President Obama and Secretary Clinton Host Prime Minister Noda of Japan

Posted by DipNote Bloggers / May 01, 2012

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hosted Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of Japan in Washington, D.C. on April 30, 2012. During a joint press conference at the White House, President Obama said, "It is a great pleasure to welcome Prime Minister Noda of Japan, one of America's closest allies in the Asia Pacific region but also around the world. And, of course, one of the reasons that we enjoy such a strong alliance between our nations is because it's rooted in the deep friendship between our peoples."

President Obama continued, "...We recognize that the U.S.-Japan alliance will remain the foundation of the security and prosperity of our two nations but… more »

Mission to Nigeria Spotlights Progress, Challenges in Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV

Posted by Eric Goosby / April 30, 2012

About the Author: Ambassador Eric Goosby serves as U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.

Last year PEPFAR and UNAIDS joined with other partners to launch the Global Plan, an initiative to eliminate new HIV infections among children and keep their mothers alive. Last week I was proud to take part in a two-day mission to Nigeria with Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS Executive Director. (As I described in this post last week, our visit was interrupted by the tragic bombings.)

Each year, nearly 400,000 children are born with HIV globally, and prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) is a particular challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, an area characterized by weak health systems. Incredibly, Nigeria alone bears about one-third… more »

German-American Fulbright Program at 60

Posted by Ann Stock / April 30, 2012

About the Author: Ann Stock serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the German-American Fulbright Program -- one of the largest Fulbright Programs in the world. From March 18-21, the German-American Fulbright Commission held its annual Berlin Seminar and celebrated the program's success alongside the government of Germany and the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. Organizers and attendees recognized the Fulbright Program's decades of achievements and its growing network of 40,000 alumni.

The 2012 Berlin Seminar brought together 250 American Fulbright grantees… more »

Building Cultural Bridges in Afghanistan

Posted by Esperanza Tilghman / April 29, 2012

About the Author: Esperanza Tilghman serves as Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer in the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Ralph Bunche, U.S. diplomat and the first African American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (1950), once said: "If you want to get across an idea, wrap it up in a person."

I could not agree more, and we are doing just that through U.S. Embassy Kabul's Mission Speakers Program (MSP). The MSP recruits speakers from throughout the embassy by simply finding out about our colleague's experiences, and then building a relevant outreach event around their expertise for Afghan participants. For example, the first MSP activity connected a female diplomat who happened to be a former college basketball player with a group of high school girls participating in an embassy-funded sports and leadership program. Her presentation to the girls underscored the value of hard work, determination, and goal-planning, as she told the group: "Don't be afraid to fail and don't fear what others… more »

In Nigeria, Remembering Lives Lost

Posted by Eric Goosby / April 27, 2012

About the Author: Ambassador Eric Goosby serves as the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.

I am writing from Abuja, Nigeria, where all are mourning the victims of the tragic bombings of a local newspaper's offices here and in the city of Kaduna. Innocent lives were lost to these terrible acts of murder. At the time of the blast, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe and I were commemorating the victims of the 2011 United Nations House bombing, which also took the innocent lives of primarily the UN's Nigerian staff.

I can't help but reflect on the juxtapositions life sometimes presents after experiencing this tragic event. It not only occurred while we were having a ceremony for our fallen UN colleagues, but during a mission to strengthen the Nigerian plan to reduce the 72,000 pediatric HIV cases born each year. To have such a senseless loss of life, in one brief moment, made me reflect on how fragile and precious life is. And it sharpens my resolve to ensure… more »