Security Sector Reform is a critical mission for the U.S. Department of State. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, we help nations turn the page on past practices and establish effective and accountable security institutions that respect human rights and can positively contribute to promoting regional peace and security. As Nepal continues to emerge from a decade long civil conflict, these reform efforts are making a difference.
On November 21, 2006, a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) ended a 10-year civil war with Maoist insurgents and abolished the monarchy. The conflict left Nepal with significant challenges, including internal population displacement and the decline of a once-vibrant tourism industry.
For Nepal's peace to survive, the new government also needed to enact robust reforms to rebuild its army, police, and other security… more »
As the Olympic and Paralympic Games proved this summer, sports have the unique ability to bring people together peacefully.
As part of its Empowering Women and Girls Through Sports Initiative, the U.S. Department of State brought 18 young female athletes and two coaches from India and Pakistan together recently for the first joint India-Pakistan sports exchange program.
Regardless of their country of origin, these athletes and coaches became a team. They shared laughs, started a new conversation with one another, and encouraged each other to excel both on and off the soccer field.
With a focus on peace building, the India-Pakistan soccer exchange also highlights the importance of using sports as a means of empowerment. According… more »
The inaugural Youth TechCamp Bangladesh launched on September 16, and Dhaka has been buzzing ever since! Youth TechCamp Bangladesh was the latest in a series of interactive trainings around the world for alumni of State's youth exchange programs. In Bangladesh, 30 alumni (ages 17-19) from our Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program participated, learning how to use technology and social media to impact their communities for the better.
Strategically located at the heart of Central Asia (it alone borders every other country in the region), Uzbekistan just marked 21 years of independence. I recently traveled to its capital, Tashkent, for our third round of Annual Bilateral Consultations, or ABCs, with the Government of Uzbekistan. I returned from Tashkent with appreciation for the increasing breadth and depth of our relationship, as well as its greater trust and candor.
In 2009, we began holding ABCs with each of the Central Asian countries to further cooperation across a broad range of bilateral issues, including security and human rights. The ABCs provide an opportunity to review progress in our relationship, discuss mutual concerns, and identify action to advance common interests. Our relationship with Uzbekistan, as with… more »
During my first trip to Afghanistan as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, I was struck by something one woman said to me during a meeting with a group of female civil society actors in Kabul. She said, "Stop looking at us as victims, but rather as the leaders that we are."
That thought always comes to mind when I meet other Afghan women -- as I often do -- who have defied the odds, made sacrifices, and have emerged as leaders, activists and advocates in so many areas, working to advance not just the rights of women and girls, but the future of their country. This week, I once again had the privilege of speaking with a group of dynamic and dedicated Afghan women, this time from Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan, via a video teleconference arranged by U.S. diplomats and military, including members of the U.S. Army's Female Engagement Teams, serving… more »
It is no secret that when women and girls have the opportunity to pursue an education, they directly improve their communities and help entire societies grow. And sometimes, the goodwill and dedication of individual Americans, connected virtually through sites like Facebook, help girls in a rural district of Afghanistan realize their dreams of education and a better future.
As DipNote reported a few months ago, U.S. Embassy Kabul supports the "Teen Teach" program, where Afghan teenagers are trained and then have the chance to teach in classrooms of younger students.
In Chaparhar, a city in Nangarhar district, about 23 kilometers south of Jalalabad close to the eastern border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Shulani School participated in the "Teen Teach"… more »
On a recent trip to Dhaka, Bangladesh, I visited Dhaka University to see a Banyan tree that Senator Edward Kennedy planted there in 1972 to commemorate Bangladesh's independence. At the time of Senator Kennedy's historic visit to Bangladesh, he was the most senior U.S. government official to ever visit the newly independent country. More than 10,000 students attended the tree planting ceremony. They, and many more people in Bangladesh and around the world, were inspired by Senator Kennedy, the democratic ideals he embodied, and his personal commitment to public service and volunteerism.
From this visit 40 years ago, a deep bond between Senator Kennedy and Bangladesh developed and endured. The American Center of U.S. Embassy Dhaka, in partnership with the Liberation War Museum, recently launched the Edward M. Kennedy Center for Public Service and the Arts (the EMK Center),… more »
Like New York City, Karachi is one of the world's largest cities with a dynamic and diverse population of approximately 18 million. But, apart from the common concerns of police working in any major city, the police of Karachi must also contend with extreme violence perpetrated by sectarian and organized crime syndicates resulting in hundreds of deaths per year. Outnumbered and under armed, Karachi Police combat kidnappings, face systematic targeted killings, and respond to daily civilian demonstrations that frequently turn violent.
Though Pakistan's problems may seem a world away, the instability and pernicious crimes expereinced in a city like Karachi are felt the world over. At the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), we work to combat these corrosive trends in the interest of local and regional stability. INL works to expand access… more »
On July 7, 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan, where she met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. During remarks with President Karzai, Secretary Clinton said:
"It's wonderful being back in Afghanistan and to hear the birds, who are singing about the beautiful day here in Kabul. And I thank you so much for hosting me today and for your leadership and your vision for the future of your country and your people. It is certainly worth thinking for a moment about all of the positive changes that have… more »
Eight months of planning meetings and conference calls between U.S. Consulate Almaty and Washington D.C. led to three days of intense hands-on training and interactive discussion between technology experts, young entrepreneurs, and civil society representatives from eight South and Central Asian countries June 14-16 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Tech Forum Central Asia (TFCA) was not your typical conference where participants sat and listened to speakers. Rather, it was a high-tech, interactive social entrepreneurship event focused on youth empowerment.
If I could sum up my experience in one word it would be "inspired." I was inspired by the technologists who led training sessions. Hanny Kusumawati, from Indonesia, shared her experiences with "crowdfunding." She founded Coin A Chance, which makes use of extra change people in Indonesia often discard and collects it to help… 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…
more »
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 »
![Nepalese army soldiers march during Nepal's National Democracy Day celebrations in Katmandu, Nepal, February 19, 2010. [AP Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234550im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_1017_nepal_pm_m.jpg)
![Youth TechCamp Bangladesh participants learn how to use technology and social media to impact their communities for the better in Dhaka, Bangladesh, September 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234550im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_1001_techcamp_bangladesh_m.jpg)
![Assistant Secretary Robert Blake meets with counterparts in the Uzbekistan government as part of the Annual Bilateral Consultations (ABCs), 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234550im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0904_sca_blake_m.jpg)
![An Afghan woman, right, looks at handicrafts at the Business Development Center of the Afghan Women's Business Association in Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan April 11, 2007. [AP File Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234550im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0830_afghan_women_m.jpg)
![Students pose before tents donated by PAX Academic Exchanges to be used as classrooms in Chaparhar, Afghanistan, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234550im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0824_afghanistan_tent_m.jpg)
![Dawn McCall joins Ambassador Dan W. Mozena, Public Affairs Officer Lauren Lovelace, Akku Chowdhury, and M.K. Aaref at the entrance of the new Edward M. Kennedy Center for Public Service and the Arts in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 14, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234550im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0813_american_spaces_dhaka_m.jpg)
![Jimmy Hall, New York Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Patrol meets with NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly at the NYPD’s Joint Ops Center in New York, New York. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234550im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0802_nypd_pakistan_m.jpg)
![A participant poses for a photograph at the 2012 Tech Forum Central Asia in Almaty, Kazakhstan, June 16, 2012. [Photograph Courtesy of Tech Forum Central Asia/ Used by Permission]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234550im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0623_TFCA_m.jpg)
