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 »
World Food Day is a reminder and call to action for the international community to strengthen efforts to end world hunger and malnutrition.
Today, nearly one billion people suffer from chronic hunger, which means that they do not get enough food to satisfy their body's basic nutritional needs.
Feed the Future is the U.S. government's global hunger and food security initiative and works with partner countries to support their own agriculture development objectives to increase agricultural productivity and improve nutrition, which can help reduce poverty and hunger. Seventy-five percent of the world's poor live in rural areas in developing countries, where most people's livelihoods rely directly on agriculture, and women in the developing world make up to forty-three percent of the agriculture… more »
As the world comes together to mark the first-ever International Day of the Girl on October 11, we are filled with hope, but also a sense of urgency. Just this week, a masked Pakistani Taliban militant attempted to assassinate Malala Yousufzai -- a 14 year-old Pakistani schoolgirl -- on her school bus simply for going to school and speaking up for her right and the right of girls everywhere to get an education. This barbaric act reminds us all too painfully that in far too many places, some still don't value girls and want to ignore their fundamental rights as human beings. What is so inspiring about Malala's story is the outpouring of support she has received from every level of her government and ours, and from Pakistanis of all walks of life. So many people from around the world have stood up to say that she is like their own daughter.
Today, on the first International Day of the Girl Child, it's important to remember some of the most vulnerable girls in the world -- those living in post-conflict or other humanitarian settings. The special vulnerabilities of young women and girls -- to early marriage, unplanned pregnancies, gender-based violence and abuse -- can all be exacerbated when the normal protections of organized societies break down during times of conflict or crisis. Humanitarians have a special responsibility to meet the needs of these girls, and the United States is working with our international and non-governmental organization partners to ensure those most in need of protection are not forgotten.
Our humanitarian assistance -- including the provision of health, shelter, nutrition, and water and sanitation programs -- supports the community, the family, and through this the whole child.… 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 »
At the end of the Cold War, the United States joined together with other nations to pledge, in the unequivocal language of the Preamble to the Chemical Weapons Convention, "for the sake of all mankind, to exclude completely the possibility of the use of chemical weapons." Fifteen years ago, the Convention entered into force -- banning a whole category of weapons of mass destruction.
From its inception, the Chemical Weapons Convention had two fundamental goals. The first was the destruction of all existing chemical weapons stocks. The United States, Russia, and four other countries declared chemical weapons stockpiles and pledged to destroy them under international verification. According to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the international body which verifies compliance, approximately three-quarters of the declared stocks -- amounting to tens… more »
As I speak with young people from around the globe, I find striking similarities. They are full of innovation, creativity, and talent. People under 30 are the first generation of youth that can consider themselves a global entity. They see themselves as global citizens and want to connect and help one another. With young people now making up over half the world's population, we have a real opportunity to help them realize their aspirations and help to turn the youth bulge into a youth dividend. Economic opportunity, especially employment, is the most pressing issue facing young people around the world. Getting a job is an important step towards independence, and can be a source of great pride. But too many young people who are seeking jobs are unsuccessful. Reports by the World Bank and the International Labor Organization (ILO) paint a grim picture of youth unemployment. The ILO… more »
I recently arrived in the Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs as the twenty-first Frasure-Kruzel-Drew Memorial Fellow for Humanitarian Demining. The fellowship was created in 1999 to honor the legacies of Ambassador Robert C. Frasure, Dr. Joseph J. Kruzel, and U.S. Air Force Colonel Samuel Nelson Drew, who lost their lives in 1995 while working to help end conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina. These men were part of a mission to negotiate peace in a war-torn region, yet their story, as with the recent events in Libya, reminds us of the… 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 »
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/20121018234148im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0525_posner_facebook_chat_m.jpg)
![Two Indian girls play on a street on International Day of the Girl Child in Hyderabad, India, October 11, 2012. [AP Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234148im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_1011_day_of_the_girl_child_m.jpg)
![Girl struggles against sand storm in Darfur refugee camp, Sudan, Apr. 20, 2007. [AP File]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234148im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0313_darfur_sandstorm_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/20121018234148im_/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/20121018234148im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0302_hrc_syria_m.jpg)
![From right to left: Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller; OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Uzumcu; UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; and Ms. Angela Kane, High Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, meet at a high-level meeting at the United Nations in New York on October 1, 2012, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the OPCW, with the theme: Fifteen Years of the Chemical Weapons Convention: Celebrating Success. Committing to the Future. [UN photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234148im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_1002_arms_convention_m.jpg)
![Secretary Clinton's Special Adviser on Global Youth Issues Zeenat Rahman marks the launch of the Youth Livelihoods Alliance, a multi-sector global initiative that aims to address the challenges of youth unemployment and increase opportunities for young people's economic participation, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on October 2, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234148im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_1010_rahman_1_m.jpg)
![Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs (PM) Walter Givhan poses for a photo with members of the Frasure, Kruzel, and Drew families, as well as past and current fellowship recipients of the Frasure-Kruzel-Drew Memorial Fellowship for Humanitarian Demining at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., August 29, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234148im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_1001_pm_1_m.jpg)
