About the Author: Mike Hammer serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs.

Five years ago tomorrow, the State Department launched DipNote — the first-ever, U.S. Cabinet-level blog. On a day quite similar to this one, with the Public Affairs team fully immersed in the annual gathering of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, my predecessor Sean McCormack pledged that the blog would open a new window into the world of American diplomacy. Much has changed around the globe over the past five years, but one constant has been more and more people are getting their news and information through social media. So, we are committed to using our blog as a means to inform and engage the American people and those around the world.

This commitment is underscored by the fact that more than 1,000 men and women of the State Department and USAID have contributed their stories to the blog — more than 4,700 total entries to date. We owe a debt of… more »

About the Author: Rose E. Gottemoeller serves as Acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.

Our smaller, faster-paced world is changing the security landscape, and these changes will bring with them new challenges and evolutions in current threats. To respond to these changes, we must adapt instruments of statecraft to bring to bear the networks, technologies and human potential of our increasingly inter-dependent and interconnected world. In this spirit, on August 28, 2012, the Department of State launched the Innovation in Arms Control Challenge asking “How Can the Crowd Support Arms Control Transparency Efforts?”

Through this Challenge, we will collect new ideas about how innovation and technological advancement can affect the implementation of arms control, verification, and nonproliferation treaties and agreements. Can innovation bring about creative ways to prevent “loose nukes” from falling into the hands of terrorists? Can smart phone and tablet… more »

About the Author: Tara D. Sonenshine serves as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

As we advance deeper into the 21st century, emerging countries are seeking to leverage their economic strengths as foundations for political and diplomatic leadership across the world. At the same time, from challenges facing the eurozone to those in the post-Arab Spring regions of the Middle East and North Africa, global markets and economic forces are driving an ever-larger share of our foreign policy realities.

The best way for America to remain central to the world’s diplomatic leadership is to put a premium on advancing our economic statecraft, so that our foreign policy reflects the growing power of economic forces, and contributes to growth abroad and here at home.

As Secretary Clinton has said, our global challenges see no divisions between global economics and international diplomacy. Neither should our solutions. That’s why the Department of State… more »

About the Author: Janice Clark serves as Director of Website Management in the Bureau of Public Affairs.

In response to the Federal Digital Strategy that the White House released in May 2012, the Department of State seeks your input in identifying services that may be appropriate for development by modern tools and technologies. We have two questions for you.

Application Programming Interfaces, or APIs, allow for sharing data between applications. Content that is created in one place can be dynamically posted and updated in multiple locations on the web. What information from the U.S. State Department would you find useful for us to make available via web APIs?

We’ve identified 7 possible API candidates, which you can review here… more »

About the Author: Katie Dowd serves in the Office of the Secretary of State.

Last week, Guatemala City, Guatemala, played host to the first “Do It Yourself” (DIY) TechCamp. TechCamps are a signature program under Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Civil Society 2.0 initiative; they aim to build the digital literacy of civil society through two-day, interactive training events. To date, the State Department has coordinated 11 TechCamps around the world, convening more than 1,000 participants. So, how did Tech Camp Guatemala differ from past ones?

Civil society leaders and technologists in Guatemala used “TechCamp in a Box” to organize the event themselves. In the spirit of encouraging innovation and empowering civil society organizations to create change in their own community, we have made all of the planning materials for our TechCamp… more »

Secretary Clinton delivered the keynote address earlier today at the Global Diaspora Forum. Watch for a replay of the Secretary’s remarks here. 

About the Author: Ann Stock serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word “geek?” For 25 teenage girls from the Middle East and North Africa, the answer is “chic!”

As participants in TechGirls, one of the newest programs sponsored by the Bureau ofEducational and Cultural Affairs, these computer-savvy “geeks” recently wrapped up a three-week visit to the United States, where they connected with their American peers and learned new technology skills.

A highlight of their program was connecting with interns from Harvard University’sBerkman Center… more »

About the Author: Brittany Young serves in the Bureau of African Affairs.

“There’s huge opportunity…in Africa,” said Stephen Cashin, CEO of Pan-African Capital. The continent’s intractable problems such as malaria and other public health crises, he said, do not need to be holding the continent back. because they can be addressed. The audience — an eclectic group gathered at the Palomar in Washington, D.C. — applauded in agreement. With participants from the Central African Republic, Kenya, and even the tiny island of Mauritius, the event brought together young entrepreneurs from across Africa to help promote growth on the continent.

Since mid-June, 62 young African business and social entrepreneurs have been networking and interacting with peers and mentors in the United States under the Innovation… more »

About the Author: Emily Buss serves in the Office of Public Affairs at the U.S. Mission to the European Union.

“When a teenage tin toymaker in Togo is connecting to the global marketplace through mobile broadband networks, the world is not changing, the world has changed.” Thus, Alec Ross, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Senior Advisor for Innovation, began a discussion on digital diplomacy and 21st Century Statecraft at the European Policy Centre in Brussels on June 26, 2012. Ross was telling a story about his friend, who after visiting the country of Togo many times and always purchasing toys from the same stand, was instead encouraged by that vendor to e-mail ahead to place an order.

Ross was joined by Daniel Korski, Special Advisor on Communication to EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, in addressing about 100 European Union (EU) public diplomacy professionals.… more »

About the Author: Victoria Esser serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Digital Strategy in the Bureau of Public Affairs.

Yesterday, our Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy, Tara Sonenshine, held a Twitter Q & A, answering your questions on everything from exchange programs in Pakistan to who inspires her (her children). Earlier this week, the Secretary of State’s Senior Advisor for Innovation, Alec Ross, spoke to 100 European Union public diplomacy professionals in Brussels, where he underscored the importance of social media in 21st Century Statecraft. One point they both emphasized was that social media is a place for listening and discussing, not just talking.

It was also one of the points I took away from my trip last week to the Republic of Korea, where I gave the keynote at the East West Center’s annual International Media Conference. The three-day conference was an excellent opportunity to… more »