Celebrating International Jazz Day
Posted by David T. Killion / April 26, 2012
![Louis Armstrong, atop camel, enchants the ancient sphinx and pyramids at Giza, near Cairo, Egypt January 28, 1961. His wife Lucille, lower left, records the scene on film as the camel perks its ears in appreciation of the unusual concert. The Armstrongs are on a U.S. State Department sponsored Goodwill Tour of Africa and the Middle East. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0426_satchmo_egypt_m.jpg)
Back in the United States my colleagues at the State Department have long recognized the power of jazz as a means of connecting people. More than 50 years ago, the Department launched a landmark jazz diplomacy effort featuring American musical legend Dizzy Gillespie. Ever since then, jazz has been a continuing feature of U.S. cultural engagement programs. (See some great old photos here.)
Well, I am very proud to announce the latest chapter in the State Department's "jazz diplomacy" program kicks… more »
How USAID is Putting Local Wealth to Work
Posted by Ben Hubbard / March 22, 2012
![Image outlining how the USAID Development Credit Authority works to empower entrepreneurs around the world. [USAID image/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0322_usaid_credit_image_m.jpg)
You can view the full-size image here.
About the Author: Ben Hubbard serves as the Director of Development Credit Authority at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
In the 1960s, during USAID's founding decade, official development assistance represented 70 percent of all capital flows to developing countries. Today, foreign aid makes up just 13 percent, having been replaced over time by trade, investment, and other sources of private capital.
This changing landscape means our impact can be even greater. Rather than using our development dollars to substitute for missing… more »
U.S. Supports Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation
Posted by Melanne Verveer and David M. Robinson / February 06, 2012
![A Masai girl holds a protest sign during the anti-Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) run in Kilgoris, Kenya, in 2007. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0206_stop_fgm_m.jpg)
Today, on the Ninth Annual International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, we stand in solidarity with men and women who are working to address and prevent this practice that takes place in many countries around the world. Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) occurs across cultures and religions, although no religion mandates the procedure. It is a practice rooted in beliefs about the “dangers” of women's sexuality, and involves a rite of passage into adulthood that has extremely detrimental consequences on the health and overall well-being of women and girls subjected to it.
It is estimated that 100 to 140 million women globally have undergone this procedure and three million girls are at risk every year. Cutting is often performed by untrained practitioners, employing no anesthesia and often using such instruments as broken glass,… more »
Egypt’s Transition to Democracy
Posted by DipNote Bloggers / January 25, 2012
![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)
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 »
The Entrepreneurial Spirit of the Arab Spring
Posted by Rob Lalka and Thomas Debass / January 18, 2012
![Attendees of the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship listen as President Barack Obama speaks, April 26, 2010, in Washington. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0118_young_entrepeneurs_m.jpg)
In the midst of the political and economic revolutions and evolutions of the Arab Spring, there is a theme emerging. It isn't as popular to talk about as the power of social media for mobilization, and it hasn't received the same media coverage as the crowds in city squares across the Middle East and North Africa, but it's a vital part of what is happening in our world.
As venture capitalist Craig Hanson so aptly stated in the San Jose Mercury News, "Entrepreneurship is the next phase of the Arab Spring."
We talked about Craig's message a great deal yesterday when we hosted the 25 entrepreneurs from Jordan who accompanied His Majesty King Abdullah II on his visit to meet with President Obama this week. At a luncheon here at the State Department, we connected these… more »
Photo of the Week: Celebrating Water Resources
Posted by Sarah L. Goldfarb / January 13, 2012
![The Nile River in Egypt, undated. [Photograph by James Rivera/ U.S. Embassy Cairo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0113_potw_water_m.jpg)
Our "Photo of the Week" comes to us from James Rivera, who serves at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt. James submitted this photograph to the Office of Art in Embassies for the "Through Their Eyes...Service Abroad" exhibition. His image captures the Nile River, with two boats silhouetted in the orange and yellow glow of a beautiful sunset.
James' image reminds us of the beauty and importance of our planet's natural resources, particularly our water resources. The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in partnership with the Ramsar Convention Secretariat are celebrating World Wetlands Day on February 2, 2012. To help us celebrate,… more »
Embracing the New Year’s Opportunities for Change
Posted by Jeffrey Feltman / January 12, 2012
![Children play in a narrow alley in Tunis, Tunisia, March 14, 2011. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0112_children_tunisia_m.jpg)
When I served as Political-Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia in the late 1990s, noisy and crowded diplomatic events -- dinners, receptions, national day parties -- were the best place to meet with Tunisians who assumed that President Ben Ali's mukhabarat had bugged all offices. They believed the safety of the noise and crowds at diplomatic events protected candid conversations. But sometimes, even diplomatic receptions didn't work out as planned: one night, my wife and I hosted a reception at our residence in Gammarth, where a large number of human rights and civil society activists showed up, probably to the horror of the few Tunisian government officials who dared attend. At the end of the reception, the mukhabarat arrested a number of guests whom we had gathered in one location, inadvertently facilitating a crackdown.
Foreign diplomats cynically nicknamed… more »
Egypt: Reaffirming Respect for All at Coptic Christmas
Posted by Jeffrey Feltman / January 08, 2012
![In this Friday, Jan. 6, 2012 photo, Egyptians attend Christmas Eve mass at a Coptic church in Qena, Egypt. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0106_egypt_coptic_christmas_m.jpg)
Over the course of my career as a United States diplomat, I've spent many a Christmas holiday in countries across the Middle East. From Beirut to Tunis, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Baha'is, and peoples of all religions, celebrate and acknowledge the importance of faith, a hope for the future, and goodwill toward all. Yet, something I saw a few days ago in Cairo reminded me of another important tenant of the season: tolerance.
I had the privilege of joining our Ambassador Anne Patterson in attending two Christmas services on January 6. First, we went to a moving celebration at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church near Tahrir Square. Then, in the evening, we attended a Coptic Christmas ceremony at Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral.
In both churches, there were celebrations of the joy of the season alongside somber moments of remembrance for those who lost… more »
Protecting and Assisting the World’s Most Vulnerable Populations
Posted by David Robinson / January 02, 2012
![Water center in Dolo Kobe, Ethiopia, 2011 [State Department photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0102_prm_water_center_m.jpg)
With an estimated 40 million displaced people worldwide, up to 12 million who do not have citizenship to any country, and some 10.5 million refugees around the globe, the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) assists persecuted and uprooted people through our support to international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and by advocating for their protection through humanitarian diplomacy. From the Arab Awakening to the crisis in the Horn of Africa, global political upheaval and conflict have presented many humanitarian challenges, and as 2012 begins, I'd like to take a moment to share a few examples of the work we did last year.
Refugee Admissions: The United States welcomed more than 56,000 refugees… more »
2011: The Year in Global Partnerships
Posted by Kris Balderston / January 01, 2012
![U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with Chef José Andrés, Culinary Ambassador for the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on September 13, 2011. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0913_clinton_chef_andres_m.jpg)
In 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton continued to champion cross-sectoral partnerships as a cornerstone of her 21st Century Statecraft. In support of her priorities, the Global Partnership Initiative (GPI) focused on four flagship initiatives last year:
Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves
Over the past year, our work on clean cookstoves has continued to thrive. In 2011, we built the Alliance infrastructure and strategic base, launched major communications initiatives, and began a wide range of operational priorities, much of which was either led by the U.S. government or made possible because of our strong commitment.
In May,… more »
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