On January 24, 2012, the White House Press Secretary issued the following statement:
"This week, Egypt achieved several historic milestones in its transition to democracy. Yesterday, democratically-elected representatives of the People's Assembly met for the first time since Egypt's revolution, and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces transferred legislative authority to them. Today, Field Marshal Tantawi took steps to lift the state of emergency that has existed in Egypt for several decades. And tomorrow, Egyptians will commemorate the anniversary of the revolution that made Egypt's transition to democracy possible.
"We congratulate the Egyptian people and their government on these important steps… more »
Western Uttar Pradesh was once seen as the world's largest reservoir of polio virus. Four districts, namely Moradabad, Bareilly, Rampur and Badaun, were considered the "Hot 4" and for many years, people speculated that the last polio cases would be from these districts. But the skeptics were wrong. The districts pulled together, involved all ministries, not just the health sector, and held everyone accountable for performance. The District Magistrates took charge and became personally involved in solving any obstacles that would crop up. Vacant medical officer positions were filled and progress was monitored closely.
Across India messages travelled the TV and radio airways. Celebrities and sports legends lent their support. Rotarians urged everyone to participate, provided much needed financing, and rolled up their sleeves to help out during the campaigns. CORE and… more »
About the Author: Brian Van Pay serves as Executive Director of the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Project in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, and Barbara Moore is serving on detail to the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
In the enduring spirit of friendship and cooperation, the United States and Canada conducted their fourth joint mission to map the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean this past summer. The 2011 Arctic mission traversed more than 5,600 total miles and reached more than 1,230 miles north of the Alaskan coast. It marks the completion of a successful five-year collaboration between the United States and Canada to collect the scientific data necessary to determine the extent of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles (referred to as the extended continental shelf) in the Arctic. Determining the extent of the continental shelf is important because a country has rights to manage and protect the resources of its continental shelf.
Collecting these data was not a trivial endeavor, especially in the Arctic's ice-covered waters. The 2011 joint mission spanned nearly… more »
On Tuesday, January 24, 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton held the first meeting of the International Council on Women's Business Leadership (ICWBL) at the Department State in Washington, D.C. The ICWBL serves the U.S. government in an advisory capacity on major issues in international business and economic policy, including the effective integration of business interests and women's economic empowerment into overall foreign policy; the role and limits of international economic institutions from a gender-specific perspective; and the Department of State's role in advancing and promoting the role of women in a competitive global economy.
The ICWBL will meet at least once a year and at such other times and places as are required to fulfill the objectives of the Council. Subcommittees and working groups will meet as appropriate for their assigned responsibilities.… more »
About the Author: Janice Clark serves as the Director of Electronic Information in the Bureau of Public Affairs.
I think just about everything on www.state.gov is interesting, but you might not take the same interest in food security, women's issues, or the human rights reports that I do. With the site's roughly 100,000 pages of content (and growing), we set out to create a way to help you, the end user, more easily access the categories of information that matter most to you.
That's what's behind the pilot release of My State Department -- an optional, customizable interface that makes the most of the vast electronic collection that comprises www.state.gov so you can be better informed and stay on top of foreign policy topic areas that you find most interesting or in which you want to become… more »
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 »
Across the eastern Horn of Africa, more than 11 million people -- a number greater than the populations of Houston and New York City combined -- are now in need of emergency assistance to survive. Learn more about the current crisis, including how you can help.
Dear Mr. Ford, Thank you for your support to the Syrian people. As you well know, the Asad regime is intent on using all means of violence, including…
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Spokesperson Nuland (Feb. 10): "We will have more of this declassified U.S. national available both on Robert's site in coming days but also on our new site www.stateondemand.com, where news organizations can find all of our content to pull down around the world. more »
Secretary Clinton (Feb. 9): "I want to underscore how confident we are in Italy, in Italy's future, in the extraordinary commitment that Prime Minister Monti and his government are bringing to the challenges confronting the Italian people..." more »
![Egypt's newly-elected parliament as seen during the first session after the revolution that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak, in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 23, 2012. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0125_egypt_transition_m.jpg)
![An Indian health worker administers a polio drop to a newborn at Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya in New Delhi, India, January 13, 2012. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0124_polio_india_m.jpg)
![Views of the U.S.-Canada fourth joint mission to map the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean in August and September 2011. The 2011 joint mission employed the flagship icebreaker from each country, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy and the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent (LSSL), with each ship performing different functions and one ship breaking ice for the other.[State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0123_arctic_m.jpg)
![Screenshot of My State Department, an optional interface that allows users to customize their view of the vast electronic collection that comprises www.state.gov, for targeted, quick and easy access to the foreign policy topics that they find most interesting. [State Department image/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0123_my_state_m.jpg)
