As a child, I had to sit on the sidelines as my friends played on neighborhood playgrounds that were not designed for wheelchair users. In those days, it probably never crossed the minds of playground designers that children like me were excluded. We were excluded, and more importantly, the problem continues for millions of children today.
The "right to play" is a universal human right enumerated in Article 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The right to play is the right to rest and leisure, and with it the right to engage in recreational activities. It is important to recognize that play environments often do not sufficiently take people with disabilities into consideration in their design. The onus is often on parents to push… more »
Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the visionary leaders of the civil rights movement, and recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace prize. Every year around this time we are reminded of his amazing vision and dream as his legendary speeches play on the television and radio, and as his well-known words flood our Facebook and Twitter timelines.
Just 45 years ago, Dr. King said, "Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal." Those words immediately remind me that there are basic fundamentals necessary for building real and lasting peace. This year, as we celebrate Dr. King, I am a part of a team that is gearing up for a big event to launch an initiative that I think Dr. King would be proud of -- "Teaching… more »
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, and Cape Verde on January 16-17, 2012, to demonstrate U.S. commitment to post-conflict return to peace, good governance, and economic development as well as to emphasize U.S. focus on democratization.
While in Liberia, Secretary Clinton will attend President Sirleaf's inauguration and preside over the ribbon-cutting of the New U.S. Embassy Compound in Monrovia. In Cote d'Ivoire, she will meet with President Ouattara to showcase our support for national reconciliation and strengthening democratic institutions following successful legislative elections… more »
Suzan Johnson Cook, Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, will hold a conversation with Dr. Chris Seiple, President of the Institute for Global Engagement, on the role of religion in foreign policy. The discussion will be moderated by Cheryl Benton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, and will be available to view here on DipNote, the Department of State's official… more »
Over the course of my career as a United States diplomat, I've spent many a Christmas holiday in countries across the Middle East. From Beirut to Tunis, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Baha'is, and peoples of all religions, celebrate and acknowledge the importance of faith, a hope for the future, and goodwill toward all. Yet, something I saw a few days ago in Cairo reminded me of another important tenant of the season: tolerance.
I had the privilege of joining our Ambassador Anne Patterson in attending two Christmas services on January 6. First, we went to a moving celebration at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church near Tahrir Square. Then, in the evening, we attended a Coptic Christmas ceremony at Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral.
In both churches, there were celebrations of the joy of the season alongside somber moments of remembrance for those who lost… more »
In her keynote remarks at the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in early November, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paused to reflect on the last 12 months: "What a year 2011 has been for freedom in the Middle East and North Africa."
For people in that region and around the world, this past year brought exceptional progress and challenges. Some dictators fell, while others tyrants teetered, and in Syria, yet another clung to power by inflicting terrible suffering on his own people. Demands for free and fair elections and for governance that can provide both human rights and fundamental economic needs spread from country to country and across the globe. TIME Magazine named "The Protester" as its Person of the Year. Whenever I traveled -- from Sudan to Russia… more »
With an estimated 40 million displaced people worldwide, up to 12 million who do not have citizenship to any country, and some 10.5 million refugees around the globe, the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) assists persecuted and uprooted people through our support to international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and by advocating for their protection through humanitarian diplomacy. From the Arab Awakening to the crisis in the Horn of Africa, global political upheaval and conflict have presented many humanitarian challenges, and as 2012 begins, I'd like to take a moment to share a few examples of the work we did last year.
Refugee Admissions: The United States welcomed more than 56,000 refugees… 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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Spokesperson Nuland (Oct. 17): "Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Michael Posner, led a 22-member interagency delegation from the U.S. to discuss the full range of human rights issues affecting the country." more »
Oct. 16: Judith Heumann, Special Advisor for International Disability Rights, held a conversation with Ann Cody, Director of Policy and Global Outreach, BlazeSports; and Kirk Bauer, Executive Director of Disabled Sports USA. more »
![Children swing on a playground in Frankfurt, central Germany, on May 11, 2008. [AP File Photo]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121019000552im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0120_playground_m.jpg)
![Secretary Clinton boards plane in Beirut, Lebanon, April 26, 2009. [State Department Photo]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121019000552im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0716_clinton_departs_m.jpg)
![Conversations With America Broadcast: Religion and Foreign Policy with Suzan Johnson Cook, Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, and Dr. Chris Seiple, President of the Institute for Global Engagement, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2012. [State Department image/ Public Domain]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121019000552im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/CWA1_18_507e_m.jpg)
![In this Friday, Jan. 6, 2012 photo, Egyptians attend Christmas Eve mass at a Coptic church in Qena, Egypt. [AP Photo]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121019000552im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0106_egypt_coptic_christmas_m.jpg)
![Water center in Dolo Kobe, Ethiopia, 2011 [State Department photo]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121019000552im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0102_prm_water_center_m.jpg)
