About the Author: Tara D. Sonenshine serves as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

Diversity is our strength, and everyone, including persons with disabilities, has important contributions to make.

That was one of the overarching messages at the 10th Special Olympics 2013 World Winter Games in South Korea this month, where athletes Tae Hemsath and Henry Meece — born in South Korea with developmental disabilities — returned to their birth country as Special Olympics athletes. Tae competed as a snowshoe racer, Henry as a snowboarder.

That same message resonated today throughout a public forum, where participants at Gallaudet University came to learn about opportunities in international exchange for persons with disabilities, and for members of the deaf community.

The audience was moved by the words and experiences of speakers, including U.S. Representative Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a former Army helicopter pilot who lost…more »

About the Author: Tara Sonenshine serves as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

They came off the bus in front of the Verizon Center in their white SportsUnited T-shirts. They were 12 Burmese basketball players — six girls, six boys and two coaches — participating in a sports exchange program that started last summer in Rangoon. Their excitement grew as they sat courtside to watch a real professional basketball game — and see the pro’s warming up beforehand. It grew even more when Washington Wizards Bradley Beal and Kevin Seraphin came over to greet them and pose for photographs.

Then they experienced the unique American pastime of a classic NBA basketball game — complete with cheerleaders, acrobats, chants, crowd applause, and… more »

About the Author: Tara Sonenshine serves as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

When we apply technology at its best to public service at its most critical, we can make powerful differences in the lives and well-being of people.

Advances in communications and information technology are allowing us to do just that, whether we are using crowd-sourcing or Twitter, or reaching people via mobile phones or Skype. We are assisting survivors in the wake of natural disasters. We are monitoring elections to ensure they are free, safe and fair. We are reaching more people in non-permissive environments. Technology has become not only our virtual eyes and ears, but our helping hands, in a variety of ways.

Take Ushahidi (“witness” in Swahili), a crowd-sourcing platform developed by Kenyan citizens in 2008 that uses technology to collect, verify, and map information from citizens on a variety of issues. That can include incidents of violence,… more »

About the Author: Tara Sonenshine serves as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

There is no more effective form of engagement than face-to-face communication. That’s a fundamental principle of our public diplomacy. And thanks to a strong friendship and understanding between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf , we have just signed an important agreement between the United States and Liberia.

One year ago, this month, Secretary Clinton traveled to Monrovia to attend the inauguration of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf . At the time she said, “Democracy hasn’t just sprouted in Liberia, it has taken root.”

The relationship struck between Secretary Clinton and President Sirleaf — strengthened by their own personal narratives of empowerment and their mutual commitment to changing the lives of women and girls, peace-building,… more »

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine, @TSoneshine, participates in a Global Twitter Q and A on December 5, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Tara Sonenshine serves as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

We are calling it Wildlife Conservation Day — a special day on December 4 to help raise global awareness and bring attention an online pledge campaign to protect wildlife by changing consumer behavior. And it follows the State Department’s continuing commitment to draw attention to the dangers of wildlife trafficking.

In October, I convened a meeting with members of the wildlife NGO community to explore ways in which we can use social media and public diplomacy to send the world powerful messages about the importance of safeguarding wildlife — as well as wildlife and the serious implications wildlife trafficking has for the security and prosperity of people around the… more »

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara D. Sonenshine will hold a Global Twitter Q&A on December 5, 2012 at 10:00 AM EST. You can submit your questions starting now on Twitter using the hashtag #AskState.

About the Author: Tara Sonenshine serves as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

The State Department’s Global Philanthropy Working Group, which I co-chair with Special Representative for Global Partnerships Kris Balderston, is focused on creating a global ecosystem that promotes philanthropy and encourages a culture of giving abroad. One of the most effective ways we can do that is by harnessing a quintessential American asset — the generosity of our own people.

We see that spirit writ large today, as we mark #GivingTuesday, a movement of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), corporations, volunteer organizations, faith-based organizations, and retailers all dedicated to helping people in need. More than 1,500 partners in all 50 U.S. states have come together to build campaigns… more »

About the Author: Tara Sonenshine serves as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

We can do more to build public awareness about the destructive ramifications of wildlife trafficking.

That was the key rallying point at a meeting that I convened recently with members of the wildlife NGO community — all of them working in different ways to address trafficking, whether through lobbying governments, supporting law enforcement efforts, building awareness campaigns, or working with partners to create change.

In this, I was joined by Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Robert Hormats, and Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International… more »

About the Author: Tara Sonenshine serves as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

We at the State Department are well aware of the dynamic global tourism market of the 21st century — and the opportunities it presents to expand our trade and investment everywhere. So we are working to promote and support our own travel and tourism industry to engender jobs and business for our citizens, and to make travelling to the United States as welcoming as possible.

Last week, we celebrated UN World Tourism Day, which the United Nations World Tourism Organization observes every year to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political, and economic value. And today, for the first time, our Travel and Tourism Conference will bring together leaders from the travel and tourism industry to find… more »