http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/index/ en U.S. Department of State 2012-05-21T19:01:39+00:00
Over 70 elected leaders and civil society activists under the age of 35, from across the United States and Europe, representing 26 different countries, attended this first ever transatlantic exchange of young minority political leaders. During two and a half days of intensive training and open dialogue at the Copenhagen City Hall, participants explored the challenges facing minorities in politics on both sides of the Atlantic as well as shared strategies to overcome these challenges.

I was honored to be in the presence of so many young elected leaders who share my passion for public service. Both the United States and Europe can benefit from this visionary new generation of young leaders who are dedicated to creating more open and representative institutions. As leader of the U.S. delegation, my role was to serve as a connector and catalyst to strengthen communication and ties among these young peers.

The young political leaders came together, in these uncertain times, amid the clamor of extremist voices during this era of economic hardship. And yet, they strove to strengthen the voices of moderation for inclusive governments. The conference participants did indeed learn a great deal from each other as they discussed differing views and actions on how to approach the work of integration and inclusion. On a personal level, delegates described the event as "inspirational, profound, life-changing, and a memory they will not soon forget."

President Obama and Secretary Clinton are strong advocates of inclusive governments. On many occasions, Secretary Clinton has stressed that it is "important that women and minorities have access to opportunity and participation. Nations cannot flourish if half their population is consigned to the margins or denied their rights."

In the United States, our diversity has made us stronger, more vibrant and more successful, and, in many ways, has defined who we are. And yet, as a nation, we still have a long way to go in order to achieve full political inclusion for minorities. Both the U.S. and European delegations frankly shared their experiences in the hopes of facilitating inclusive governments.

In that spirit, each leader left Copenhagen with the full confidence that we are building a vibrant self-sustaining transatlantic network of young minority elected leaders dedicated to building more inclusive governments. Drawing upon the expertise of the German Marshall Fund and IMPACT, and utilizing modern technologies, all of the participants are dedicated to nurturing an on-line space to exchange best practices, to provide peer-to-peer mentoring, and to encourage future generations to play an increasingly active role in politics. The young attendees plan to reconvene in smaller groups, to make working visits to the United States, and to expand the group by convening capacity building events for even wider circles of transatlantic inclusion leaders.

I personally left Copenhagen with a sense of optimism that these dedicated young minority elected leaders and activists will do all they can to promote racial, ethnic, and religious diversity and inclusion, including political participation, in the United States and Europe. Their diversity and awe inspiring talent gave me hope knowing that the future of our countries is in their hands. While the group brought a wide array of experiences to Copenhagen, they shared the common goal of creating more open and representative institutions.

I look forward to working with them and younger generations of minority elected leaders to build a better future.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/transatlantic_inclusion_leaders_2012/ 2012-05-03T19:30:05+00:00 Office of Global Intergovernmental Affairs, in partnership with the Bureau of African Affairs and Sister Cities International, recently hosted a "Smart Partnership Dialogue: Global Engagement Series" entitled, "Leveraging Sister City Relationships as a Driver of Economic Development." U.S. and South African state and local officials discussed the economic advantages and benefits to building strong city-to-city relationships and how best to utilize these relationships for mutual benefit.

The program, which was held on Tuesday, March 13, 2012, began with welcoming remarks by Ambassador Stephen Nolan, Director, South African Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Adam Kaplan, Sister Cities International, moderated a panel discussion which featured Wanda Felton, First President and Vice Chair, Export-Import Bank; Scott Eisner, Executive Director, International Division and Africa Business Initiative, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and Alicia Robinson-Morgan, Deputy Director for the Office Africa, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. We were grateful that U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Donald Gips and South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool addressed the local leaders, emphasizing the importance of transforming city-to-city partnerships into concrete revenue producing projects. In addition, Ebrajo Councillor Mpho Nawa, Deputy Chairperson, South African Local Government Association (SALGA), delivered remarks. SALGA is South Africa's national association for municipalities dedicated to transforming local governance.

This event highlighted the opportunities and resources offered through the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Export-Import Bank, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to facilitate business and trade relationships at the national, state/provincial, or city level. Speakers and panelists urged cities and states to make concrete plans for new business opportunities through city-to-city and state-to-state relationships. Cities and states that come to the table with proposals and ideas for strategic partnerships can then leverage the resources these organizations offer to determine who might be interested in partnering with them.

The Smart Partnership Dialogue event also recognized South African subnational officials who were visiting Washington, D.C. to attend the National League of Cities' (NLC) Congressional City Conference, March 10-14, and to participate in the NLC Leadership Training Institute. The NLC is a U.S. non-profit organization dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities, and advocating for more than 19,000 U.S. cities, town, and villages.

At the August 2011 SALGA National Conference in Durban, South Africa, SALGA and the NLC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote subnational collaboration. I attended the SALGA conference to witness and support the signing of this historic MOU which is geared around capacity building with a focus on governance, sustainability, social housing, municipal finance, and economic and community development.
Our office continues to work with the NLC and SALGA to identify additional partners and to arrange meetings as the MOU is implemented. We coordinated with the NLC to host this delegation of South African state and local leaders at the Congressional City Conference in order to promote best practice sharing and to discuss a number of policy topics of mutual concern in the areas of governance and sustainability.

There are numerous opportunities for subnational partnerships between the United States and South Africa. Cities, municipalities, and universities in the United States are interested in working with their counterparts in South Africa. In addition, many U.S. cities and states hope to develop and expand new and existing sister city and sister state relationships. Approximately 15 of these partnerships already exist between the United States and South Africa.

I was delighted to see the cooperation between SALGA and NLC representatives at the Global Engagement Series event and at the NLC International Council Meeting on March 12. Promoting collaboration between U.S. state and local leaders and their counterparts abroad is an important element of meeting our foreign policy objectives. The NLC-SALGA MOU and the ongoing collaboration is the true essence of our work -- the promotion of state-to-state, city-to-city, and association-to-association global relationships.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/sister_city_relationships_economic_development_south_africa/ 2012-04-03T16:51:49+00:00 trip to the United States last week with a stop in Los Angeles that included meetings with state and local officials and private sector leaders. I traveled to Los Angeles to support the opportunity to further U.S.-China subnational engagement.

Vice President Xi's U.S. trip came at the invitation of his U.S. counterpart, Vice President Joseph Biden, following his trip to Beijing in August 2011. These reciprocal visits were agreed to by President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao during President Hu's state visit to Washington, D.C. in January 2011.

California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. welcomed Vice President Xi to California, and he and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa hosted several events during the visit. I joined Governor Brown's meeting with Jiangsu Province Party Secretary Luo Zhijun, and participated in the U.S. and Chinese Governor's Roundtable, hosted by the Governor.

Moderated by Vice Presidents Biden and Xi, Governors Neil Abercrombie (HI), Pat Quinn (IL), Peter Shumlin (VT), Brian Schweitzer (MT) and seven Chinese provincial officials continued to build relationships to foster expanded trade, cultural, environmental, and educational ties. In addition, I attended, along with San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee and Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, Mayor Villaraigosa's luncheon for U.S. and Chinese business and government leaders.

As part of an effort to increase direct investment in California and to assist the state's business community, Governor Brown announced plans to re-open representative offices in Beijing and Shanghai, and proposed the formation of a California-China Joint Task Force to drive more collaboration, investment, and trade between California and Chinese provinces.

Before his visit to California, Vice President Xi stopped in Des Moines and Muscatine, Iowa, where he was hosted by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad.

Related Content: Los Angeles County Students to Study in China Under the 100,000 Strong Initiative More than $1 Million in New Private Pledges to Further Initiative's Goals]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/xi_california_china/ 2012-02-24T17:19:47+00:00
As the Special Representative for Global Intergovermental Affairs, I lead the Department's efforts to collaborate with state and local leaders and their counterparts abroad to meet U.S. foreign policy goals. My trip to Brazil provided an excellent opportunity to support collaboration between local officials in Brazil and the United States in preparation for Brazil's hosting a series of major international sporting events, including the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

In 2011, the United States and Brazil signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) designed to foster enhanced cooperation and exchange of best practices in advance of these events. Both countries agreed to collaborate and share best practices in the areas of strategic planning, infrastructure, and commercial enterprise, while striving to eliminate racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination and promote equality of opportunity for all. I have been charged with leading the U.S. interagency team supporting implementation of the MOU, and I chair a multi-stakeholder working group in collaboration with our Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, under the U.S.-Brazil Joint Action Plan to Promote Racial and Ethnic Equality, to open up opportunities for historically marginalized groups during these mega events and in the years ahead.

I began my trip in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, where I conferred with U.S. Ambassador Thomas Shannon. I am grateful for Embassy Brasilia's strong support for my mission to reinforce our constructive partnership with subnational leaders in South America's largest country. In Brasilia, I also met with federal representatives at the Ministries of Sport, Racial Inclusion, Higher Education, and External Affairs, as well as the Governor of the Federal District and representatives of the Inter-American Development Bank to discuss the upcoming sporting events.

From Brasilia, I traveled to northeastern Brazil to visit the cities of Recife, Natal, Fortaleza, and Salvador. In each of these cities, I engaged with mayors, governors, the Secretaries of Education, Labor, and World Cup, and civil society. In addition, I met in Pernambuco with representatives of Arena Pernambuco, a private-public partnership leading the construction of the World Cup stadium, and I toured the World Cup facilities in Fortaleza.

I concluded my trip with a stop in Sao Paulo to meet with representatives of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and U.S. businesses engaged in Brazil.

Overall, the trip was a valuable experience which provided the opportunity to engage with local Brazilian officials to discuss joint efforts to foster economic prosperity through education and increased trade and investment, and support for social inclusion. I look forward to returning to Brazil this spring to further these discussions in the additional six World Cup cities.

During his March 2011 visit to Brazil, President Obama described Brazil as a shining example of the power of democracy to expand opportunity. Our two countries share a rich history of democratic values and mutual cooperation. Today, we are working together to promote open and accountable governance, sustainable development and the expansion of social inclusion. Our mutual efforts on the upcoming major international sporting events are but one example of U.S.-Brazilian cooperation extending well beyond the work of the federal governments to local entities.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/brazil_subnational_international_sporting_events/ 2012-02-17T16:11:23+00:00