It's not every day that the State Department gets to go back to school.
Last week, we partnered with Chicago Public Schools to link Lincoln Park High School students with secondary school students in Ghana, Zimbabwe, Algeria, and Peru via video conferencing technology. Students engaged in a range of human rights-related topics in anticipation of the 12th World Summit of Nobel Laureates, taking place in Chicago from April 23-25, 2012. Juniors and seniors from Lincoln Park High School connected with English-speaking youth brought together by our U.S. Embassies in Accra, Harare, Algiers, and Lima.
These incredible students from three continents discussed a wide range of issues candidly and respectfully. They touched on serious political issues, including women's rights, education, the Arab Spring, human rights, and access to medicine. Students also connected… more »
About the Authors: Victoria Holt serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, and Annie Pforzheimer serves as Director for UN Peacekeeping in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.
In countries recovering from war, it is normal to see UN blue helmeted military units -- they're big, obvious, and a reassuring presence.
But in Liberia, where President Johnson-Sirleaf was re-elected to a second term, that reassuring presence should be the uniform of a Liberian police officer -- with a blue helmet backing them up.
A long-term peace, I was reminded during my visit to Liberia in mid-March, doesn't come from soldiers, but… more »
Meet Jack Nielsen, former Police Chief of Albany New York. These days, as Deputy Police Commissioner for the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) he oversees over 1,300 police advisers and officers serving as peacekeepers, from over 40 countries. Jack is from Albany, New York, where he had a law enforcement career that spanned over 30 years. He had seen and done it all.
A specialist in both community policing and the administrative functions of a major police department, Jack is one of those great public servants who have taken their skills overseas. After retiring he offered his talent to UN missions and U.S. assistance projects in Haiti and in Liberia, where he has toiled since 2007.
Jack believes in the good work he is doing but there are frustrations… more »
Innovate or die. It's an oft-repeated phrase about the adoption of technology and innovation that evokes Darwinian images of people running scared, trying to stay ahead of the curve just enough not to get trampled by the pack. From the perspective of the State Department, we see a different image -- that of a blank canvas that is being painted a bit every day. We see how harnessing technology and digital networks is making our public diplomacy more strategic and how it is strengthening and amplifying the bonds between individuals and institutions like the State Department.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made 21st Century Statecraft, or using digital networks to advance America's interests around the world, a key part of our foreign policy approach.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled to Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, and Cape Verde on January 16-17, 2012, to demonstrate U.S. commitment to post-conflict return to peace, good governance, and economic development as well as to emphasize U.S. focus on democratization.
In Liberia, Secretary Clinton attended President Sirleaf's inauguration and presided over the in-house dedication of the new U.S. embassy compound to demonstrate America's commitment to an enduring friendship with the people of Liberia, as well as the importance of our bilateral relationship with the Liberian Government. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Secretary Clinton… more »
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, and Cape Verde on January 16-17, 2012, to demonstrate U.S. commitment to post-conflict return to peace, good governance, and economic development as well as to emphasize U.S. focus on democratization.
While in Liberia, Secretary Clinton will attend President Sirleaf's inauguration and preside over the ribbon-cutting of the New U.S. Embassy Compound in Monrovia. In Cote d'Ivoire, she will meet with President Ouattara to showcase our support for national reconciliation and strengthening democratic institutions following successful legislative elections… more »
May 23: The State Department, through its office of the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), is pleased to announce $1.5 million in funding to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to support open governance and political participation in the Middle East and North Africa. more »
May 23: Today, Russia was invited to join the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) at a ceremony hosted by its parent body, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. ã more »
![Youths attend the Nobel Summit in Chicago, Illinois, April 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0423_youth_chicago_m.jpg)
![United Nation's peacekeeping policewomen, from India, arrive at the airport in Monrovia, Liberia, Jan. 30, 2007. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0411_unmil_liberia_m.jpg)
![Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Tori Holt speaks with U.S. civilian police officer Jack Nielson on board an airplane in Liberia, March 2012. Nielson, the former Police Chief of Albany, New York, serves as Deputy Police Commissioner of UNMIL, the UN Mission in Liberia. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0404_NielsonIO_m.jpg)
![Women hold hands as they take part in a rally in Allahbad, India, Dec. 20, 2007. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_0301_women_hands_m.jpg)
![U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton participates in a roundtable discussion with youth and community leaders at the Center for Research and Action for Peace in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, on January 17, 2012. Also pictured in the photo are: Rev. Hyacinthe Loua, Director General Centre de Recherche et d’Action pour la Paix (CERAP); Marcel; and Quentin Kanyatsi, Country Director Search for Common Ground. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0202_s_africa_m.jpg)
![Secretary Clinton boards plane in Beirut, Lebanon, April 26, 2009. [State Department Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0716_clinton_departs_m.jpg)
