Today all over the world people -- men and women -- will rise in solidarity and call for an end to violence against women. Why is this happening? The rising started with a handful of advocates seeking to call global attention to the violence that is perpetrated against women and girls every day and it has been fueled by awareness and concern in communities around the world that this abuse is a serious human rights issue that must end. Communities are connected as never before by technology and social media -- and the result is a worldwide call to action.
Violence against women and girls undermines their full participation in society and is found and cuts across ethnicity, race, class, religion, education level, and international borders. The numbers are staggering. An estimated one in three women worldwide has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in their… more »
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 »
The audio technician conducts one last sound test, and my public affairs colleagues prepare to stream the event live on www.state.gov. The press officers escort the media to the Benjamin Franklin Room, where many State Department events take place. Everything is occurring according to a process, one of which we've carried out dozens and dozens of times. And, yet, the event that is about to occur is anything but routine. The Vice President of the United States is minutes away from ceremoniously swearing in the 68th U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry.
As we wait for the ceremony to begin, my coworker and I reflect on our time at the State Department. I remember arriving on my first day and reciting the oath of office every employee takes, a pledge similar to the one Secretary Kerry is about to make… more »
February 6 marks the 27th National Day of Women and Girls in Sports.
Today in Esteli, Nicaragua, girls from under-served areas are on the softball diamond, fielding grounders, running out base hits, and learning how sports can improve their health and their performance in the classroom.
In Donetsk, Ukraine, girls were on the basketball court, looking for the outlet pass, grabbing rebounds, and working as a team.
A day of milestones -- here at what I'm learning now to call "the Mothership," they tell me this is the 5,000th blog entry on this page, and it's the first of what I hope will be many opportunities to share thoughts and occasional observations on the challenges ahead.
It's also another day of "firsts" -- the first opportunity to walk through the front doors of the Harry S Truman Building as Secretary of State.
In more ways than one, it's a homecoming -- and proof that the American author who said, "You can't go home again," wasn't right about everything.
Last week, as I left the Senate, I said that institution was "in my soul," and it always will be, but I'm very proud that in many ways the Foreign Service is "in my genes" -- a personal connection passed on by my father, Richard.
His travels gave me and my siblings an up close-and-personal… more »
That's what I want to say one last time before I finish my tenure as Secretary. Thank you for four wonderful years.
When President Obama asked me to serve as Secretary of State, I was determined to restore America's leadership and to elevate diplomacy and development as core pillars of American power, because I was convinced that they are critical for solving problems and seizing opportunities worldwide.
I will walk out the door today even more convinced of that -- because of you, the men and women of the U.S. Foreign and Civil Service. Because of the work we have done together and its importance to our nation and world. more »
About the Authors: Melanne Verveer serves as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, and Kris M. Balderston serves as the Special Representative for Global Partnerships.
Today, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hosted over 200 representatives from business, non-governmental organizations, and civil society groups to celebrate the power of collaboration. As one of the last events the Secretary hosted, the meeting was momentous. Not only for the more than $80 million in public-private partnerships announced but also because it showcased how much has been achieved over the last four years. … more »
When many of us reflect on the Holocaust, the horrific gas chambers and ovens of the death camps of Auschwitz and Treblinka immediately come to mind. Yet in parts of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, there is a lesser known aspect of the terrible genocide perpetrated against Jews, Roma, and other victims of the Nazis and their allies between 1941 and 1945. During this period, death squads of German soldiers and local collaborators carried out mass executions of millions of men, women and children, leaving remains in unmarked mass graves. This so-called "Holocaust by Bullets" is the subject of a documentary produced by Yahad-In Unum.
UPDATE: Watch video of the Secretary's Global Townterview on YouTube.
On Tuesday, January 29, 2013, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will hold a Global Townterview at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. A "Townterview" is a mix of a town hall and a television interview. The concept was first introduced by the Secretary when she entered office as a way to broaden people-to-people engagement.
This will be her 59th town hall and an opportunity to engage with young people around the world in advance of her last day as Secretary of State on Friday, February 1.
In partnership with media outlets from every region around the world, the Secretary will take questions from youth in… more »
Today, President of the United States Barack Obama was sworn in at a ceremony marking the beginning of his second term and delivered his inaugural address from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
During his speech, President Obama said, "America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe. And we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa, from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.… more »
I have to agree with Karen in Turkey -- I too, was shocked at how invisible the State Department, the White House and President Obama were regarding the…
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I was shocked at how invisible the State Department and White House were with this event -- the single largest coordinated event in the history of the world.…
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Withdrawal from Afghanistan is an overwhelming sentiment of Americans. That President has to respond to it is understandable. But so long as US has not relinquished…
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On February 19, the State Department will host a conference on "Food Security and Minimizing Postharvest Loss: Markets, Applied Research, and Innovation." more »
Secretary Kerry (Feb. 15): "We need to understand the connection of all of these things to our security, to our business opportunities, to our economic future, to America's leadership role in the world." more »
![Women participate in an event to support the One Billion Rising global campaign in Hyderabad, India, Feb. 14, 2013. [AP Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130216120918im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0214_billion_rising_m.jpg)
![Wheelchair athlete, left, races along side able-bodied high school runners, April 19, 2006 in Rockville, Md. [AP File Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130216120918im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0212_student_athlete_m.jpg)
![U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry greets former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright before his ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., February 6, 2013. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130216120918im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0206_kerry_albright_m.jpg)
![Jessica Mendoza, U.S. Olympian and member of the State Department Council to Empower Women and Girls, leads clinics in Nicaragua as part of the State Department's global efforts to empower women and girls through sports, February 4, 2013. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130216120918im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0205_women_sports_m.jpg)
![U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry displays his first diplomatic passport, while delivering welcome remarks to U.S. Department of State employees in Washington, D.C., February 4, 2013. Secretary Kerry was issued the passport while his father served as a U.S. diplomat in Germany; Kerry’s first stamp in it was 1954 in Le Havre. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130216120918im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0204_kerry_welcome_m.jpg)
![Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is applauded as she gives her farewell remarks to State Department employees, Feb. 1, 2013. [AP Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130216120918im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0201_clinton_farewell_m.jpg)
![Memorial candles are lit in front of a photo taken during WWII showing refugees fleeing from the Nazis at a ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Russia's first Jewish Museum in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 27, 2013. [AP Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130216120918im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0129_holocaust_m.jpg)
![Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to hold global town hall at the Newseum on January 29, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. EST. Watch live on state.gov. [State Department image]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130216120918im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0127_clinton_townterview_m.jpg)
![President Barack Obama waves to crowd after his Inaugural speech at the ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington on January 21, 2013. [AP Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130216120918im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0121_obama_inauguration_m.jpg)
