Dipnote - Entries By Category http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/index/ en U.S. Department of State 2009-07-04T15:26:30-05:00 U.S. Embassy Kabul Salutes Friendship, Solidarity Secretary Clinton's 4th of July Message

About the Author: Mark Stroh serves as Information Officer at U.S. Embassy Kabul.

Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry praised both American and Afghan democracy at Embassy Kabul’s Independence Day celebration on Thursday, July 2. Flanked by Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta and addressing a crowd of several hundred invited guests including Afghan ministers, National Security Forces personnel, government officials, members of the international community and others, Ambassador Eikenberry said, “This is a dual celebration: the birthday of the world’s oldest democracy, and our deepening partnership with one of the world’s newest democracies, Afghanistan.”

Ambassador Eikenberry noted the efforts of the United States to assist Afghanistan, and also the extraordinary hardships that the Afghan people have endured. “We have contributed our resources and our time,” the Ambassador said. “More importantly, we have sacrificed the lives of our sons and daughters.” Ambassador Eikenberry then quoted President Barack Obama, who recently said, “Despite the costs involved, America’s commitment will not weaken.”Foreign Minister Spanta described the example that American democracy sets for emerging nations. “It has shown to the world the promise of freedom, liberty, constitutionalism, and democracy.” Foreign Minister Spanta further noted that sustainable development and peaceful coexistence can only come about within a democratic system of governance.

The Embassy celebration included performances by the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division brass band and a joint performance by American jazz musicians and traditional Afghan players. Ambassador Eikenberry said that the joint musical performance was a tribute to the great partnership between the United States and Afghanistan. “So today,” the Ambassador said, “we salute the friendship and solidarity between our people and we celebrate our common purpose.”]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/kabul_july_fourth/ 2009-07-03T21:48:47-05:00 Strengthening Women in Afghanistan Creates Foundation for Peace, Prosperity About the Author: Ambassador-at-Large Melanne Verveer serves as director of the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues.

I traveled to Afghanistan on June 24, to learn firsthand what conditions are like for Afghan women today and to reaffirm our commitment to them. I spent time in Kabul and in Badghis, and I spoke with women and men at every level that I could: parliamentarians in Kabul, and villagers in Badghis; female candidates for the Provincial Council, brave businesswomen, journalists, and dozens of NGO workers. I visited a state-of-the-art women’s detention center that housed inmates whose crime was suspicion of having a boyfriend. And I heard how this clean and modern jail was sometimes the safest place for such young women: upon their return, some former prisoners have been shot by their relatives; others have been scalded to death by boiling water.

I returned with the firm conviction that we must stop losing ground on women’s rights in Afghanistan.

I saw progress in the unity of the women’s organizations, which speak with one voice now more than ever. I saw hope in the growing realization, among ordinary Afghan citizens, that a country in which 42 percent of the population earns less than one dollar a day cannot afford to let half its economic potential go untapped. But I also saw the challenges that remain: the 700 schools that the Taliban burned down last year alone; the crimes against women that will never be solved or, likely, even investigated; the women who remain unaware that their own national Constitution guarantees them equal rights.

Afghanistan is preparing for elections, both for president and for the provincial councils. This is the time to ensure that all the candidates in what we hope will be fair and inclusive contests prioritize women’s needs. We must work with Afghanistan, through the Ministry of Interior, to ensure that all candidates have the physical security and freedom of movement they need to conduct their campaigns. We must ensure that every woman is able to vote and able to cast her ballot free from coercion.

The status of women in Afghanistan is a bellwether for the future of that country. When we strengthen them – when they make progress towards an equal political voice, towards economic participation, towards access to education and healthcare and freedom from violence – we create a stable and lasting foundation for a peaceful and prosperous society.

Read Ambassador Verveer’s recent press briefing on her travel to Afghanistan and follow the activities of the Office of Global Women’s Issues on Facebook.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/verveer_women_afghanistan/ 2009-07-02T16:16:55-05:00 U.S. Embassy Kabul Hosts Popular Web Chat About the Author: Rachel Cooke serves as a Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Embassy Kabul’s Election Team – a group of political officers who are assisting Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission on issues such as election security, voter registration and training for voting officials – joined forces with the embassy’s Public Diplomacy Section on June 18 to host a web chat about the upcoming presidential and provincial council elections in Afghanistan.

The Political Section’s Lyra Carr and Robert Gerber spent over an hour answering a phenomenal 76 questions, and there were more that we simply couldn’t get to. Over 100 people participated in the web chat. Many of the participates joined the chat from seven Lincoln Centers, small American libraries and cultural centers that provide English language and computer skills classes at no cost to the general public. The Lincoln Centers also host seminars, workshops and fun activities that help their patrons better understand the United States.

The discussion questions touched on topics such as security during and after the elections, the role of the United States, presidential candidates, and ways to ensure that the elections are free, fair and transparent. This is the second web chat on elections to have taken place, with at least one more likely prior to the August 20 election day.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/kabul_web_chat/ 2009-06-24T15:53:55-05:00 Community-Based Demining Links Development and Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan About the Author: Peter Villano is a Program Manager in the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

In a small village in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province, a young Afghan man works to remove landmines in his village. Several weeks ago, he was unemployed and worried about supporting his family. He would travel long distances looking for work. Now, he is employed locally as a deminer by an Afghan non-governmental organization (NGO), and returns home every afternoon to see his wife and children.

The Kunar project is a community-based initiative, which centers on the removal of landmines and other unexploded bombs that threaten the local population. In Afghanistan and in other post-conflict countries around the world, mines and other unexploded munitions ─ what we call “explosive remnants of war” (ERW) ─ have denied locals access to arable land, and limited their ability to gather firewood to cook, stones to build their houses, and, ultimately, the prospect of rebuilding their communities. In 2008, mines and ERW killed or injured over 445 Afghans, an average of 37 per month.

This project is managed by a small core staff from the Organization for Mine Action and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR), based in Kabul. The United States Department of State has partnered with OMAR in this community-based demining initiative. Unlike most mine action projects in Afghanistan where trained deminers come from elsewhere to remove landmines and unexploded ordnance, community-based demining utilizes a local workforce that is recruited, trained, and employed by an Afghan NGO that oversees all aspects of the operation. In Afghanistan, which has suffered decades of conflict, these projects can last for several months, providing income and economic opportunity to hundreds of families.

Community-based demining in Kunar furnishes jobs that keep young men employed, and perhaps most importantly, establishes trust with local leaders by removing one of the one of largest hidden killers in Afghanistan: ERW. What’s more, the project is not just outsiders coming in to conduct mine clearance; it is owned by the population, thereby reinforcing local governance and reducing insurgent influence.

When this community-based demining project ends, follow-on agricultural and vocational training as well as immediate development projects can commence, allowing locals to capitalize on their cleared land and an available labor force with new job skills. Since these demining projects are planned, coordinated, and run in conjunction with local tribal leadership from the beginning, community priorities are taken into account even before a project is initiated.

Since 1993, the United States has been the world’s leading contributor to post-conflict efforts to remove landmines and ERW around the globe. In 2009, the Department of State will provide over $22 million to Afghanistan alone, enabling the Afghan government and a constellation of local and international NGOs to continue the essential tasks of clearing mines and ERW, caring for survivors of ERW accidents, and destroying or securing recovered munitions to prevent their use by insurgents in future attacks.

Community-based demining represents an opportunity to effectively link Afghan and U.S. humanitarian, development, and counterinsurgency objectives like never before. It offers an Afghan-led solution they stand ready to implement.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/demining_afghanistan/ 2009-06-23T20:31:36-05:00 Secretary Clinton: Text Your Disaster Relief Donation for Pakistan Full Briefing | More on Announcement | Text Your Donation

At a White House press briefing this morning, Secretary Clinton addressed the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan, announcing a pledge of more than $100 million in humanitarian support.

Secretary Clinton said, "Pakistan is facing a major humanitarian crisis. Approximately 2 million people have fled their homes, and Pakistan's government, their military, and relief organizations are working to meet the needs of these displaced persons. So many are finding refuge with family members, or in schools or mosques; they are relying on the generosity of relatives and friends. And I'm confident that Pakistan's institutions and citizens will succeed in confronting this humanitarian challenge if the international community steps up and provides the support that is needed. ... Providing this assistance is not only the right thing to do, but we believe it is essential to global security and the security of the United States, and we are prepared to do more as the situation demands."

The Secretary also invited the American people to join in the world-wide effort to bring stability to Pakistan: "Now, Americans can use technology to help, as well. Using your cell phones, Americans can text the word 'swat' -- to the number 20222 and make a $5 contribution that will help the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees provide tents, clothing, food, and medicine to hundreds of thousands of affected people. And before I came over here, we did that in the State Department. So we are making some of the first donations to this fund."]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/text_disaster_relief/ 2009-05-19T17:54:20-05:00 U.S. Holds Trilateral Meeting With Afghanistan and Pakistan Secretary Clinton held the second trilateral meeting with Afghan and Pakistani leaders today. During the meeting, the Secretary said:

"I am pleased to announce that Afghanistan and Pakistan have reached an important milestone in their efforts to generate foreign investment and stronger economic growth and trade opportunities. Before President Karzai and President Zardari meet with President Obama this morning, the two ministers, Minister Qureshi and Minister Spanta, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding committing their countries to achieving a trade transit agreement by the end of the year, which we believe will have great economic benefits for both peoples.

This is an historic event. This agreement has been under discussion for 43 years without resolution. But when I think about Afghanistan and Pakistan, and I look at the map of the world and see how strategically located both countries are, this is an agreement that will bring prosperity to both countries, along the trade routes and beyond. Nothing opens up an area to economic development better than a good road with good transit rules and an ability to transport goods and people effectively. So we think this will be enormously beneficial, and I congratulate both countries."

Read the full remarks from today's meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari or Secretary Clinton's statement at the first trilateral meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Spanta and Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/trilateral_meeting_afghanistan_pakistan/ 2009-05-06T21:26:49-05:00 Deployment Stories: Traveling to Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province About the Author: Claire Sneed serves in the State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization.

My name is Claire Sneed. I’m a conflict prevention officer for the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization. In January 2008, the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction was asked to assist the Embassy in Sri Lanka to carry out an interagency conflict assessment for the eastern province. I led a team of five people from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of Defense and our office to assist the country team in Colombo to carry out this assessment and develop a strategy for stabilization that used all of the U.S. Government resources that we could bring to the table.

During the three-week assessment, we went out to the eastern province. We traveled around and talked to conflict-affected populations, to local leaders, to government officials, to NGOs and other representatives of the international community who are working on this issue. We gained sort of a common understanding of what some of the challenges were and developed sort of a shared understanding of what needed to be done in order to bring stability to the region and help the region move toward, you know, peace and development.

For me, it was a really interesting experience working on an interagency process and learning a little bit more about how the U.S. Government and the different agencies of the U.S. Government think and approach and see stabilization challenges. And it was very rewarding to see the different agencies sort of come to a consensus about what we understood and what we saw and what we felt needed to be done.

The conditions on the ground in Sri Lanka at that time were fairly volatile. We were stopped at checkpoints fairly often. Although we were able to stay in hotels, we weren’t able to stay out in the east quite as long as we might have liked, just because the situation was so precarious. That said, it was very important for us actually to get out into the region, rather than just staying in Colombo and gathering information there. And so we were fortunately able to get around and actually meet some of these populations and see the conditions in which they were living and the kind of security environment that they were facing.

In the future, I think that this type of deployment is extremely useful and this function is very useful in that it enables again this sort of shared perspective to emerge among the different parts of the U.S. Government that are involved and that can bring resources to bear in a reconstruction and stabilization environment. And so I would welcome an opportunity to participate in future assessments and planning missions like this one.

Related Entries: Watch Ambassador Herbst discuss the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization and the Civilian Response Corps or read more Deployment Stories.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/deployment_stories_claire_sneed/ 2009-05-05T18:08:31-05:00 Afghanistan Establishes First National Park The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provides information about Afghanistan's first national park, designated by Afghanistan's National Environmental Protection Agency in recognition of Earth Day.
U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan

In celebration of International Earth Day, the Director General of Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) declared Band-e-Amir as Afghanistan’s first national park. This official designation affords legal protection to the lakes and surrounding landscape, and will ensure sustainable environmental management for this area of great natural beauty.

Band-e-Amir is a series of six lakes in central Bamyan Province, and the national park covers 59,000 hectares of land. The lakes present a stunning visual landscape, with their clear, azure-blue color set against red-rock cliffs and dry grasslands. The lakes are held back by natural travertine dams, created by calcium deposits. Some of the dams are breathtaking: 30-foot rock walls stretching across the valley in long, graceful arcs. The combination of desert, water, and rock make for landscapes that rival those of national parks anywhere in the world.

Since 2006, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been working with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and local communities surrounding Band-e-Amir to establish the national park. To ensure the park’s long-term sustainability, USAID, through its implementing partner the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), founded a local institution to manage the proposed park and helped to prepare a park management plan. USAID also advised the government on the development of the legal framework for establishing protected areas. The official declaration enhances the Afghanistan’s ability to manage its natural resources, and will help bring international recognition to this area of great natural beauty.

The national park designation will also encourage economic development in the fifteen villages surrounding Band-e-Amir. Before the years of war and Taliban rule, Band-e-Amir was a popular tourist destination, and recently, tourism has begun to increase. With help from USAID and its implementing partners WCS, Ecodit, and the Agha Khan Network, local entrepreneurs are already building small shops, restaurants, and hotels – in accordance with the park’s environmental management plan – to serve the growing number of tourists. A campground is also planned. These improvements are expected to attract more Afghan and international tourists over the coming years, contributing to Afghanistan’s economic growth in an environmentally responsible manner.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/afghanistan_national_park/ 2009-04-23T20:54:40-05:00 Deployment Stories: Supporting Democracy in Afghanistan Peter Sawchyn works in the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor and serves as a member of the Civilian Response Corps.

My name is Peter Sawchyn.  I’m a foreign affairs officer with the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.  And since 2006, I’ve been a member of the standby component of the Civilian Response Corps.  I deployed to Afghanistan for a 90-day assignment in – between July and October of 2008.  And the primary objective of the deployment was to enhance civil-military cooperation at the brigade level.  I was in – at a forward operating base in Jalalabad with the 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, also known as Task Force Duke.  And I worked primarily on governance and democracy issues with the brigade. 

I’d like to think I accomplished a few things, primarily, helping the army’s – increasing the army’s understanding and interoperability with the State Department, the Embassy in Kabul, USAID, of course, and the United Nations Assistance Missions to Afghanistan and with – working also with Afghan NGOs.  I think that was one of the most satisfying experiences – was actually making links with Afghan NGOs with the election officials.  A big operation was mounting a voter registration drive in preparation for this year’s provincial elections.  So the brigade was very involved in working with Afghan NGOs, providing security and advice on how to actually carry out voter registration.  So connecting with Afghan NGOs, election officials, making links with brigade officers was quite satisfying; otherwise, I don’t think it would have happened.  We actually brought the Afghans onto the FOB – onto the base for several meetings.  And I think that increased the comfort level with the army and the Afghan NGOs to show that they were basically working toward the same thing. 

The conditions were quite demanding, noisy, dusty, hot.  We lived in plywood bee huts, which are basically semi-permanent wooden structures that was a step up above tents.  It was a base, a forward operating base, so there were about 3,500 other people.  So it was pretty noisy, crowded congestion and an airfield that operated 24/7, so we had lots of action on the base. 

Would I do it again?  Yes, I would.  It was a very enriching, engaging experience.  I think I gained a lot personally, professionally.  Hopefully, I added to our strategic reconstruction and stabilization efforts in Afghanistan.  I’d like to go for a longer time, I thought – as I thought over it.  It’s now four months since I returned.  I think I’d like to go for 12 months and possibly work at a PRT, instead of at a brigade level.

Related Entry: Ambassador Herbst discusses the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization and the Civilian Response Corps.

]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/deployment_stories_peter_sawchyn/ 2009-04-13T18:28:48-05:00 Deployment Stories: Working With Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan Ted Kanamine serves in the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization.

I’m Ted Kanamine.  I’m a engineer and infrastructure advisor to the Army Corps of Engineers.  I’m detailed to the State Department’s office of the Secretary – or Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS).  I’ve been to Afghanistan twice.  The first one was in 2004.  And I was an infrastructure advisor to one of the deputy ministers of defense, the Afghan deputy minister of defense for military installations.  And I was there in my advisory role as an infrastructure advisor.  My second deployment to Afghanistan was a short experience.  I was there as a – then as a member of S/CRS, where I was a planning advisor/ facilitator to the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in several provinces. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  And I would say that my first deployment, I was able to travel through most of the southern part of Afghanistan, Kandahar all the way to Kabul and then parts south towards the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.  I was able to, pretty much, do the same thing on my second deployment, but spent more time in the cities:  Sabul (ph), Ghazni (ph), Shirana (ph).  I felt very – from both experiences, they’re very different.  But the – probably, the experience the first time there as a advisor to the deputy minister for defense focused on providing the military planning for then the new Afghan army and so we were able to actually site the locations around the southern portion of Afghanistan for then the nascent Afghan army brigades. 

The second time there working with the Provincial Reconstruction Teams, a little bit more embedded in the communities and quite a bit less military related probably common across the board for both were the amount of planning that had to be involved.  And it was my first experience there where I realized how much interagency experience needed to happen and wasn’t there, wasn’t present in what I felt was necessary the first time.  And the second time was simply just the effort to try to make that happen. 

I was under – I was probably in danger the whole time I was there, but I have to honestly say I never felt in danger.  Yes, you spent a lot of time and effort worrying about this the of security and of conditions that were in.  It was – they’re austere conditions.  The – it’s a little bit the environment is not quite as safe in terms of food and health and sanitation.  But you know, one gets dirty when you go camping here in the States, too.  It’s just a little more hazardous, a little less – you just have to pay attention a bit more.  Of course, you don’t have to worry so much about traffic in some of these other places, like you do here in the cities of the U.S., so it’s a different kind of risk. 

I would definitely go back.  It’s a personally rewarding experience, a very professional experience.  Perhaps, if I could sum up one of the things that – one of my most memorable experiences was visiting a cantonment area for the DDR:  the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration site.  These are for weapons that were supposed to be in a cantonment area.  It was in an out-of-the-way place near Kabul, not in the city, but just on the outside, and walking around with some of the Afghan ministers, some of the assistants—and this is toward the evening, toward dusk—and sure, on one of the small huts that had been obviously blown up in some of the civil war, two old gentlemen heated over brazier. 

And we just sort of walked around the building and we started with each other.  They were clearly – clearly, it was the only thing they had.  There was nothing else around.  And they had the graciousness to say, “Please come and stay with us and share our tea.”  And there was only two cups and three of us, so we had to – obviously, had to beg off and say no, we really couldn’t, we had to go on.  But you know, we didn’t want to – we were sorry for disturbing them.  But it was certainly a memorable moment.  Just told me the graciousness, the – just the wonderful qualities of the people there, about how much they can be, despite all of the tragedy and everything that goes on there.  I would definitely go back.

Related Entry: Ambassador Herbst discusses S/CRS and the Civilian Response Corps.

]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/deployment_stories_kanamine/ 2009-04-08T19:22:31-05:00 Afghanistan and NATO The White House Blog provides information about President Obama's remarks on Afghanistan after the NATO meeting:

In a press conference after the NATO meeting, the President began by congratulating Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen for his unanimous selection as NATO’s next Secretary General, while also recognizing Turkey for seeing past initial objections in the spirit of consensus. He thanked President Sarkozy of France and Chancellor Merkel of Germany for hosting him, and noted the significance of NATO’s two newest formal members, Albania and Croatia. But as everybody knew, Afghanistan was the top concern of the meeting, and the President spoke at length about his new plan for Afghanistan announced a week ago and the agreements reached in the meeting. President Obama said:

"We start from a simple premise: For years, our efforts in Afghanistan have lacked the resources needed to achieve our goals. And that's why the United States has recommitted itself to a clear and focused goal -- to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future.

This effort cannot be America's alone. All of NATO understands that al Qaeda is a threat to all of us, and that this collective security effort must achieve its goals. And as a signal of that commitment, I am pleased that our NATO allies pledged their strong and unanimous support for our new strategy. Keep in mind it was only just a week ago that we announced this new approach. But already with Secretary Clinton's work at The Hague and with the success at today's summit we've started to match real resources to achieve our goals.

We're leaving Strasbourg and Kehl with concrete commitments on NATO support. Our allies and partners have already agreed to provide approximately 5,000 troops and trainers to advance our new strategy, as well as increased civilian assistance. To support critical elections for August 20th, NATO will fully resource our election support force to maximize security. And our allies have committed additional funds to an Afghan elections trust fund that will provide the necessary resources for free and fair elections.

To accelerate and enhance our training of Afghan security forces, a new NATO mission, a new NATO training mission, will focus on high-level support for Afghan army, and training and mentoring for the Afghan police. And many of our allies and partners have also pledged support for a new trust fund to sustain Afghan national armies going forward.

And to strengthen Afghan institutions and advance opportunity for the Afghan people, we are working with our NATO allies and partners to achieve substantial increases in non-military assistance and to provide the kind of doctors, engineers, educators and agricultural specialists that are needed to make a difference on the ground."

Read more about the President's press conference and his comments about a law recently passed in Afghanistan that has received a great deal of attention.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/afghanistan_nato/ 2009-04-06T11:59:44-05:00 Deployment Stories: Supporting Women’s Issues, Governance in Afghanistan Beverli DeWalt serves in the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization at the U.S. Department of State.

My name is Beverli DeWalt. I am a member of the Civilian Response Corps Active Component. I work with the Office for the Coordinator of Reconstruction and Stabilization, and I’m a Foreign Service officer.

I deployed to Afghanistan in June of 2008 and I returned in December of 2008. The conditions there were – they varied, but for the most part I stayed on an airbase with the military in a container. I had two roommates. We all had a little, like, 8x8 square and these bunks to sleep on and a bathroom down the hall, which was not in the hall, more down the catwalk, which was one of the best situations there was. I didn’t have to stay in a hut.

I was deployed initially to work on a planning team to help bring together the strategic thought of the U.S. within Afghanistan. But then I had the opportunity to switch to a PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team), and I spent the bulk of my time working as a State Department officer there. While I was there, I worked on so many issues, everything from women’s issues to governance to rule of law, and it was great. I got to work with the Afghans, mentor, help coordinate international responses to these things, and also to work on a personal basis with individual people who really care about what’s going on there, both from an Afghan and an international perspective.

Two of the most exciting things that I did there – one was working with women on a saffron project. Saffron is a crop that they’re looking at as a replacement for poppy. And we worked with a women’s group to help them receive the training and the tools to be able to plant this crop. And at the end of my time there, we had it harvest and it was neat to see it all packaged and ready to sell.

The other great accomplishment I think that we did there was – I worked very closely with the UN. And during that time, we worked with a variety of groups in an area that was really unstable. And we brought together a bunch of different community groups that were at odds with one another into a forum that they could discuss with one another to try and resolve some of their internal problems that were contributing also to the Taliban, and it strengthened their area.

And after that meeting, through no effort on our part, they started to work together. They resolved one of their longstanding conflicts. They elected their own leader. And it was very rewarding to see them move forward on their own. And those were probably two of the best things that I experienced during my deployment.

This deployment is – it’s been one of the best in my career. I would gladly do it again in a heartbeat. There’s always tons of work to do, and every day you can wake up and you have at least 20 different things that you can pick from to do that are important, that are necessary. And it’s great, because you’re never bored and you never do something you don’t feel is important.

Related Entry: Ambassador Herbst discusses S/CRS and the Civilian Response Corps.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/deployment_stories_afghanistan_dewalt/ 2009-04-01T22:22:45-05:00 International Community Committed to Helping Afghanistan Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

Following today's International Conference on Afghanistan, Secretary Clinton spoke with reporters about Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea and women's rights. Secretary Clinton said:

"This has been an important day because of the emphasis that the world community has placed on Afghanistan. And this conference has achieved everything we hoped it could. It has rallied and united the international community against al-Qaida, it has strengthened the United Nations, and it has increased our commitment to cooperate with every country represented here as we work to address our common challenge.

We have listened to leaders from around the world. We have heard them speak with a single voice. We all recognize the need to support the people of Afghanistan as they build up their security services, strengthen their economy and institutions, and work with their neighbors to build a safer region.

For the people of Afghanistan, I hope that this conference marks a new beginning. We are extremely grateful to the Dutch Government for organizing and hosting this event, and for the people of the Netherlands for their sacrifice and commitment to this mission. The United Nations has played a critical role today, as it does every day, and we support the United Nations in assuming even more responsibility going forward.

Over the course of the day, I’ve had a series of bilateral meetings that have opened up a number of opportunities that we will pursue. I met with President Karzai, who plays a critical role in providing leadership for his country. We discussed how we will work together to implement the recommendations of the strategic review that was recently completed at the direction of President Obama.

I met with Foreign Minister Qureshi of Pakistan and General Pasha and their delegation. As I said earlier, Pakistan’s fight against violent extremism is an integral part of the challenge that we all face in Afghanistan. The work we began here in The Hague will continue at the Pakistan donors meeting in Tokyo on April 17th.

I also met with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in preparation for the meeting between our two presidents tomorrow in London. We are very pleased at the progress that we have made on a range of issues that will be discussed, including Afghanistan, between our presidents.

I also met with Foreign Minister Nakasone of Japan. Again, we discussed Afghanistan and the donors conference that Japan will host on April 17th for Pakistan. And we spent time, as you might guess, discussing our joint efforts to promote security on the Korean Peninsula.

We emerge from this conference even more committed to the common task of helping Afghanistan prevail against a ruthless enemy, and even more united in our efforts to address the broad agenda facing the international community."

Read the Secretary's press availability here.

]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/committed_afghanistan/ 2009-03-31T22:41:48-05:00 Secretary Clinton Addresses International Conference on Afghanistan Interactive Travel Map | Text the Secretary

Today, Secretary Clinton is in the Netherlands to attend the International Conference on Afghanistan. At the conference, Secretary Clinton said:

“We are here to help the people of Afghanistan prevail against a ruthless enemy who poses a common threat to us all. Afghanistan has always been a crossroads of civilization, and today we find our fate converging in those plains and mountains that are so far and yet so near in this interconnected world to all of us.

Thanks to the efforts of the international community, the perpetrators of the horrific terrorist attacks of 9/11 - attacks which killed citizens from more than 90 countries - were driven from Afghanistan, and the Afghan people made a promising start toward a more secure future. But since those first hopeful moments, our collective inability to implement a clear and sustained strategy has allowed violent extremists to regain a foothold in Afghanistan and in Pakistan, and to make the area a nerve center for efforts to spread violence from London to Mumbai.

The range of countries and institutions represented here is a universal recognition that what happens in Afghanistan matters to us all. Our failure to bring peace and progress would be a setback not only to the people of Afghanistan, but to the entire enterprise of collective action in the interest of collective security. Our success, on the other hand, will not only benefit Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region, but also the blueprint for a new diplomacy powered by partnership and premised on shared interests.

So as we recommit ourselves to meet our common challenge with a new strategy, new energy, and new resources, let us be guided by an ancient Afghan proverb, ‘patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.‘

The plan I outline today is the product of intensive consultations with nations that have donated troops and support; Afghanistan’s neighbors and international institutions that play a vital role in Afghanistan’s future. The results of these consultations are clear: Our strategy must address the challenge in Afghanistan and Pakistan; it must integrate military and civilian activities and support them with vigorous international diplomacy; and it must rest on the simple premise that while we can and will help, Afghanistan’s future ultimately rests with the Afghan people and their elected government.“

Read the Secretary’s full remarks here.

]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/clinton_conference_afghanistan/ 2009-03-31T16:27:12-05:00 Mutabar Tadjibayeva: “They Can Never Break My Spirit” About the Author: Ruth Bennett serves as the Public Affairs Advisor for the Office of International Women’s Issues. This entry is one in a series of profiles of the 2009 International Women of Courage Award recipients.

"They can break my body, but they can never break my spirit."

Mutabar Tadjibayeva is one of the most vocal activists in Uzbekistan, a country in which human rights issues remain a serious concern. As Chair of her own NGO, the Fiery Hearts Club, Ms. Tadjibayeva has brought attention to human rights issues in the Ferghana Valley – one of the most sensitive regions of Central Asia – and helped people seek justice. She has monitored trials, published articles on child labor, reported on violations of women’s rights, and organized public campaigns. In August 2003, Ms. Tadjibayeva suffered serious head injuries and was hospitalized for more than a week after a demonstration she organized demanding the resignation of a corrupt local prosecutor was forcibly dispersed by police.

In October 2005, Ms. Tadjibayeva was arrested at her home as she was preparing to travel to Ireland for a human rights conference and charged with several counts of criminal activity based on her activism. Despite the threat of a long prison sentence, Ms. Tadjibayeva remained defiant and told the court, "I do not regret my activities and I will continue them regardless of the verdict." In March 2006, she was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment. Ms. Tadjibayeva’s health suffered as a result of poor prison conditions, and she was subjected to forced psychiatric treatment and long periods of solitary confinement.

In June 2008, Ms. Tadjibayeva was released from prison on medical grounds, though she remains under a three-year suspended sentence. Despite the suffering she’s endured, and at substantial risk to herself, Ms. Tadjibayeva has renewed her activism since her release and is in the process of trying to register the Fiery Hearts group with local authorities. She continues to criticize prison conditions during interviews with independent and international journalists. At the same time, she continues to seek constructive dialogue with authorities on human rights issues.

While Ms. Tadjibayeva has paid a tremendous personal price for her defense of others, she has shown no regrets for her continued activism. Her astonishing courage is a force for transparency, democracy, and good governance in Uzbekistan as well as a larger example of the power of an individual to take a stand and marshal international support for the cause of human rights. As she commented shortly after her release..."they can break my body, but they can never break my spirit."


]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/mutabar_tadjibayeva/ 2009-03-10T14:59:11-05:00 Wazhma Frogh: Opening the Doors for Women in Afghanistan About the Author: Ruth Bennett serves as the Public Affairs Advisor for the Office of International Women’s Issues. This entry is one in a series of profiles of the 2009 International Women of Courage Award recipients.

Wazhma Frogh believes in changing systems from within, and is willing to stake a lot on her beliefs. In 2002, when she visited a conservative district in northeastern Afghanistan, the activist overheard the local mullah urging male worshippers to stop her plans to start a literacy program for women. Ms. Frogh marched into the mosque, she told a Christian Science Monitor reporter, and challenged the mullah to hear her out. She recited a number of Koranic passages that supported education, and she decried the use of Islam to justify domestic violence and child marriage. The mullah listened, and then endorsed her plans to start the literacy program.

Ms. Frogh uses her scholarly knowledge of Islam to convince religious leaders to modify their views of women – views, she claims, that are often rooted more in provincial local traditions than in the real essence of the faith. "My goal is to really represent Islam,” she told the Christian Science Monitor. “It's not a religion that oppresses women."

Her activism began at a young age. In the eighth grade, she offered tutoring to her landlord’s children in exchange for reduced rent, so as to ensure that she and her sisters would be able to continue school. At age 17, she used her internship at a prestigious Pakistani newspaper to expose poor living conditions and abuses of women’s rights in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan.

Ms. Frogh currently works as the Afghanistan Country Director for Global Rights, an international human rights organization. She’s launched public debates on domestic violence and marital rape in Afghanistan, both previously unmentionable topics in her country. She persuaded mullahs to join her in a month-long campaign of speaking out against domestic violence, and, by mobilizing a group of over 35 civil society organizations, convinced the government of Afghanistan to take action against child rape. Ms. Frogh also provides training to policewomen on issues surrounding domestic violence and child abuse.

Wazhma Frogh’s bold outspokenness for women, children, and social justice makes her a target in her conservative and volatile society. Her bravery creates safety for those whom the laws make vulnerable, and her commitment to peaceful change through the force of her intellect and persuasive skills creates both opportunity and inspiration for other women to do the same.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/wazhma_frogh/ 2009-03-09T15:59:48-05:00 Secretary Clinton Honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s Trip to India Yesterday, Secretary Clinton sent off Martin Luther King, III, U.S. Representative John Lewis, U.S. Representative Spencer Bachus, and Herbie Hancock on their cultural delegation to India. The delegation will commemorate the tour made by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, 50 years ago to study the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi. Dr. King and other leaders of the civil rights movement drew on Gandhi’s ideas to transform American society.

Secretary Clinton said: "As we celebrate Black History Month here at home, the 50th Anniversary of Dr. King’s trip to India is a reminder that the struggle for civil rights and justice has always been and continues to be a global mission; it knows no borders. As Dr. King told us, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'

Now Dr. King was just 30 years old when he traveled to India in 1959, but he had already led the Montgomery bus boycott, and understood the wisdom and power of the nonviolent protest movement pioneered by the great Mahatma Gandhi. Dr. King toured the country for a month, studying Gandhi’s philosophy, meeting with Prime Minister Nehru. He met with other Indian leaders in politics and government, in academia and the professions in business and across the society. And he talked with citizens and young people at every opportunity. He brought the lessons he learned there back to the United States, and renewed his own faith in the unmatched moral force of nonviolent resistance and its ability to achieve meaningful social change."

You may watch video or read the full transcript of the Secretary's remarks.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/mlk_jr_trip_india/ 2009-02-13T13:44:59-05:00