President Obama announces U.S. support for the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. After a year of “practical progress,” the United States will continue its strong engagement with Central and South Asia in the coming year. A U.S.-North African partnership is expected to yield new jobs. And finally, the winners of the Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence are announced; read about their work.

Obama Backs Indigenous Rights Measure
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The United States is lending its support to the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, President Obama says. Speaking at the White House Tribal Nations Conference in Washington, Obama, at left with Fawn Sharp of the Quinault Indian Nation, tells a gathering of Native Americans that he hopes “we are seeing a turning point in the relationship between our nations.”

Progress in Central Asia
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This year, U.S. efforts to intensify engagement with Central Asia have brought results across a wide range of issues, says Robert Blake, the U.S. assistant secretary for South and Central Asian affairs. “I can assure you that that high-level engagement will continue in 2011,” says Blake.

Stronger U.S. Ties With South Asia
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Robert Blake says the United States “will continue our very strong engagement” in South Asia. President Obama’s November visit to India launched the countries’ “global strategic partnership,” says Blake.

U.S.-North African Partnership
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Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs, Jose Fernandez recently unveiled the U.S.-North Africa Partnership for Economic Opportunity during the U.S.-Maghreb Entrepreneurship Conference in Algeria. Fernandez described the conference as an important step toward deepening economic relations with Muslim majority countries around the world.

The ACE Awards: Denimatrix
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Guatemala City-based Denimatrix, which opened for business in 2009, makes jeans from cotton grown in the United States. It received the Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence for its embrace of ethical business and labor practices.

The ACE Awards: Mars Inc.
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Mars Inc. — the U.S.-based company that makes Snickers, the world’s biggest selling candy bar, and other confectionary treats Mars received the Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence for its work helping farmers in Ghana to produce better cocoa yields. The program, a partnership among Mars, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the World Cocoa Foundation, invests in research and distribution of tree seedlings to enable farmers to grow more disease-resistant and higher-yielding trees.

The ACE Awards: Cisco
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Cisco Systems Inc., an American maker of information-technology products, receives the Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence for its work strengthening the Palestinian economy and fostering engagement among Palestinian, American and Israeli businesses. At right, participants in Cisco’s Neta program learn English and technology in a youth club environment.