Today, on the first International Day of the Girl Child, it's important to remember some of the most vulnerable girls in the world -- those living in post-conflict or other humanitarian settings. The special vulnerabilities of young women and girls -- to early marriage, unplanned pregnancies, gender-based violence and abuse -- can all be exacerbated when the normal protections of organized societies break down during times of conflict or crisis. Humanitarians have a special responsibility to meet the needs of these girls, and the United States is working with our international and non-governmental organization partners to ensure those most in need of protection are not forgotten.
Our humanitarian assistance -- including the provision of health, shelter, nutrition, and water and sanitation programs -- supports the community, the family, and through this the whole child.… more »
Yesterday, I participated in two events, using new tools -- specifically social media -- to explain the ways that the United States is providing humanitarian assistance to those affected by the violence in Syria. I started off the morning with Mark Bartolini, the Director of the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance at USAID in a "Live At State" forum. This format is a virtual press conference; journalists log-in, submit questions in real time, and watch the discussion online from wherever they are around the world. Over 15 international media outlets participated, and we were able to reinforce the message that… more »
This week's "Photo of the Week" comes to us from the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration and shows Assistant Secretary of State Anne C. Richard meeting with representatives of the Damba refugee camp in Burkina Faso. Assistant Secretary Richard is on travel to Burkina Faso and Geneva until August 4, 2012.
In Burkina Faso, Assistant Secretary Richard joined with UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres to review the situation of refugees from the crisis in Mali, which is taking place within the broader Sahel food insecurity… more »
July in Washington is a celebration of Americana. Fireworks, bands performing patriotic songs, and red, white, and blue everywhere. Americans are reminded of what binds us together as a nation. Yet, throughout the world, as many as 12 million people lack citizenship in any country at all. If you haven't heard about these stateless people, it may be because they are mostly poor, powerless -- and female.
Persons may be rendered stateless for a variety of reasons, but poorly conceived and badly written nationality laws are a major cause. More than 30 countries have nationality laws that discriminate against women. These laws bar or limit a woman's ability to acquire and retain nationality and often restrict the ability for her to transmit citizenship to her children or foreign husband.
Without citizenship, stateless individuals are often deprived of fundamental… more »
Today, leaders from around the world are meeting in London at the Family Planning Summit to express support for a fundamental component of reproductive rights -- the right of every woman to decide freely and responsibly whether, when, and how many children she will have. This is a right most women in the United States have had the luxury of taking for granted in recent generations, unlike women in developing countries where 99 percent of all maternal deaths occur. The statistics are staggering -- every two minutes a woman dies of pregnancy-related complications. For many, limited access to voluntary, safe, and effective modern contraception, information, and services becomes a matter of life and death.
More than 200 million women and girls in developing countries who want to use family planning to delay or avoid becoming pregnant do not have access to modern contraception.… more »
Imagine if you did not have a country to call home. Imagine, not being able to legally get a job, marry, or own land. Forget about trying to travel. And if you had children, what legacy would you leave for them?
Statelessness impacts as many as 12 million people around the globe. Often, this under-recognized human right, the right to a nationality, can increase the risk of exploitation and abuse, including forced migration and trafficking in persons. Women and children are particularly vulnerable.
That's why the U.S. led resolution, along with Botswana, Colombia, Mexico, Iraq, Turkey, and Slovakia, passed at the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva today is so important. “The Right to a Nationality: Women and Children,” is… more »
In recognition of World Refugee Day, the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security honored 19 refugees who recently completed the naturalization process. Today, they stood together to make their pledge of allegiance and begin their lives as American citizens.
Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns spoke at today's ceremony and described the United States' legacy of admitting refugees: "Although this is World Refugee Day, it means something special to the American people. Centuries before the world defined what it means to be a refugee, America was already a place of refuge. We welcomed to our shores men, women, and children fleeing hunger, poverty, persecution, and desperation, from the Irish potato famine and the Russian pogroms of the 19th century to conflict and instability in East Africa today.… more »
During my tenure in Syria, my main focus was strengthening the relationship between the American and Syrian people. During this difficult, violent, and dangerous time in Syria's history, the American people are proud to support your transition to democracy, an ongoing process which we began a mere 236 years ago.
Through the U.S. government, they have also provided over $52 million to humanitarian assistance efforts for Syrian people suffering from the ongoing violence inside Syria and for those who have fled the violence and are now in neighboring countries. I know that this assistance does not meet all the needs for those who are suffering, but we will continue to provide assistance throughout this difficult period to as many Syrians in need as possible.
As the newly confirmed Assistant Secretary responsible for refugee programs and policy, I made my first overseas trip to Iraq to see our programs first-hand. Sitting in a small room off a dusty Baghdad street, I met the gaze of several women, all dressed head-to-toe in black. Despite their plain dress, their eyes were lively and alert. Two small children darted in and out, staying close to their mother. The grandmother was across the room. As we made introductions, I learned that the women were nearly all widows. Several husbands and adult sons had died during the violent period that erupted in Iraq after the Samarra Mosque bombing of 2006.
Since 2003, the U.S. government has been committed to helping Iraqis who are displaced within their own country -- people we refer to as IDPs or "internally displaced persons." Under international guidelines, the Government of Iraq… more »
Earlier this month, I walked through the marketplace at the Phonekam development village in Laos, with Ambassador Karen Stewart and several colleagues from U.S. Embassy Vientiane. As we observed residents going about their shopping, a young family with two small, well-fed children smiled at the embassy's delegation before driving off with their purchases on their own motorcycle. An amazing variety of items can be purchased at the market: TVs, nails, flashlights, clothes, shoes, hats, fruit, and more. We spoke to two shopkeepers, who can travel daily by bus to the provincial capital to purchase inventory. Ambassador Stewart noted the increase in livestock -- including roosters, chickens, goats, huge pigs and little piglets -- for sale at the market, compared with her last visit.
In December 2009, approximately 4,500 Hmong who had sought refuge in Thailand were forcibly… more »
Thank you, Jonathan, for this insightful post on World Food Day and the importance of strengthening our efforts as an international community to end world hunger…
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U.S. Chief of Protocol Capricia Penavic Marshall will lead the Department of State's latest Experience America trip to Arkansas with members of the Diplomatic Corps and their spouses during October 21 â 23, 2012. more »
Oct. 18: The Department's Rewards for Justice program is offering rewards for information on two key Iran-based facilitators and financiers of the al-Qaida terrorist organization. more »
![Girl struggles against sand storm in Darfur refugee camp, Sudan, Apr. 20, 2007. [AP File]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121019033756im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0313_darfur_sandstorm_m.jpg)
![Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration David Robinson participates in a Facebook Chat on U.S. humanitarian assistance for those affected by violence in Syria, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., August 21, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121019033756im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0822_syria_aid_m.jpg)
![Assistant Secretary Anne Richard meets with refugees affected by conflict in Mali and food insecurity in the Sahel region, in Burkina Faso, July 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121019033756im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0803_richard_refugees_m.jpg)
![Rohingya people fled from Burma sit as they are held in a temporary shelter at a camp of Border Guards of Bangladesh (BGB) before their repatriation back to Burma, in Taknaf, Bangladesh, June 22, 2012. [AP File Photo]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121019033756im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0712_rohingya_prm_m.jpg)
![Women hold their newborn babies at a program on family planning on World Population Day in Chennai, India, July 11, 2012. [AP Photo]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121019033756im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0711_world_population_day_m.jpg)
![Life in close proximity to animals, coupled with poor basic amenities, means there is a high likelihood of disease, especially for the elderly, June 2006. [UNHCR/G.M.B.Akash photo]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121019033756im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0705_statelessness_m.jpg)
![In this picture taken during a UN observer-organized tour, a Syrian man rides his bicycle as he passes destroyed buildings in the Baba Amr neighborhood during the UN observers' visit to Homs city, central Syria, on May 3, 2012. [AP File Photo]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121019033756im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0612_syria_homs_m.jpg)
![A small boy plays in an IDP settlement in Baghdad. [UNHCR photo/ Used by Permission]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121019033756im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0601_iraqi_idp_m.jpg)
![Ambassador Karen Stewart hands over a symbolic key to Lao government officials in Phonekham, May 14, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121019033756im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0525_lao_hmong_prm_m.jpg)
