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 »
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled to Istanbul, Turkey March 31-April 1 to attend the second meeting of the "Friends of the Syrian People." This meeting built upon steps that our friends, allies, and the Syrian opposition continue to take in an attempt to halt the slaughter of the Syrian people and pursue a transition to democracy in Syria. During a press availability in Istanbul, Secretary Clinton said, "Today, the international community sent a clear and unified message that we will increase pressure on the Assad regime in Syria and assistance… more »
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 30-31, 2012. While in Riyadh, she met with King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. During their meeting, King Abdullah and Secretary Clinton discussed the situation in Iran and upcoming plans for the P-5+1 meetings with the Iranians. They talked about Syria in advance of the second meeting of the Friends of the Syrian People, which is scheduled to take place in Istanbul, Turkey on April 1, 2012. They also discussed Yemen, Tunisia, Egypt, global oil supplies, and… more »
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton travels to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from March 30-31, 2012. While in Riyadh, she will meet King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. She will also attend the First Ministerial Meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council-U.S. Strategic Cooperation Forum. In her conversations, she will discuss the full range of bilateral and regional issues, including ongoing security cooperation in the region, as well as the international community's continuing efforts to stop the bloodshed in Syria.
Secretary Clinton will then travel to Istanbul, Turkey from March 31-April 1 to attend the second meeting of the "Friends… more »
President Barack Obama is in the Republic of Korea to participate in the second Nuclear Security Summit. More than 50 world leaders are attending the summit to address one of the most urgent challenges of global security -- securing the world's nuclear weapons and preventing nuclear terrorism.
Scheduled to speak at Hankuk University in Seoul, President Obama will deliver remarks on continued efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. You can watch the President's remarks live on www.whitehouse.gov/live at 9:30 p.m. (EDT)… more »
This week's "Photo of the Week" comes to us from Michael Gross, who serves as the official photographer at the U.S. Department of State. In this photograph, Gross captures Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama with the 2012 International Women of Courage Award winners: Maryam Durani, Kandahar Provincial Council Member (Afghanistan); Major Pricilla de Oliveira Azevedo, police officer, Rio de Janeiro Military Police (Brazil); Zin Mar Aung, political activist and NGO co-founder (Burma); Jineth Bedoya Lima, investigative journalist (Colombia); Hana Elhebshi, architect and political activist (Libya); Aneesa Ahmed, gender-based violence (GBV) activist and former Deputy Minister of Women's Affairs (Maldives); Shad Begum, human rights activist and founder/executive director of Anjuman Behbood-e-Khawateen Talah (the Union of Women's Welfare) (Pakistan);… 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.
Last night, Americans gathered around their television sets -- or computer monitors -- to watch President Barack Obama deliver the State of the Union Address. For the first time, international audiences were able to watch the State of the Union Address live on U.S. embassy and consulate websites. The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) streamed the speech with a new video player, placed directly on almost 300 English-language embassy and consulate websites and Facebook pages worldwide.
As we look back on 2011, it is inspiring to know that women have been on the frontlines of so many transformative events that have changed our world. From participating in peaceful protests in Tahrir Square, to winning the Nobel Peace Prize, women have been an indisputable force for progress. As we move into 2012, however, we must step up efforts to ensure that women's progress continues to flourish and address the challenges that remain.
We made a major push in 2011 to coalesce U.S. government and international commitment in support of women as peacemakers and peace-builders. This effort culminated in the release of the U.S. National Action Plan (NAP) on Women,… more »
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.
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 »
![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)
![From left to right: United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdallah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Omani Minister of Foreign Affairs Yussef bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Hamad Al-Sabah, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Hamad bin Jassim, Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber bin Muhammad al-Thani, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa, pose for a group photo before a U.S.- Gulf Cooperation Council forum at the Gulf Cooperation Council Secretariat in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, March 31, 2012. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0331_clinton_gcc_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)
![U.S. President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak hold a news conference at the Blue House, the official presidential house, in Seoul, South Korea, March 25, 2012. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0325_obama_rok_m.jpg)
![Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo with the 2012 International Women of Courage Awards Ceremony winners: the Honorable Maryam Durani, Kandahar Provincial Council Member (Afghanistan); Major Pricilla de Oliveira Azevedo, police officer, Rio de Janeiro Military Police (Brazil); Zin Mar Aung, political activist and NGO co-founder (Burma); Jineth Bedoya Lima, investigative journalist (Colombia); Hana Elhebshi, architect and political activist (Libya); Aneesa Ahmed, gender-based violence (GBV) activist and former Deputy Minister of Women's Affairs (Maldives); Shad Begum, human rights activist and founder/executive director of Anjuman Behbood-e-Khawateen Talah (the Union of Women's Welfare) (Pakistan); Samar Badawi, political activist (Saudi Arabia); Hawa Abdallah Mohammed Salih, human rights activist (Sudan); and the Honorable Safak Pavey, Member of Parliament (Turkey), at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 8, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0309_IWOC_m.jpg)
![Participants in an event hosted by UN Women on women and politics, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, pose for a photograph during the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Sept. 19, 2011. [State Department photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0920_women_politics_unga_m.jpg)
![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)
