Since the beginning of 2012, over 250 elephants have been killed in Cameroon. Adults are being slaughtered for ivory to be used for jewelry, ornaments, and traditional medicine; young juveniles and infants are being killed indiscriminately or left orphaned to die without the protection of their mothers. Having lived in Kenya and Tanzania earlier in my life, I experienced firsthand the wonder of African elephants in their native habitats. That's why I feel a personal sense of outrage at the senseless and immoral killing of wildlife. We should all feel outrage -- even those who have not had the privilege to see elephants close up -- because the conservation of our planet's wildlife is an moral obligation we all share. The U.S. government has consistently been among the leaders in the efforts to protect elephants and other wildlife, but to be effective it's vital that all governments… more »
Today, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner joined their Chinese co-chairs, Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo, for the fourth joint meeting of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED). Secretary Clinton said, "Our relationship has grown closer and more consequential, and the web of connections that link our nations is increasing."
She continued, "As a result, this dialogue is… more »
When a massive earthquake hit Japan in March 2011, an informal global network of government officials and NGOs delivered real-time satellite images showing the exact extent of the earthquake and tsunami damage. Japan's emergency responders used this information to find disaster victims, determine evacuation routes, and prepare for further aftershocks. This is a significant yet small example of the ways we are using earth observing and other satellite information from space to respond to disasters, understand the environment and climate change, and improve the use of our natural resources.
For several decades, the United States and many other countries have worked together to develop advanced earth observing satellites that are literally changing the way we look at the world. Earth Day 2012 falls close to the 40th anniversary of the launch of the U.S. Landsat 1, the… more »
Yesterday, despite the gray skies and light rain, a crowd gathered outside the State Department's 21st Street entrance, where Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer kicked off the second Annual 6k Walk for Water.
Most of us in the United States take for granted clean and accessible drinking water. But, for millions of people -- mostly women and girls -- around the world, they must walk an average of six kilometers to collect water for their families. The task of collecting water keeps children out of school and prevents women from engaging in more productive economic activities. Water resources have widespread implications for gender equity, as well as for the global environment, health, economy, and food security.
Clean water resources are essential for a healthy planet. Experts estimate that by 2025, nearly two-thirds of the world's… more »
Our "Photo of the Week" comes to us from Elizabeth Petrovski at the U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome, Italy. Elizabeth recently had the opportunity to visit Kenya, where she observed projects run by the World Food Program (WFP) and its cooperating partner, the Kenya Child Fund, in the northeastern district of Turkana. In the photograph, Turkana women sing and dance as they build a trapezoidal bund, an instrument along with water pans that Kenyan herders and farmers use to collect and preserve rainwater for human and livestock consumption and crop irrigation in areas regularly impacted by droughts.
Water issues are integral to many U.S. foreign policy goals, from advancing food security to empowering women and… more »
One of my favorite things to do in Washington is to visit a Smithsonian Museum. Today, I was lucky enough to visit the Sant Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History where, in my official capacity, we celebrated the launch of our Amazing Ocean Mobile App.
This app, a collaborative venture between the State Department and the Smithsonian Institution, brings the mysteries and beauties of that ocean exhibition to people around the world -- with just a touch of their screens. It is available in English, Simplified Chinese, and Bahasa Indonesian. And we piloted it last month in our… more »
I celebrated Thai National Elephant Day with a visit to the Smithsonian's National Zoo. I was joined by Nantana Sivakua, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Thai Embassy, and it brought back so many memories! As a child growing up in Washington, D.C. the National Zoo was where I first learned about the importance of animal conservation. I remember as a small child my visits to the National Zoo and being fascinated by the animals and by stories of their homelands. Little did I know that as an adult I'd live in Thailand and have a chance to help promote animal conservation programs. I know the people of Thailand feel just as passionate as I do in wanting future generations to see the incredible biodiversity of our world.
We got a great tour from Dennis Kelly, Director of the National Zoo, who introduced us to some of the Zoo's elephants -- Ambika, Shanthi, and Kandula. Kandula… more »
The annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) concluded on President's Day after five days of scientific discussions around the conference theme, "Building a Global Knowledge Society." The meeting, held in Vancouver, British Columbia, brought together over 5,000 scientists, students, journalists, policy practitioners, and university administrators from more than 50 nations, every state of the United States, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C, and more than 6,000 citizens who participated in "Family Science Days." With the spotlight on innovation and international collaboration, it came as no surprise that there was a palpable buzz at the meeting, one fueled by the many exchanges among scientists taking place during the formal sessions as well as in the coffee shops and corridors throughout the convention hall.
At more than 200 embassies and consulates around the world, U.S. diplomats work to strengthen U.S. economic leadership and advance U.S. economic and business interests. Whether advocating for the purchase of U.S.-made planes and trains or protecting U.S. companies' intellectual property, or confronting trade and investment barriers that limit whole industries' ability to compete, economic and commercial diplomacy is one of the Department of State's core functions. This work to promote U.S. business overseas increases U.S. exports, attracts new investment to the United States, and ultimately creates American jobs and strengthens the U.S. economy.
As part of this effort, Secretary Clinton is hosting the State Department Global Business Conference February 21-22, 2012. For the first… more »
Held on-site at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in Palo Alto, California, the three-day conference energized the global discussion about connection technologies and how they can foster the global sustainable development agenda. The interactive event also explored the issues… 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 »
![Elephants walk across the Taita Hills Game as the sun sets after a day long's walk in Kenya, Feb. 5, 2011. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0523_elephants_m.jpg)
![These images provided by NASA shows a Landsat 5 image of the Mississippi River in the Memphis, Tenn. area taken on May 12, 2006, left, and a Landsat 5 image of the Mississippi River in the Memphis, Tenn. taken area on May 10, 2011. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0422_landsat_image_m.jpg)
![Ambassador Melanne Verveer launches the second annual 6K Walk for Water outside the 21st Street entrance to the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., April 18, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0418_verveer_6k_water_m.jpg)
![Turkana women sing and dance as they pat down the trapezoidal bund they built in Kenya. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0324_water_africa_m.jpg)
![Visitors gather in the entranceway to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History on April 24, 2006, in Washington, D.C. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0322_smithsonian_app_m.jpg)
![In honor of National Thai Elephant Day, United States Ambassador to Thailand Kristie Kenney and Thai Deputy Chief of Mission Nantana Sivakua visited the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and presented gifts to Ambika, Shanthi and Kandula on March 12, 2012. [Photo Courtesy of the Smithsonian's National Zoo/Jennifer Zoon]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0315_kenney_zoo_m.jpg)
![A woman photographs the skyline of downtown Vancouver in Vancouver, British Columbia, on February 3, 2010. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0222_vancouver_skyline_m.jpg)
![Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Jose Fernandez addresses students at Carlos III University, in Madrid, Spain, on September 30, 2011. [State Department file photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0221_fernandez_panel_m.jpg)
