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 »
The State Department's Earth Day event, an exhibition titled "American Face of Green -- Embassies Leading the Way," demonstrated how our embassies, consulates and other diplomatic missions are going green. The displays included information on embassy-led tree planting projects, programs dedicated to recycling, reducing energy usage, and more. The participants in the exhibition, a mix of the State Department's regional and functional bureaus as well as Earth Day Network representatives and a local artist who creates sculptures purely from recycled materials, showed off the many projects that have been undertaken to demonstrate that America takes greening seriously.
American government agencies may not be the first institutions when one thinks of greening operations and practices. But, I would say that anyone who attended the exhibition would have to whole-heartedly reconsider.… more »
This weekend marks the 24th annual Global Youth Service Day. In 100 countries, across six continents, young people between the ages of 5 and 25 will participate in their communities, leading grassroots projects in health, education, service, human rights, and the environment. In the past year, young people have played an unprecedented role in transforming their realities -- unseating repressive regimes, championing democracy, and innovating in technology, science, and business.
The United States wants to see the story of youth empowerment told for years to come. That's why, to tap the potential of this remarkable generation, we've built Embassy Youth Councils in nearly 40 countries. Each council convenes a cross-section of local young people on a regular basis to discuss shared challenges -- developing new policies and initiatives that reflect their concerns and ideas.… 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 »
On April 17, the first-ever Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO), Rick Barton, will discuss how the bureau is working to prevent violent conflict and respond when crises do break out. You can join him for a live chat on the Department of State's Facebook page from 2:00-2:30 p.m. (EDT).
The Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO) helps countries and people find the road away from conflict and toward peace. Over the last two decades, the United States has found itself increasingly involved in, and affected by, weak or failed states. The interconnected nature of today's world makes instability and conflict, even… more »
The Fulbright Program is perhaps best-known for the one-of-a-kind international experience it offers participants. But for foreign students in the United States, the classroom is only one piece of the program. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs hosts an annual series of enrichment seminars for groups of first-year Fulbright foreign students.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Colombia, Brazil, and Belgium from April 13 to April 19. Secretary Clinton will accompany President Obama for the Sixth Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia from April 13-15. There, the U.S. delegation will meet with democratically-elected heads of state and government from throughout the Hemisphere to strengthen ties, expand partnerships, and continue progress in economic growth, social inclusion, and citizen security.
The Secretary will then travel to Brasilia,… more »
About the Authors: Robert Keith serves as a program officer, and Thomas Donahue serve as a cultural affairs intern in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Each April, the State Department, in concert with music lovers around the world, celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month. In honor of this uniquely American art form, musicians, museums, schools, embassies, and others in the United States and around the globe host jazz-themed events to highlight jazz's contributions to our country and to the world.
Jazz Appreciation Month started a few days early for the State Department this year. On March 26, Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) hosted an amazing jam session to celebrate the joint… more »
In the midst of the NCAA's March Madness, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton welcomed 18 teenage girl athletes and six female coaches from all corners of the globe to the United States as part of the Empowering Women and Girls Through Sports Initiative.
Check out the video on how sports empower these young athletes and coaches.
While in the United States, the delegation from Kazakhstan, Nicaragua, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe are participating in a variety of activities including: basketball clinics with their American counterparts, teambuilding exercises, workshops on Title IX and nutrition, and community events associated… more »
May 24: Secretary Clinton and Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Michael Posner will release the 2011 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices at 10:30 a.m. 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 »
![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)
![Under Secretary Patrick Kennedy observes the Earth Day exhibit at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., April 19, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0422_green_exhibit_m.jpg)
![Youth volunteers clean the streets in Misrata, Libya, June 12, 2011. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0420_libya_youth_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)
![Women carry an election banner in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, March 22, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0416_cso_congo_m.jpg)
![Fulbright students engage in a mock presidential debate at the enrichment seminar in Denver, CO, March 11, 2012. [Photo courtesy of Antonio Tahhan, Fulbright Alumni Ambassador]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0416_fulbright_enrichment_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)
![Wynton Marsalis plays at the CareFusion Newport Jazz Festival on Aug. 8, 2010, in Newport, R.I. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0407_w_marsalis_m.jpg)
