Today, Secretary Clinton met with Haitian President Rene Preval. Following their meeting, Secretary Clinton remarked, "Let me begin by saying how honored we are to have President Preval here at the State Department. Everyone knows how devastated Haiti was by the earthquake of January the 12th. The Haitian people suffered so greatly and the Haitian Government was severely damaged. President Preval, Prime Minister Bellerive, the members of the cabinet, and the presidential staff, along with the people of Haiti themselves, have worked very hard these last two months to recover."
The Secretary continued, "The United States and the international community mounted the largest ever rescue and relief effort. Progress has been made, but not nearly enough, and therefore, we are holding these meetings with President Preval today and… more »
We know her best simply as Mayu. It is a sign of how actively involved Mayu Brizuela has become with a group of women entrepreneurs to make sure that they too can take full advantage of the economic and trade policies throughout the Western Hemisphere.
She is, after all, the first woman to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs in El Salvador (1999-2004) and has has been a strong advocate for women's economic inclusion throughout her extraordinary career. She has held several senior positions in banking and industry. Consequentially, Mayu is no stranger to the unique pressures on… more »
About the Author: Ambassador Eric Goosby serves as the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.
For many years, the U.S. Government has been partnering with the people of Haiti in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In fiscal year 2009, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) provided more than $125 million to support comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care programs in Haiti.
Following the tragic earthquake in Haiti, PEPFAR has been actively engaged in the response, working in support of larger U.S. Government efforts. PEPFAR is working particularly closely with several PEPFAR-supported… more »
About the Author: Charlie Smith serves as Public Affairs Officer at U.S. Consulate Vancouver.
The flame is extinguished, most of the revelers have departed, and the streets are navigable once again. You can cross the street at Pender and Thurlow without dodging another four hundred pedestrians walking to or from the Olympic Cauldron. And if you were just now waking in a haze from the party that followed Canada's gold-medal hockey victory over the United States last Sunday (or, for those of us from below the 49th the terrific showing by U.S. athletes), you could be forgiven for thinking that something was missing from this city.
But the truth is that although the cheers have quieted -- for now -- and parking space is available, Vancouver, along with British Columbia and Canada, has gained substantially… more »
About the Author: Angela Barbano Emerson is a Cultural Affairs Officer at U.S. Embassy Santiago.
At 3:34 a.m. on February 27, I was jolted awake in my apartment in Santiago, Chile, along with most of the Chilean population. There was no doubt in my mind that a really big earthquake had just struck. Colleagues from the embassy immediately began reaching out to one another to account for everyone and make sure friends were safe. I made my way into the U.S. Embassy to start emergency response, along with many dedicated colleagues, both Chilean and American.
When I arrived at the embassy, I found that many… more »
About the Author: Marsha McLean serves as Senior Consultant in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Office of Public Diplomacy.
We listened to Haiti today, at least to a group of eight Haitian women entrepreneurs representing micro and small businesses. And we learned about their needs and about their strength in the face of adversity.
We were in San Jose, Costa Rica, for the Pathways to Prosperity Ministerial at a conference for women entrepreneurs, in fulfillment of one of the goals of the Pathways initiative to ensure that the benefits of economic growth reach all our citizens. We felt there was a need to reach out to women in Haiti, so the group of businesswomen, government officials and multilateral organization representatives at the conference linked to our Haitian counterparts via video-conference.… more »
About the Author: William J. Burns serves as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
Last July, in her speech at the Council on Foreign Relations, Secretary Clinton described our commitment to building a multi-partner world rather than a multi-polar world in the 21st century. Stronger partnerships are necessary, she said, because an array of new challenges and new opportunities demand new kinds of cooperation -- especially with the emerging powers that are taking on a greater role in every region across the globe.
This week, Secretary Clinton will arrive in a country… more »
On March 1, 2010, U.S. Ambassador to Chile Paul Simons provided an update via video-conference from Santiago on the U.S. response to the aftermath of the earthquake this past weekend. Ambassador Simons said:
"The earthquake hit at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday and our primary responsibility and our primary focus over the last two and a half days has been to secure and ensure the safety and security of American citizens here in Chile.
"So within one hour of the earthquake itself, we had mounted an operations center here at the Embassy, and we basically have been working 24/7 in two areas. The first has been to ensure that… more »
About the Author:Maria Oteroserves as U.S. Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs.
I recently met with seven indigenous students from Bolivia; the real superstars and future leaders of the country. These students were selected through a very competitive process to participate in the Study of the U.S. Institute for Student Leaders program sponsored by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Interacting with these students from my native country of Bolivia reminded me of the dynamic… more »
Do you not know what the Word says about Israel? Genesis 12:3 "I will bless those who bless you and him who curses you I will curse. The covenantal land…
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Assistant Secretary Crowley (Mar. 15): " We are determined as are Mexican authorities to get to the bottom of this particular tragedy, but also do everything we can to restore the rule of law in Mexico." Full Text» more »
Secretary Clinton (Mar 13): " is an example of what we call 21st century statecraft and an opportunity to extend our engagement ... directly to the people of the world." Media Note» more »
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![Pathways Envoy Mayu Brizuela with entrepreneurs, San Jose, Costa Rica, Mar. 5, 2010. [Embassy Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_0308_pathways_mayu_m.jpg)
![Medics prepare girl for airlift to offshore medical facility, Port-au-Prince, Jan. 24, 2010. [AP]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_0305_haiti_medical_m.jpg)
![Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson waves Olympic flag during closing ceremony, Feb. 28, 2010. [AP]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_0305_vancouver_olympics_m.jpg)
![President Bachelet greets Secretary Clinton in Santiago, Chile, Mar. 2, 2010. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_0305_clinton_chile_m.jpg)
![Man holds Brazilian flag in front of Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, May 2, 2007. [AP]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_0302_brazil_flag_m.jpg)
![Santiago Chile after earthquake February 27, 2010. [AP photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_0227_chile_m.jpg)
![Under Secretary Otero with Bolivian students in Washington, DC Feb. 25, 2010. [State Dept.]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_0226_otero_m.JPG)
