Resolving the Plight of Persecuted, Uprooted People Around the World

Posted by Anne C. Richard / January 02, 2013

About the Author: Anne C. Richard serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration.

2012 was a challenging year for humanitarians trying to help displaced people around the world. The following summarizes some of the challenges addressed by the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) last year.

Inside Syria, 40,000 people have been killed and over two million are displaced. Over half a million people have fled to neighboring countries. The U.S. government (the State Department and USAID) is providing $210 million in humanitarian aid to the region, and this aid is reaching millions.

Last year, refugees fled violence and drought in Northern Mali and… more »

Timor-Leste:  Not Just an Ordinary New Year

Posted by Judith Fergin / January 01, 2013

About the Author: Judith Fergin serves as U.S. Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.

When the people of Timor-Leste woke up this morning, their young nation had opened a new chapter in its history. Today is the first day since 1999 that there is no UN Security Council-mandated mission on the ground.

From the passage of UNSC Resolution 384 on December 22, 1975 to 1999, Timor-Leste remained on the Council's agenda as unfinished post-colonial business. In 1999, the Security Council supported the UN-administered popular consultation in which Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence instead of continued incorporation in Indonesia; it then sadly directed the dispatch of peacekeepers as a result of post-referendum violence. A series of peacekeeping and special political missions ensued. In 2011, the final peacekeeping mission -- the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) -- and the government established a joint transition plan to… more »

Happy New Year!

Posted by DipNote Bloggers / January 01, 2013

On behalf of the entire DipNote team, we thank our readers for their continued engagement and contributions over the last year. We wish all of you a healthy and joyous 2013! more »