About the Author: Dawn L. McCall serves as Coordinator of the Bureau of International Information Programs.
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.
Today, Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar kicked off his service as a Global Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State in Salvador, Brazil.
"I didn't expect to see such a big city here in this part of Brazil. I heard about Rio de Janeiro and I've been to Sao Paulo on my first trip to Brazil. But I didn't know they had big cities out here on the coast. It's quite a place," said Abdul-Jabbar.
Meeting in a community center in the recently pacified favela, Nordeste de Amaralina, Abdul-Jabbar stressed the importance of education as a means of empowerment both within Brazil and beyond.
"It was very rewarding for me today to talk to the young people about their education because a lot of them didn't understand how important it is. So I was happy to remind them that their education will supplement everything that they try to… more »
Suzan Johnson Cook, Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, held a conversation with Dr. Chris Seiple, President of the Institute for Global Engagement, on the role of religion in foreign policy. The discussion was moderated by Cheryl Benton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public… more »
On January 24, 2012, the White House Press Secretary issued the following statement:
"This week, Egypt achieved several historic milestones in its transition to democracy. Yesterday, democratically-elected representatives of the People's Assembly met for the first time since Egypt's revolution, and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces transferred legislative authority to them. Today, Field Marshal Tantawi took steps to lift the state of emergency that has existed in Egypt for several decades. And tomorrow, Egyptians will commemorate the anniversary of the revolution that made Egypt's transition to democracy possible.
"We congratulate the Egyptian people and their government on these important steps… more »
Western Uttar Pradesh was once seen as the world's largest reservoir of polio virus. Four districts, namely Moradabad, Bareilly, Rampur and Badaun, were considered the "Hot 4" and for many years, people speculated that the last polio cases would be from these districts. But the skeptics were wrong. The districts pulled together, involved all ministries, not just the health sector, and held everyone accountable for performance. The District Magistrates took charge and became personally involved in solving any obstacles that would crop up. Vacant medical officer positions were filled and progress was monitored closely.
Across India messages travelled the TV and radio airways. Celebrities and sports legends lent their support. Rotarians urged everyone to participate, provided much needed financing, and rolled up their sleeves to help out during the campaigns. CORE and… more »
DipNote is the official blog of the U.S. Department of State —a place to share stories, discuss experiences, and inspire new ideas on the important foreign policy issues of the day. more »
Across the eastern Horn of Africa, more than 11 million people -- a number greater than the populations of Houston and New York City combined -- are now in need of emergency assistance to survive. Learn more about the current crisis, including how you can help.
I am a proud citizen and i respect the people's sense of moral responsibility on this matter. but i fear it is way to ethnocentric for direct backing from…
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Spokesperson Nuland (Feb. 14): "We remain deeply concerned about multiple allegations of human rights abuses by security forces, including illegal and arbitrary detentions throughout the electoral process." more »
![Egypt's newly-elected parliament as seen during the first session after the revolution that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak, in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 23, 2012. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0125_egypt_transition_m.jpg)
![An Indian health worker administers a polio drop to a newborn at Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya in New Delhi, India, January 13, 2012. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0124_polio_india_m.jpg)
