In the last week, I've travelled from Johannesburg to Cape Town to Addis Ababa. Along the way, I've been struck over and over again by the ingenuity, entrepreneurship, and innovation of the people I have met -- from townships to capital cities, from villages to major metropolises. Innovation parks are taking a place next to factories, investment banks next to mobile phone banking kiosks, and internet startups next to mom-and-pop store fronts. As I touched down in Ethiopia for the World Economic Forum on Africa, I was struck by the thought: Africa is emerging.
Buoyed by a decade of growth and bullish predictions for the future, Africa is on track to become the next big investment destination. The Economist indicates that six of the… more »
Combating violence against migrants and migrant smuggling, setting minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners, and ensuring access to legal aid -- these are among the challenges that the international community addressed last week in Vienna, Austria, where approximately 800 delegates representing 111 countries and 38 nongovernmental organizations gathered for the 21st session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (also known as the CCPCJ or Crime Commission).
Led by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau… more »
The Office of Global Intergovernmental Affairs, in partnership with the Bureau of African Affairs and Sister Cities International, recently hosted a "Smart Partnership Dialogue: Global Engagement Series" entitled, "Leveraging Sister City Relationships as a Driver of Economic Development." U.S. and South African state and local officials discussed the economic advantages and benefits to building strong city-to-city relationships and how best to utilize these relationships for mutual benefit.
The program, which was held on Tuesday, March 13, 2012, began with welcoming remarks by Ambassador Stephen Nolan, Director, South African Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Adam Kaplan, Sister Cities International, moderated a panel discussion which featured Wanda… 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 »
![In this photo taken, Nov. 8, 2011, a woman poses with her Blackberry mobile phone in Johannesburg. The woman says she cherishes her phone as a link to family and friends, and also sees it as a radio, a library, a mini cinema, a bank teller, and more. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0510_africa_innovation_m.jpg)
![Delegates at the 21st Session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Vienna, Austria, April 27, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0501_justice_usun_viena_m.jpg)
![Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs Reta Jo Lewis hosts a roundtable with U.S. and South African state and local officials at the Department of State on March 13, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0403_lewis_s_africa_m.jpg)
