Decent Work for Informal Sector Workers
Posted by Melanne Verveer and Barbara Shailor / May 17, 2012
![Special Representative Barbara Shailor and Ambassador-at-Large Melanne Verveer meet on informal sector workers with a group of experts from academia, labor, and civil society. [State Department photo by Matthew G. Miller/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0517_informal_sector_m.jpg)
On May 14, a group of experts from academia, labor, and NGOs joined us for a vibrant discussion on the role of women in the global economy. The conclusion was clear; we must continue to advocate for decent work for working women around the world -- especially for women in the informal sector.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton commented on this in 2010 at the United Nations in New York: "I remember once driving through Africa with a group of distinguished experts. And I saw women working in the fields and I saw women working in the markets and I saw women with wood on their heads and water on their heads and children on their backs. And I remarked that women just seem to… more »
Join Secretary Clinton’s Strategic Dialogue With Civil Society
Posted by Tomicah Tillemann / May 15, 2012
![Secretary Clinton's Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society on Wednesday, May 16, 2012. [State Department image/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/5_16Civil_Society_507replay_m.jpg)
As Secretary Clinton's Senior Advisor for Civil Society and Emerging Democracies. I'm writing to extend an invitation: I'd like you to join us online tomorrow to take part in Secretary Clinton's Global Town Hall with Civil Society. This event will kick off the 2012 Summit of our Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society, and we want you involved.
"Civil society" is the term we use to describe activists, organizations, congregations, and journalists who work through peaceful means to make our countries better. In one way or another, you're probably a part of civil society already. Over the last year, we've watched as civil society has changed our world. Courageous young men and women have brought dignity… more »
Freedom of Expression: A Cornerstone of Democracy
Posted by Esther Brimmer / May 09, 2012
![Dr. Esther Brimmer, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, participates in an interview with a journalist in Tunis, Tunisia, May 3, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0509_brimmer_tunisia_m.jpg)
Freedom of expression is a cornerstone to any thriving democracy.
This idea came to life while I spent three days at UNESCO's World Press Freedom Day in Tunisia, where I had the opportunity to listen to and engage with journalists, bloggers, and citizen activists from across the Middle East and North Africa and beyond.
I arrived May 3 in Tunis to deliver remarks at Tunisia's Presidential Palace to a crowd of more than 400 in attendance, and thousands more watching virtually. The audience welcomed video… more »
Women Journalists Speak Out for Press Freedom
Posted by Joanne Levine / May 04, 2012
![Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights activist Tawakkol Karman of Yemen speaks at City Hall in in Oslo, Norway Dec. 10, 2011. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0504_karman_m.jpg)
Swarms of photographers surrounded a woman, blinding those near her with their flashes. Officials and journalists alike waited eagerly in a makeshift line to greet this woman who clearly was revered by those at the opening session for World Press Freedom Day in Tunis.
The woman at the center of this attention was Tawakkol Karman, was a 33 year old Yemeni journalist, known in her country as the mother of the revolution, and now known throughout the world as one of three women to share the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011. She has been in and out of jail, but still speaks out.
"We have risen for freedom of the press," she told a rapt audience from all over the world. "The young have sacrificed themselves while writing, filming and texting in alleys,… more »
Bringing Together Young Political Leaders To Facilitate Inclusive Governments
Posted by Reta Jo Lewis / May 03, 2012
![Special Representative Reta Jo Lewis speaks with a participant at the Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, April 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0503_lewis_transatlantic_m.jpg)
I recently led a delegation of young U.S. political leaders to participate in the 2012 Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, April 22-24, 2012. This training conference provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen relations between emerging minority leaders in the United States and Europe. Initiated by the Special Representative to Muslim Communities and the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, the meeting was co-sponsored by Copenhagen Mayor for Employment and Integration Anna Mee Allerslev; the Danish Ethnic Youth Council; the German Marshall Fund; and the Transatlantic Minority Political Leadership Conference. This initiative was supported by U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Laurie S. Fulton, Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), and Hannes Swoboda, MEP.
Over 70 elected leaders and civil society activists under the age of 35, from across the… more »
Speaking Out on World Press Freedom Day
Posted by Joanne Levine / May 03, 2012
![Members of the press hold placards during a rally to mark World Press Freedom Day in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 3, 2012. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0503_press_freedom_m.jpg)
Hundred of journalists, bloggers, activists and officials from every corner of the globe have descended on Tunis to honor UNESCO's World Press Freedom Day. From Burma and Bahrain, to Qatar and Zimbabwe, those who write, film, text, and tweet the truth will spend three days listening, discussing, and exchanging ideas about the power -- and perils -- of free speech.
Over a year ago, Tunisia's Jasmine revolution sparked transitions throughout the Middle East. Millions have come out, and keep coming, to demand change and the right to express themselves -- from Tahrir Square and Benghazi, to Sanaa and Hom.
The clarion call for freedom has not been without its bumps and setbacks.… more »
Free The Press: Supporting Journalists Under Duress
Posted by Thomas O. Melia / May 02, 2012
![Television crew works as monsoon clouds loom over Arabian Sea in Mumbai, June 20, 2005. [AP File]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0504_press_freedom_m.jpg)
On May 3, people worldwide will observe World Press Freedom Day, a UNESCO initiative. They will gather in cities and towns, through workshops and seminars, to join in celebrating the universal right of free expression first enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights more than six decades ago.
Yesterday, I had the privilege of addressing the importance of free expression and a free press at the National Endowment for Democracy. I emphasized that a free press is the bedrock of a free, healthy and energetic society. It allows citizens to hold informed opinions, make informed decisions and lead informed lives. It keeps public officials accountable, provides outlets for healthy… more »
‘Fifty Years of Progress in Ten’
Posted by Maja Boehm / May 01, 2012
![Afghan civil society leaders -- Ms. Razia Arooje, who is a national program officer for the Kabul office of an international development organization; Ms. Freshta Karimi, who is the director of Da Qanoon Ghushtonky, a legal organization supporting women and children; Mr. Mohammad Sadiq Mohibi, who is an advisor to the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and the Disabled; and Dr. Mirwais Rahimzai, the country director for the Center for Human Services/University Research -- participate in a panel discussion in Berlin, Germany, April 2012. [State Department photo by John G. Self/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0501_civil_society_afghanistan_m.jpg)
The Afghan Ambassador to Germany, Professor Dr. A. Rahman Ashraf, smiles warmly at the group of four young Afghan civil society leaders. They smile back, timidly. "This is the best day in my life in the past eighteen 18 months since I became Ambassador to Germany!" he proclaims. The group now smiles with a more complex mixture of embarrassment at being in the spotlight and pride, obviously moved by his words. He continues: "When I was teaching at the university in Kabul, I was hoping that one day my students would go out and present Afghanistan to the world. And now you are doing just that."
The Ambassador's reaction was perhaps more personal than the reactions in some of the other meetings to which I accompanied the group, but it is hardly atypical. In their day in Berlin -- part of a week-long tour through Germany, Hungary, and Spain, from April 15-22 -- these four… more »
A Discussion With Russian Civil Society Leaders
Posted by Thomas O. Melia / April 26, 2012
![People walk on a sidewallk in Moscow, Russia, March 10, 2012. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0426_russia_civil_society_m.jpg)
Today I was delighted to welcome to the State Department a dozen inspiring civil society advocates from Russia who work tirelessly to protect the human rights and dignity of prisoners, and for the rule of law. We were joined by Deputy Secretary William Burns, formerly our ambassador to Russia, USAID Deputy Administrator Donald K. Steinberg and Assistant Administrator Alexander, as well as Mark Kappelhoff, Chief of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. As we are seeing increasingly in Russia and in many countries across the globe, the United States included, civil society… more »
Photo of the Week: Advancing the Era of Open
Posted by Hannah Johnson / April 20, 2012
![A staff member captures photos of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as she addresses the staff and families of the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil, on April 16, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0420_potw_clinton_brazil_m.jpg)
This week's "Photo of the Week" comes to us from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's recent trip to Brasilia, Brazil. A staff member captured a photo of Secretary Clinton as she prepared to address the staff and families of the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia on April 16, 2012.
While in Brazil, Secretary Clinton delivered remarks at the opening session of the Open Government Partnership. Secretary Clinton said, "In the 21st century, the United States is convinced that one of the most significant divisions among nations will not be north/south, east/west, religious, or any other category so much as whether they are open or closed societies. We believe that countries with open governments,… more »
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