About the Author: Kris M. Balderston serves as the Special Representative for Global Partnerships within the Office of the Secretary of State.

We can achieve more together than we can alone.

That simple statement underscored the premise of the first Global Partnerships Week, which we marked December 9-15, 2012. I saw the power of partnerships firsthand in Dubai, where I participated in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit and our Partners for a New Beginning initiative, while our embassies and missions around the world, from Japan to Brazil, spotlighted the value of partnering with the private sector.

Through educational and media events, competitions, and challenges, we’ve seen the State Department recognize the importance of collaborating with the private sector. In Honduras, for example, the Embassy launched a partnership with a local telecommunications company to provide Internet, cable, and phone access at youth outreach centers. In Haiti, Ambassador Pamela White hosted a reception for businesses… more »

Deputy Secretary of State William Burns meets with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, December 14, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Andrew Cedar is Director for Global Engagement on the National Security Staff at the White House.

This week, U.S. government officials, investors, entrepreneurs, NGO leaders, and policy makers from more than 50 countries are gathering in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for the third annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit. President Obama announced the creation of this annual event during his 2009 speech at Cairo University in Egypt, and he hosted the inaugural Summit in Washington, D.C. in 2010.

In Cairo, the President pledged to pursue a new partnership between the United States and the Muslim world based on mutual interest and… more »

Press Statement
Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 5, 2012

From December 11-13, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Marrakech, Morocco to participate in a meeting of the Friends of the Syrian People. This latest meeting provides an opportunity to consult with like-minded governments in the region and around the world on how best to continue support for the Syrian opposition and on efforts to end the bloodshed. While in Morocco, she will also meet with King Mohammed VI, as well as senior Moroccan government officials, to discuss bilateral and regional issues.

She will then travel to Tunis, Tunisia to co-host the 9th Forum for the Future Ministerial with the Government of Tunisia on December 13. This year’s Forum welcomes increased levels of civil society, private sector, and government participation and focuses on the key themes of women’s empowerment, freedom of expression and association, and economic governance and entrepreneurship. Secretary Clinton will also meet with senior Tunisian government officials to discuss progress in the country’s transition to democracy as well as bilateral and regional issues.

Secretary Clinton will conclude her trip in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and participate in the 3rd ministerial meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) on December 14. The centerpiece of the meeting will be the announcement by Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed of the opening of the first-ever International Center of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism, which the GCTF set in motion at its September 2011 launch. The Center will provide a venue for training, dialogue, collaboration, and research to counter violent extremism in all of its forms and manifestations by bringing together the experts, expertise, and experience that exist in countries around the globe. The Secretary will also meet with senior Emirati government officials to discuss regional and bilateral issues.

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
April 23, 2012

About the Author: Donna Hopkins serves as Coordinator for Counter-Piracy and Maritime Security in the Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. 

World renowned as a global commerce hub, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is among the growing community of nations, international organizations, and industry groups coming together to confront pirate gangs based out of Somalia targeting seafarers in the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and surrounding waters. 

I recently returned from Dubai, where I attended the conference: “Global Threat, Regional Responses: Forging a Common Approach to Maritime Piracy.” Hosted by the UAE’s Foreign Ministry and co-organized by global ports operator DP World, the conference was attended by government officials from 60 countries and more than 170 senior maritime industry leaders. The event underscored the importance of further strengthening counter-piracy partnerships between governments and industry and succeeded in raising nearly $5 million for a UN-administered fund to support prosecution… more »