distorted the debate in this hemisphere for far too long. We showed that while we have our differences, we can—and must—work together in areas where we have mutual interests, and where we disagree we can disagree respectfully. We showed that there are no senior or junior partners in the Americas; we’re simply partners, committed to advancing a common agenda and overcoming common challenges.

Read the Secretary’s responses to additional questions here.

Afghanistan Establishes First National Park

2009-04-23T20:54:40-05:00

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provides information about Afghanistan's first national park, designated by Afghanistan's National Environmental Protection Agency in recognition of Earth Day.
U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan

In celebration of International Earth Day, the Director General of Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) declared Band-e-Amir as Afghanistan’s first national park. This official designation affords legal protection to the lakes and surrounding landscape, and will ensure sustainable environmental management for this area of great natural beauty.

Band-e-Amir is a series of six lakes in central Bamyan Province, and the national park covers 59,000 hectares of land. The lakes present a stunning visual landscape, with their clear, azure-blue color set against red-rock cliffs and dry grasslands. The lakes are held back by natural travertine dams, created by calcium deposits. Some of the dams are breathtaking: 30-foot rock walls stretching across the valley in long, graceful arcs. The combination of desert, water, and rock make for landscapes that rival those of national parks anywhere in the world.

Since 2006, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been working with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and local communities surrounding Band-e-Amir to establish the national park. To ensure the park’s long-term sustainability, USAID, through its implementing partner the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), founded a local institution to manage the proposed park and helped to prepare a park management plan. USAID also advised the government on the development of the legal framework for establishing protected areas. The official declaration enhances the Afghanistan’s ability to manage its natural resources, and will help bring international recognition to this area of great natural beauty.

The national park designation will also encourage economic development in the fifteen villages surrounding Band-e-Amir. Before the years of war and Taliban rule, Band-e-Amir was a popular tourist destination, and recently, tourism has begun to increase. With help from USAID and its implementing partners WCS, Ecodit, and the Agha Khan Network, local entrepreneurs are already building small shops, restaurants, and hotels – in accordance with the park’s environmental management plan – to serve the growing number of tourists. A campground is also planned. These improvements are expected to attract more Afghan and international tourists over the coming years, contributing to Afghanistan’s economic growth in an environmentally responsible manner.

Watch Secretary Clinton Discuss Careers Representing America

2009-04-23T20:07:12-05:00

Visit careers.state.gov to watch Secretary Clinton discuss careers representing America.

Secretary Clinton announced today on careers.state.gov that Congress recently approved funding for the State Department that will allow us to hire over 1,000 new employees during the next few years. So now, we’re stepping up our recruitment efforts. We’re looking for smart people from diverse backgrounds who can help us perform our key mission here at the State Department—to strengthen our relationships with other nations and work toward peace and prosperity for all people, by using what we call “smart power,” the full range of diplomatic tools at our disposal.

Whether you are interested in serving as a diplomat or an engineer, a consular official overseas or a resource manager at home, you can be part of a team of dedicated employees whose diverse backgrounds, ideas, and experiences will help renew America’s global leadership and put us and our world on a path to peace and prosperity.

Our nation is facing many global challenges. To meet those challenges, the State Department must reflect the full strength of America’s talent. We will need dedicated, energetic, and skilled people to help us succeed. Explore careers.state.gov to learn more about opportunities in public service at the U.S. Department of State.

Diplomacy, Development Safeguard America’s Security

2009-04-23T18:33:10-05:00

Secretary Clinton spoke today before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs. Secretary Clinton said:

"[W]e think that diplomacy and development are ever more important to safeguarding the security and prosperity of our people and our nation, because after all, if we are successful in either managing or solving problems, we save the money and the lives that would otherwise have to be spent in dealing with conflict. ...We have launched a new diplomacy that we believe is powered by partnership and pragmatism and principle. And I’m very proud of the men and women of the State Department and USAID who literally work around the clock and around the world."

Read the Secretary's full remarks.

“Greening Diplomacy”

2009-04-23T02:52:28-05:00

Secretary Clinton spoke today at the State Department’s “Greening Diplomacy” Earth Day event. In her remarks, the Secretary said:

“We’re trying to green diplomacy and we want to do it every day, not just on Earth Day. That starts with our foreign policy, and accepting that climate change is more than a scientific phenomenon. It’s a political challenge, it’s an economic force, it’s a security threat, and a moral imperative. We’ve already seen the results of climate change, which has, because of rising waters, because of desertification, displaced communities, and jeopardized food and water supplies, helped to spread epidemics and threatened the continued existence of island nations.“

Read the Secretary’s 2009 Earth Day remarks.

Secretary Clinton Presents Obama Administration Foreign Policy Priorities

2009-04-22T18:22:05-05:00

Secretary Clinton appeared today before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In her remarks, the Secretary said:

“Our priorities are clear. We are deploying the tools of diplomacy and development along with military power. We are securing historic alliances, working with emerging regional powers, and seeking new avenues of engagement. We’re addressing the existing and emerging challenges that will define our century: climate change, weak states, rogue regimes, criminal cartels, nuclear proliferation, terrorism, poverty, and disease. We’re advancing our values and our interests by promoting human rights and fostering conditions that allow every individual to live up to their God-given potential.

Now, I know that many of your questions today will deal with longstanding concerns: Afghanistan and Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, certainly the Middle East, the fallout from the global financial crisis. I will speak briefly to those, and I look forward to answering any questions you might have.

As you know, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the President has outlined a strategy centered on a core goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida, and to prevent their safe return to havens in Afghanistan or Pakistan. We combined our strategic review with intensive diplomacy, and nations from around the world are joining our efforts. More than 80 countries and organizations participated in the international conference in The Hague, and a donors’ conference just concluded in Tokyo raised over $5 billion.

In Iraq, we’re working toward the responsible redeployment of our troops and the transition to a partnership based on diplomatic and economic cooperation. We’re deploying new approaches to the threat posed by Iran, and we’re doing so with our eyes wide open and with no illusions. We know the imperative of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. After years during which the United States basically sat on the sidelines, we are now a full partner in the P-5+1 talks.

In the Middle East, we engaged immediately to help bring the parties together to once again discuss what could be done to reach a two-state solution. We’re maintaining our bedrock core commitment to Israel’s security, providing economic support, security assistance, and we are also doing what we can to bolster the Palestinian Authority, and to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

More broadly, we’re working to contain the fallout from the global financial crisis. Our efforts at the G-20 focused in large measures on the poorest and most vulnerable countries. We need to provide support for the International Monetary Fund. We need to provide direct assistance to countries such as Haiti, where I traveled last week. These resources will help democratic, responsible governments regain their economic footing and avert political instability with wider repercussions.

Now, these challenges demand our urgent attention, but they cannot distract us from equally important, but sometimes less compelling or obvious threats, ranging from climate change to disease to criminal cartels to nonproliferation.

In today’s world, we face challenges that have no respect for borders. Not one of them can be dealt with by the United States alone. None, however, can be solved without us leading. All will have a profound impact on the future of our children. As daunting as these challenges are, they also offer us new arenas for global cooperation. And we’re taking steps to seize these opportunities.“

Read more of Secretary Clinton’s remarks before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Cutting-Edge Green Diplomacy in Geneva

2009-04-22T16:58:39-05:00

About the Author: Belinda Yong serves as an intern at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva.

When I arrived in February for the first day of my internship at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, I was immediately struck by the fiery-indigo solar panels that encrust the otherwise gray building. Officers and employees at the Mission proudly told me about the building-integrated PhotoVoltaic (PV) solar cells that make the U.S. Mission–Geneva “green.” They explained that the Mission is a member of the League of Green Embassies, a cooperative of American embassies and consulates committed to reducing their carbon footprint. Beyond energy-efficient light fixtures, recycling plastic and glass, and decreasing waste, we have also installed the solar panels and a low-emission, high-efficiency heating boiler in recent years.

For Earth Day 2009, the Mission will bring on-line its Magnetic Levitation (MagLev™) Chiller, the first sustainable compressor design in the air-conditioning industry. The design for this cutting edge system is based on magnetic levitation, the same principle that powers the innovative high-speed trains in Japan and other countries. But the technological basis for the chiller is even more advanced—it runs on one of the world’s first virtually friction-free compressors. The MagLev Chiller’s shaft and compressor turbine spins suspended and centered in an electromagnetic field. Hence, there is no friction, no wear on surfaces, and no oil contamination of the unit’s heat exchange surfaces. A conventional chiller compressor uses bearings that encapsulate the impeller shaft, which needs grease and oil to reduce the friction—this produces waste and unnecessary heat and is overall less efficient. The MagLev Chiller’s oil-free design eliminates oil maintenance, its costs, and environmental damage caused by oil use and disposal.

The MagLev Chiller, the solar panels, and other initiatives are in sync with President Obama’s agenda of reducing carbon emissions and to take full advantage of science and technology to do so. It is also very much in sync with its surroundings, the environmentally conscious host city of Geneva. In fact, the local energy company, Services Industriels de Genève (SIG), rewards the Mission for its green initiatives. For every centime of power produced by the PV panels, SIG pays the Mission a subsidy of 5½ centimes. The system reduces the frequency that SIG has to put its network on peak-load capacity—and that’s good for SIG, Switzerland, and the environment.

Today, on Earth Day, I’m proud of my post for being, arguably, the greenest diplomatic facility overseas of any country in the world and for leading the way toward making the Department of State and our embassies abroad more energy efficient and environmentally responsible.

U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa Launches Recycling Program

2009-04-22T15:46:58-05:00

About the Author: Kirsten Bauman serves as Regional Environment Officer for Eastern Africa at U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa.

On Earth Day 2009, the United States Embassy in Addis Ababa launched a program to recycle the plastic bottles used in our offices and employees’ homes. Ambassador Donald Yamamoto and embassy employees officially kicked off the program on April 22 at the embassy compound with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The U.S. Embassy is partnering with a local company, Aquapure General Trading, to implement the plastic recycling program. Aquapure, which employs nearly 150 Ethiopians, has been recycling plastic for a range of businesses in Ethiopia and exporting it for industrial use. The U.S. Embassy is Aquapure’s first client from the diplomatic community.

The new plastic recycling program will complement the U.S. Embassy’s existing paper recycling program, a partnership with the local NGO, “Treesavers.”

Climate Change: Time To Act Now

2009-04-22T04:53:14-05:00

Todd Stern serves as Special Envoy for Climate Change. He speaks about the "Focus the Nation" Clean Energy Town Halls and the Obama Administration's climate policy.

Hi, I’m Todd Stern, the U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change. I am honored to participate in this nation- wide town hall, and I want to thank Focus the Nation and each of you for the vital work that you are doing on behalf of the environment. Focus the Nation is doing an essential job educating and engaging our young leaders and empowering them to play an active role in shaping our future. The teach-in that you all convened on a thousand campuses last year was a tough act to follow, but you’ve topped that with today’s town hall meetings.

There is no doubt about the urgency of the climate change crisis, and you will not hear anyone in this Administration question the signs. The time for denial, delay and dispute is over, and the time to act is now.

And this Administration is acting. President Obama’s stimulus plan provides $80 billion of new spending and loan guarantees to accelerate our clean energy transformation. In addition, the President has called for a dramatic expansion in our investment in clean energy research and development.

Moreover, the Administration is working actively with key members of Congress to implement a bill to put a cap on carbon pollution that would cut our emissions more than 16% from current levels by 2020 and 80% by 2050.

Along with these efforts at home, I am working hard to demonstrate that America is back and ready to lead in international climate negotiations. Just recently, I returned from a two week conference in Bonn, Germany as part of a series of prep meetings that will culminate in a major summit in Copenhagen at the end of this year.

Climate change is truly a global challenge, and the United States cannot solve it alone. In eight days, we will welcome representatives from 17 major countries accounting for some 80% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions here to the State Department. We look forward to a candid exchange to lay the foundation for what I hope will be success in Copenhagen and begin charting a path to a low carbon future. Climate change affects all of us, and we need each of you to remain committed to this important issue.

Thanks so much, and keep up the good work.