It's been just over a year since the United States joined with partners across the international community to establish the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, which has honored Secretary Clinton's call for a 21st century solution to a 17th century crime of pirate attacks in the waters off the Horn of Africa. In the year since… more »
I am currently on a trip to Kenya and Qatar, and I wanted to take a moment from here in Nairobi to recognize and reflect on the importance of today, International Women's Day.
Over the last several weeks, we've seen a lot of progress on the issues facing Sudan. On Darfur, major progress has been made with the signing of the landmark ceasefire and framework agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Justice… more »
About the Author: Cheryl Benton serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs.
I recently met with the Public Leadership Education Network, a group of very talented and engaged college-aged professional women from across the country. Today marks International Women's Day, and I can't emphasize enough the importance of women globally as a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. This month we have really focused on making sure that we are informing and engaging every sector of civil society on global women's issues. But this is not limited to a day, or even a month, we work to engage the public every day of the year.
We know her best simply as Mayu. It is a sign of how actively involved Mayu Brizuela has become with a group of women entrepreneurs to make sure that they too can take full advantage of the economic and trade policies throughout the Western Hemisphere.
She is, after all, the first woman to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs in El Salvador (1999-2004) and has has been a strong advocate for women's economic inclusion throughout her extraordinary career. She has held several senior positions in banking and industry. Consequentially, Mayu is no stranger to the unique pressures on… more »
The world recognizes March 8 as International Women's Day. In honor of this day, Secretary Clinton delivered a message encouraging us to rededicate ourselves to advancing and protecting the rights of women and girls, and to join together to ensure that no one is left behind in the 21st century. The Secretary said:
"This year marks an anniversary very close to my heart. Fifteen years ago, along with women and men from around the world I attended the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. The message from that conference rang loudly and clearly, and still echoes across cultures and continents: Human rights are women's rights, and women's rights are human rights.
"One hundred and eighty-nine countries represented at Beijing adopted a Platform for Action that pledged to increase women's access… more »
About the Author: Mike Lavallee, an Embassy Baghdad observer for Iraq's March 7 national elections, provides an update from southern Iraq's Dhi Qar province. The embassy has fielded 26 four-person teams nationwide to observe the vote.
We started out about 7:30 a.m. and just completed visiting our fourth polling site. All… more »
About the Author: Michael Corbin serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.
The Obama Administration is committed to a bright future for Iraq, and to the transition from a military to a civilian-led relationship fostering a broader partnership in all areas. The March 7 parliamentary election will bring another step in Iraq's democratic progress, and I am optimistic that Iraqi leaders will support a transparent, peaceful election and that the country's transition to a new government will be inclusive and represent the interests of the Iraqi people.
This is the key message I conveyed when I traveled to California last week… more »
On March 4, 2010, Secretary Clinton addressed the Pathways to Prosperity Ministerial in San Jose, Costa Rica. Pathways to Prosperity is a conference for foreign leaders focused on economic development in the Americas. Secretary Clinton said, “I look around this table and I see nations dedicated to strengthening democracy, spreading opportunities, and promoting… more »
About the Author: Ambassador David T. Killion serves as U.S. Permanent Representative to UNESCO.
I was honored to attend the 12th annual L'Oreal-UNESCO awards ceremony for women in science hosted by UNESCO on Wednesday, March 3. Women scientists from Latin America, Asia, Europe, Africa and North America are nominated each year as laureates for their contributions to research and excellence in the sciences.
DipNote is the official blog of the U.S. Department of State —a place to share stories, discuss experiences, and inspire new ideas on the important foreign policy issues of the day. more »
Chile Earthquake
For information or inquiries about U.S. citizens in Chile, please call 1-888-407-4747. You may email: ChileEarthquake@state.gov.
Assistant Secretary Crowley (Mar. 15): " We are determined as are Mexican authorities to get to the bottom of this particular tragedy, but also do everything we can to restore the rule of law in Mexico." Full Text» more »
Secretary Clinton (Mar 13): " is an example of what we call 21st century statecraft and an opportunity to extend our engagement...directly to the people of the world." Media Note» more »
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U.S. welcomes decision of govts of Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Mauritania & Niger to meet Mar. 16 to confront terrorism.
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