In today's world, Internet freedom lies at the heart of academic freedom. An open online platform where information and ideas can be exchanged unimpeded is essential to the rigors of contemporary scientific and intellectual exploration. At present, however, Internet freedom remains threatened worldwide. And this poses as much of a danger to scientists and other academics as it does to human rights activists.
Last week, I had the opportunity to discuss the impact of these challenges on the academic community in a keynote address entitled "Science and Academic Freedom in the Digital Age" before a crowd of… more »
Today, I've come together with more than 500 activists, academics, and policymakers to participate in the World Movement for Democracy's Seventh Assembly in Lima, Peru. The Assembly is a key gathering for civil society leaders from dozens of countries, and participants at the meeting are working to develop new strategies for advancing democracy, dignity, and opportunity worldwide.
This year's Assembly is taking place from October 14 to 17, and it's built around the theme of “Democracy for All: Ensuring Political, Social and Economic Inclusion.” Peru, like many Latin American countries, has made significant political and economic progress over the last decade. But… more »
Judith Heumann, Special Advisor for International Disability Rights, will hold a conversation with Ann Cody, Director of Policy and Global Outreach for BlazeSports America, and Kirk Bauer, Executive Director of Disabled Sports USA, on "Promoting Disability Rights." The discussion will be moderated by Cheryl Benton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, and will be available for on demand viewing soon on DipNote, the Department of State's official blog.
This program will focus on opportunities to elevate and address the… more »
The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva just concluded its 21st session, which was the last regular session of the United States' first term on the Council. Since we joined in 2009, working together with a broad range of cross regional partners, we made significant progress across a wide array of important human rights issues.
Early in the session, the United States along with the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Lithuania, the Maldives, Mexico, and Nigeria, presented a resolution on the rights of freedom of association and assembly. The resolution reaffirms the importance of respect for the rights of peaceful association and assembly as essential components of democracy. The resolution calls upon States to cooperate fully with… more »
When President Barack Obama helped launch the Open Government Partnership (OGP) last year, no one could have predicted that it would capture the imagination of the international community as it has. In just one year, 57 governments have joined OGP and made more than 300 specific commitments to be more open and responsive to their citizens. These commitments, as contained in National OGP Action Plans, will impact nearly two billion people around the world.
This is truly impressive progress, but it's not enough. And so, as we celebrate International Right to Know Day, we also celebrate the deepening commitment to open government -- both globally and within the United States. As the U.S. Government… more »
As leaders from around the world gathered in New York this week for the United Nations General Assembly, strengthening democracy was one of the most important topics on the agenda. Much of the work on this issue occurred in a series of meetings organized by the Community of Democracies (CD). When UN Secretary General Kofi Annan welcomed the creation of the Community of Democracies in 2000, he spoke about his hope that the CD would lead to a "renewed global commitment to making this century a century of democracies." Twelve years later, at a time when democratic transitions are taking place throughout the world, the CD is emerging as a key platform for governments and civil society organizations to work together to support democracy. The CD's agenda over the last few days covered… more »
On September 25, 2012, President Barack Obama delivered remarks to the United Nations General Assembly. President Obama said:
"I would like to begin today by telling you about an American named Chris Stevens.
"Chris was born in a town called Grass Valley, California, the son of a lawyer and a musician. As a young man, Chris joined the Peace Corps, and taught English in Morocco. And he came to love and respect the people of North Africa and the Middle East. He would carry that commitment throughout his life. As a diplomat, he worked from Egypt to Syria, from Saudi Arabia to Libya. He was known for walking the streets of the cities where he worked -- tasting the local food, meeting as many people as he could, speaking Arabic, listening with a broad smile.
"Chris went to Benghazi in the early days of the Libyan revolution, arriving on a cargo… more »
On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, announcing his intention to emancipate all the slaves in the Confederate states that did not return to the Union within 100 days. On January 1, 1863, he declared free the 3.1 million slaves in those states.
Today, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of that date in 1862, which heralded the victory of freedom and justice, and our country's ongoing commitment to those values. Yet, at the same time, as many as 27 million men, women, and children around the world live in a state of modern slavery -- what we also refer to as trafficking in persons. So as we mark this occasion, we reflect not just on the tragedy of the past, but on the ongoing responsibility to fight for freedom. To honor the memories of those who lived and died in bondage, and those who fought and died so that… more »
Our "Photo of the Week" comes to us from the Secretary's official photographer, Michael Gross, and shows U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Chair of the National League for Democracy and Member of Parliament from Kawmhu Constituency, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on September 18.
Later that day, Secretary Clinton introduced Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at the United States Institute for Peace as "someone who has represented the struggle for freedom and democracy, for human rights and opportunity, not only in her own country but seen as such around the world."
Sitting down to dinner to wrap up two jam-packed days of outreach by Judy and Dennis Shepard in Poland to parents of LGBT individuals, non-governmental organizations, parliamentarians, TV reporters, and others, I was struck by how universally their story resonates even thousands of miles from the United States.
As co-founders of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, Judy and Dennis have worked tirelessly to expand LGBT rights and protections through the legal system, while changing hearts and minds by telling the tragic story of their son's murder due to hate and intolerance.
The State Department is proud to be sponsoring the Shepards on a five-country, two week-plus European outreach trip. The Shepards' tour includes stops in Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, and… more »
Thank you, Jonathan, for this insightful post on World Food Day and the importance of strengthening our efforts as an international community to end world hunger…
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Spokesperson Nuland (Oct. 17): "Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Michael Posner, led a 22-member interagency delegation from the U.S. to discuss the full range of human rights issues affecting the country." more »
Oct. 16: Judith Heumann, Special Advisor for International Disability Rights, held a conversation with Ann Cody, Director of Policy and Global Outreach, BlazeSports; and Kirk Bauer, Executive Director of Disabled Sports USA. more »
![Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Michael Posner responds to your questions live in a Facebook chat on May 25, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234601im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0525_posner_facebook_chat_m.jpg)
![Man casts vote in Donegal, Ireland, June 4, 2009. [AP Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234601im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0814_ballot_box_m.jpg)
![Image for Conversations With America: Promoting Disability Rights webcast, October 16, 2012. [State Department image/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234601im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_1003_disabilities_cwa_m.jpg)
![U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Esther Brimmer addresses the Human Rights Council Urgent Debate on Syria in Geneva, February 28, 2012. [U.S. Mission Geneva/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234601im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0302_hrc_syria_m.jpg)
![President Barack Obama addresses the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, New York on September 25, 2012. [AP Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234601im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0925_obama_unga_m.jpg)
![Child laborers carry stones, Gauhati, India, June 11, 2008. [AP File Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234601im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_02_05_modern_slavery_q_m.jpg)
![U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Chair of the National League for Democracy and Member of Parliament from Kawmhu Constituency, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., September 18, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234601im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0921_clinton_assk_m.jpg)
![Judy Shepard embraces a leader of a group of Polish mothers of LGBT children as Ambassador Lee Feinstein looks on, Warsaw, Poland, September 5, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234601im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0906_shepard_poland_m.jpg)
