About the Author: Sauth Lim is a senior passport specialist at the U.S. Department of State's Los Angeles Passport Agency.
In April 1975, Cambodia's political structure transformed drastically, causing turmoil and devastation. The Communists took control of and turned the entire country into an agrarian society. People were forced to leave their city lifestyles and work in rice fields. All modern and civilized economic infrastructure and school systems were closed and all religious practices were prohibited. Children as young as four weeks old were placed in primitive children's centers without adequate adult supervision or care. Children who were not old enough to work in the fields were often used to babysit the younger ones, while both parents were assigned to work in different but equally hard labor settings. Like everyone else, I was separated from my parents and was put to work in remote labor camps. It was beyond what one could imagine. While enduring constant hard labor with limited food and… more »
About the Author: Sarah Mendelson serves as Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at USAID.
When was the last time you used your mobile phone to look up an address, stream a video clip, or play a game? Now think about the last time you used your mobile phone to support human rights, raise awareness for a cause, or contribute to sustainable development. What would the world look like if we spent as much time using our cell phones to contribute to development as we do watching YouTube or sending email? What new tools could be developed -- or new uses for existing technology found -- to solve some of the world's most pressing development challenges?
Our new Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights and Governance -- launching later this summer -- will devote expertise and resources to tackle these very questions, paying particular attention to marrying innovation and the challenge of protecting against and preventing human rights abuse.
About the Author: Ambassador David T. Killion serves as U.S. Permanent Representative to UNESCO.
As U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization, I've discovered that one of UNESCO's biggest secrets is the extent to which American companies are keen to collaborate with this 193-member state organization. Since I've arrived, I've been impressed by the number of U.S. companies who have come knocking on our door, looking for introductions and support to pitch innovative forms of collaboration to UNESCO. This goes beyond good corporate citizenship; many companies see the value in UNESCO's name recognition and reach, which they believe can help as they seek to enter new markets.
One of those companies was Apple, who came to see us last fall about a proposed collaboration between its widely… more »
About the Author: Melanne Verveer serves as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues.
The FAO's 2010-2011 State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) Report, Women in Agriculture: Closing the Gender Gap for Development, revealed some compelling and informative findings about the critical but underutilized role women play in the food and agriculture industry globally. It also gave some convincing reasons for why investing in women agriculturalists -- including farmers, fishers and others who work in agri-processing and marketing -- is so essential to food security, production, economic development, health, and related issues. In response to the SOFA report, this week at the 37th biennial conference in Rome, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO) mobilized a call to action under the theme: “The Vital Role of Women in Agriculture and Rural Development” to spur multilateral support for investing in women in agriculture and strengthening the… more »
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton released the 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report on June 27, 2011. Secretary Clinton said, "The report itself is a tool, and what we're most interested in is working with countries around the world and working across our own government to get results. The decade of delivery is upon us."
The Secretary continued, "...Last year, I visited in Cambodia a place of healing and support, a shelter for survivors. I met with dozens of girls, most of them very young, who had been sexually exploited and abused. They had been given refuge at the shelter and they were learning valuable skills to help them reenter society. These girls wanted the same thing that every child wants -- the opportunity to live, to learn, a safe place, people who cared about them. And not too long ago, a shelter like this would not have been available. The idea of… more »
About the Author: Mike Hammer is the Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs.
The United States seeks to have active and dynamic relations with our Caribbean neighbors. Beginning with their participation in the Summit of the America's in Trinidad and Tobago in April 2009, which included a meeting with Caribbean leaders, President Obama and Secretary Clinton have promoted a strong partnership between the United States and the Caribbean countries in order to tackle the common challenges our citizens face, whether it is improving security, fostering… more »
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered remarks on “The Human Rights of LGBT People and U.S. Foreign Policy,” at an event co-hosted by the State Department and Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies (GLIFAA), on June 27, 2011. The event is part of a series of LGBT Pride Month celebrations at the U.S. Department of State.
Secretary Clinton said, "[T]his is an especially momentous and extraordinary time for us to meet for the State Department's annual Pride celebration, the third event we've had here at State since I became Secretary, and the first following the historic vote in New York, which I think gives such visibility and credibility to everything that so many of you have done over so many years, because I look out at this audience and I see a lot of familiar faces of people who have been on the frontlines for many years and have worked… more »
About the Author: Sarah Mendelson serves as Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at USAID.
Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will release the eleventh annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report and the world's attention will turn to the global fight against human trafficking and the persistence of this problem in at least 181 countries around the world.
The International Labor Organization estimates that 12.3 million people globally are victims of trafficking -- trapped in forced labor, debt bondage, or sexual exploitation. An accurate number of victims is hard to determine, however, because they are often a hidden population, kept under guard in mines, fishing boats at sea, back alley sweatshops, and brothels. Trafficking is a crime, a human rights abuse, and a development problem.
In our development programs, USAID is tackling the conditions… more »
About the Author: Luke Forgerson serves as DipNote's Managing Editor.
Last week, President Barack Obama delivered remarks on the way forward in Afghanistan. President Obama said:
"...In one of the most difficult decisions that I've made as President, I ordered an additional 30,000 American troops into Afghanistan. When I announced this surge at West Point, we set clear objectives: to refocus on al Qaeda, to reverse the Taliban's momentum, and train Afghan security forces to defend their own country. I also made it clear that our commitment would not be open-ended, and that we would begin to draw down our forces this July.
"Tonight, I can tell you that we are fulfilling that commitment. Thanks to our extraordinary men and women in uniform, our civilian personnel, and our many coalition partners, we are… more »
About the Author: Monique Quesada serves as the Political and Economic Section Chief at the U.S. Consulate in Herat, Afghanistan.
I was drawn to service in Herat, Afghanistan, because I wanted to know what it was really like for women here now. I wanted to do something constructive for them, if I could. Over the past nine months, I have been able to channel grants into projects that will teach women English and computer skills, or give them the chance to start their own businesses. Maria Bashir, Afghanistan's only women prosecutor general and my nominee for the International Women of Courage Award, was honored by Secretary Clinton earlier this year. But my biggest satisfaction turned out not to be about the grants or the awards. It was about the privilege of being included… more »
DipNote is the official blog of the U.S. Department of State —a place to share stories, discuss experiences, and inspire new ideas on the important foreign policy issues of the day. more »
I'm the 5 year younger nephew of Dora, still living in Hungary. I have a very strong memory about these years: I'm standing in the bathroom, and asking: Why…
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June 28: Ellen Tauscher, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, will travel to Paris, France, where she will lead a United States delegation to the second Conference on Confidence Building Measures towards Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. more »
Secretary Clinton (June 27): "The U.S. commends the swift passage of UN Security Council resolution 1990, which approves the mandate requested by Sudanese leaders to facilitate the deployment of up to 4200 Ethiopian peacekeepers to the Abyei region of Sudan. more »
![Sauth Lim at Khao-I-Dang Refugee Camp in Thailand, 1980. [Used by Permission]](/terngr/novelty-https-web.archive.org/web/20110629030542im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0628_sauth_prm_m.jpg)
![People walk under sun set in Moscow, Russia, June 28, 2011. [AP Photo]](/terngr/novelty-https-web.archive.org/web/20110629030542im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0628_red_square_m.jpg)
![UNESCO collaborates with iTunes University, June 2011. [State Department photo]](/terngr/novelty-https-web.archive.org/web/20110629030542im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0629_unesco_itunes_m.jpg)
![Women participate in farm science training near Cochin, India, undated. [UNFAO/ AP File Photo]](/terngr/novelty-https-web.archive.org/web/20110629030542im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0627_fao_training_women_m.jpg)
![Opening session of 5th Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, April 17, 2009. [AP File]](/terngr/novelty-https-web.archive.org/web/20110629030542im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0627_summit_americas_m.jpg)
![Child worker piles up bricks at kiln near Modhera, India, Feb. 5, 2011. [AP File Photo]](/terngr/novelty-https-web.archive.org/web/20110629030542im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0627_child_bricks_m.jpg)
![Afghan boy waits with his kite in Kabul, Afghanistan, June 24, 2011. [AP File Photo]](/terngr/novelty-https-web.archive.org/web/20110629030542im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0626_afghanistan_daily_life_m.jpg)
