Photo of the Week: Advancing International Security

Posted by Hannah Johnson / February 03, 2012

About the Author: Hannah Johnson serves as DipNote's Assistant Editor.

This week's "Photo of the Week" comes to us from the First Plenary of the 2012 Session of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 24, 2012. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Rose E. Gottemoeller delivered the opening statement for the United States on the progress on arms control and disarmament that has been made over the course of the past year.

Assistant Secretary Gottemoeller said, "The New START Treaty entered into force on February 5, 2011.… The treaty represents a strong foundation for further bilateral reductions and an important step on the path towards a world without nuclear weapons. Discussions… more »

Pacific Partnership 2012: “Prepare in Calm To Respond in Crisis”

Posted by Thomas E. Weinz / February 03, 2012

About the Author: Tom Weinz served as the dedicated Foreign Service Liaison Officer for Pacific Partnership 2010 and Pacific Partnership 2011. He now serves as the dedicated Foreign Service Officer for Pacific Partnership 2012.

“Prepare in calm to respond in crisis.” This was the motto chosen by Pacific Partnership 2012 (PP12) Commodore Jim Morgan as 200 participants gathered in San Diego on January 30 and 31 for the Mid-Planning Conference (MPC) for PP12. All four host nations -- Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia -- sent high-level delegations, as did many of our partner nations, including Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, and Thailand.

Pacific Partnership, created in response to the terrible tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people in 2004, will carry out its seventh annual mission from May to September of this year. The program was developed by the U.S. Navy, but has become a demonstrable example of the “whole of government” approach to American policy in the Pacific, including participation by the Department of State, USAID, NOAA, and… more »

Keeping Promises on Food Security

Posted by Jonathan Shrier / February 03, 2012

About the Author: Jonathan Shrier serves as Special Representative for Global Food Security (Acting).

Food security representatives from around the world are gathering here at the Department of State today to finish a two-day meeting of the signatories of the L'Aquila Food Security Initiative (AFSI). In 2009 at the G-8 Summit, global leaders, including President Obama, endorsed the L'Aquila Joint Statement on Global Food Security, agreeing to "to act with the scale and urgency needed to achieve sustainable global food security."

This marked a turning point for international efforts to achieve food security worldwide. Leaders committed to a take a comprehensive approach to ensure food security, coordinate effectively, support country-owned processes and plans, engage multilateral… more »

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Travels to Germany and Bulgaria

Posted by DipNote Bloggers / February 03, 2012

More: Interactive Travel Map | Background Briefing En Route Munich

On February 3-5, 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is on travel to Germany and Bulgaria. In Germany, Secretary Clinton will participate in the 48th Munich Security Conference. This annual event brings together global leaders to discuss common security challenges. In her address to the Conference, the Secretary will reaffirm the fundamental importance of the transatlantic relationship and Europe's role as an essential partner in addressing global security challenges. While in Munich… more »

Making ‘Never Again’ a Reality: UNESCO Conference on Holocaust Education

Posted by Hannah Rosenthal / February 02, 2012

About the Author: Hannah Rosenthal serves as U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.

The weather in Paris today reflected the mood in UNESCO's conference room -- gloomy with a chance of sunshine. For just as the clouds were heavy, so too was the discussion of Holocaust education and how genocide and hatred still exist despite the global effort to teach the lessons of the Holocaust. And just as the sun poked through at the end of the day, so did the optimism that great minds can come together and tackle this problem.

Just last week, on January 27, the world remembered the victims of the Holocaust on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This week, while still remembering the victims, we sat down to discuss how to make "Never Again" a reality.

The morning started with a welcoming address from Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO. She highlighted the point that as the world becomes more interconnected and a new global history begins… more »