August 2012
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From Iowa City to Masvingo: The Shared Power of...
About the Author: Grace Chung serves as a Rangel Fellow at the U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Summer is a serious, hard-working time of year in southern Africa. Chilly mornings and bright, clear days define this hemisphere’s winter months when school is in session and young minds are focused. That made it a perfect time for U.S. Embassy Harare and the Bureau of Educational and...
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A Conversation With Afghan Women in Nangarhar...
About the Author: Melanne Verveer serves as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues.
During my first trip to Afghanistan as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, I was struck by something one woman said to me during a meeting with a group of female civil society actors in Kabul. She said, “Stop looking at us as victims, but rather as the leaders that we...
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Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Travels to East...
More: Trip Page | Interactive Travel Map Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton travels to the Cook Islands, Indonesia, China, Timor-Leste, Brunei, and Russia, August 30-September 9. In the Cook Islands on August 31, Secretary Clinton will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Post Forum Dialogue as part of our intensive engagement and ongoing collaboration with the Pacific Islands. Her...
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Execution of Nine Death Row Inmates in The Gambia
Press Statement Victoria Nuland Department Spokesperson Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC August 28, 2012
The United States is greatly concerned by the Government of The Gambia’s execution of nine death row inmates. We condemn the lack of transparency and haste under which these executions were effected and the apparent lack of due process in the proceedings leading to these death...
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Robert Levinson
Press Statement Victoria Nuland Department Spokesperson Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC August 28, 2012
Tomorrow marks 2,000 days since U.S. citizen Robert Levinson went missing in Iran on March 9, 2007. Mr. Levinson was last seen on Kish Island and the United States reiterates its call on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to provide any information on Mr. Levinson’s...
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Mobilizing American Ingenuity To Strengthen...
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...
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's Travel...
Press Statement Victoria Nuland Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC August 28, 2012
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton departs for the Cook Islands, Indonesia, China, Timor-Leste, Brunei, and Russia on August 30.
In the Cook Islands, Secretary Clinton will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Post Forum Dialogue on August 31 as part of our intensive engagement and ongoing...
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Young Kenyan Mothers Work Together To Improve Food...
About the Author: Joan Lewa serves with USAID/Kenya.
In Kenya, a group of young women are working collaboratively to put to use their knowledge of food and nutrition. The group is turning a profit while feeding themselves and their children by cultivating a shared urban farm in Mombasa. The young mothers who make up the group knew from the staff at the local health clinic that consuming...
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Absentee Voting Information for U.S. Citizens...
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC August 27, 2012
The Department of State encourages all U.S. citizens overseas to vote, and offers non-partisan assistance online and through our embassies and consulates around the world.
U.S. citizens can now request their blank ballots electronically. Depending on your state or county, you can get your ballot by email, fax, or internet...
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Impact on the Ground: Implementing the National...
About the Author: Donald K. Steinberg serves as Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Less than a year ago, President Obama announced a National Action Plan (NAP) to implement commitments on Women, Peace and Security. It was a historic moment and the product of a tremendous collaboration between the White House, USAID, the Departments of State and Defense, other...
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U.S. Government Economic Delegation to Cairo
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC August 25, 2012
A delegation of senior U.S. economic officials will visit Cairo August 27-30 to meet with senior Egyptian officials as well as private sector leaders. The delegation will follow up on Secretary Clinton’s July visit, during which President Morsi and senior Egyptian officials identified broad-based economic growth and job...
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Photo of the Week: Defending the Rights of LGBT...
About the Author: Hannah Johnson serves as an Assistant Editor for DipNote.
This week’s “Photo of the Week” comes to us from the U.S. Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic and shows Ambassador Norman L. Eisen and a group from the embassy marching in the second annual Pride Parade in Prague on Saturday, August 18, 2012. The parade participants walked from Wenceslas Square to...
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U.S. Department of State Exchange Explores Media...
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC August 24, 2012
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs welcomes 21 youth and three educators from Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia to the United States on August 24, to participate in a three-week Youth Leadership Program focused on the theme of Media Literacy. The participants will learn about leadership...
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A Small Gesture Fulfills a Bigger Promise: An...
About the Author: Anna Mussman serves as a Public Diplomacy Officer with Task Force Mountain Warrior in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
It is no secret that when women and girls have the opportunity to pursue an education, they directly improve their communities and help entire societies grow. And sometimes, the goodwill and dedication of individual Americans, connected virtually through sites like...
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Be the First-Ever, U.S. Youth Observer To Attend...
About the Author: Ashli Ferguson serves as a Public Affairs Specialist in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.
For the first time ever, young Americans are being offered an exciting opportunity to bring the voice of U.S. youth to the United Nations. This year, the U.S. Department of State is teaming up with the United Nations Association of the USA to send one young citizen to the...
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United States and Macedonia Sign Open Skies Air...
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC August 23, 2012
On August 23 in Skopje, Deputy Assistant Secretary Philip Reeker and Macedonian Minister of Transportation Mile Janakieski signed an Open Skies air services agreement that will formalize the liberalization of our bilateral aviation relationship. The United States and Macedonia initialed the agreement in July 2011. The Open...
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Public Diplomacy Leverages Innovation To Promote...
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...
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Arrest and Harassment of Gay, Lesbian and...
Press Statement Victoria Nuland Department Spokesperson Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC August 23, 2012
The United States condemns the Government of Zimbabwe’s violent arrest and detention of 44 members of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe on August 11 and a second raid by police on August 20. Several of these members sustained serious medical injuries from the attacks and were...
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Seeking Your Input on Building a 21st Century...
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...
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An Update on U.S. Humanitarian Assistance for...
About the Author: David Robinson serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration.
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...
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London Olympics Make the Case for Unleashing the...
About the Author: Melanne Verveer serves as the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the U.S. Department of State.
There’s been a lot of talk about how the London Olympics will best be remembered as the Women’s Olympics. Not only because of the individual performances of gymnast Gabby Douglas, or swimmer Missy Franklin, or heptathlete Jessica Ennis, but because of...
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The Passing of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles...
Press Statement Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State Washington, DC August 21, 2012
I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia.
I admired the Prime Minister’s personal commitment to transforming Ethiopia’s economy and to expanding education and health services. He was an important and influential voice in Africa, and we especially valued his...
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Championing for Change Against Global Hunger
About the Author: Tjada McKenna serves as Deputy Coordinator for Development for Feed the Future.
A week ago, against the backdrop of the Olympics, I witnessed history. I was there not for the Games, but for the Global Hunger Event, which was co-hosted by U.K. Prime Minister Cameron and Brazil Vice President Temer. The event brought civil society and private sector partners together with...
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World Humanitarian Day: Celebrating the Spirit of...
More: World Map of Aid Workers in Harm’s Way 2001-2011 About the Author: Anne C. Richard serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration. Today we mark the fourth annual World Humanitarian Day. The United Nations created this day to honor those who have lost their lives in humanitarian service or serve in risky humanitarian endeavors. Earlier this year, I...
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Appointment of Lakhdar Brahimi as Joint Special...
Press Statement Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State Washington, DC August 17, 2012
The United States welcomes the decision by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and League of Arab States Secretary General Nabil El Araby to appoint a new Joint Special Representative for Syria. Lakhdar Brahimi will continue the pursuit of an end to the conflict and a peaceful transition in...
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Government of Sudan's Release of Detained...
Press Statement Victoria Nuland Department Spokesperson Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC August 17, 2012
On August 15, the Government of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service announced that it will release from custody all persons detained by it during political protests in June and July. The United States welcomes this announcement, and calls upon the Government of...
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“Fair Winds, and Following Seas”—Pacific...
About the Author: Tom Weinz serves as the dedicated Foreign Service Officer for Pacific Partnership 2012.
Pacific Partnership 2012 (PP12), the seventh annual iteration of the humanitarian exercise begun by the U.S. Navy following the tragic 2004 earthquake and tsunami that devastated Banda Aceh on the Indonesian Island of Sumatra, ended officially when the USNS Mercy departed Sihanoukville,...
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Firebomb Attack in West Bank
Press Statement Victoria Nuland Department Spokesperson Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC August 17, 2012
The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms yesterday’s attack on a Palestinian taxi in the West Bank. We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims, among them children, and we hope for their speedy recovery. We note that the Government of Israel has also...
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Jóvenes en Acción: Today’s Action Is Tomorrow’s...
About the Author: Miles Bullock serves as an intern in the Press Office of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
When it comes to finding inventive solutions to world challenges, one program brings forth a group of vibrant students that embody the optimism and drive needed to enact tomorrow’s change by taking action today: Jóvenes en Acción (Youth in...
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Sentencing of Pussy Riot Punk Band Members in...
Press Statement Victoria Nuland Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC August 17, 2012
The United States is concerned about both the verdict and the disproportionate sentences handed down by a Moscow court in the case against the members of the band Pussy Riot and the negative impact on freedom of expression in Russia. We urge Russian authorities to review this...
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Partnering To Promote Equality for LGBT...
About the Author: Kris M. Balderston serves as the Special Representative forGlobal Partnerships within the Office of the Secretary of State.
In five countries around the world, consensual sex between same-gender partners is considered a crime punishable by death. In 76 countries, it is a crime with a prison sentence if convicted. And for millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender...
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Citizen Diplomacy as Public Service: The Fulbright...
About the Author: Tara D. Sonenshine serves as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.
In eight countries around the world, 20 young Americans will soon be assuming new work spaces in cabinet-level ministries. They’ll barely have time to thumb tack photos of their loved ones on the walls before getting down to work with their new colleagues. What is that work?...
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U.S. Strategy To Prevent and Respond to...
About the Author: Melanne Verveer serves as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues.
On Friday August 10, the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) released the first ever U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence Globally, including their implementation plans. An accompanying Executive Order issued by President Obama...
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Security and Partnership in the Americas: All in a...
About the Author: Ambassador Carmen Martinez serves in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs as a Foreign Policy Advisor (POLAD) and Civilian Deputy to the Commander at U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM).
A few weeks back, I had the privilege of attending a remarkable event where I witnessed teams from many nations come together to put their bodies and minds to the test, competing against...
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U.S.-China Middle East Dialogue
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC August 14, 2012
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy R. Sherman and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun on August 14 held the inaugural round of U.S.-China Middle East Dialogue in Beijing, as agreed to at the fourth round of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue in May.
The two sides held constructive discussions regarding...
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Ambassador Rice at the London Olympics
About the Author: Alex McPhillips serves as Associate Director for Digital Media at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
Thanks to continuing innovations in sports broadcasting and social media, it was easier this year than ever before to catch a glimpse of the Olympic Games from just about any vantage point — from above the mat to underwater to behind the scenes with the First Lady....
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