November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The days that follow, culminating on Human Rights Day on December 10, form the "16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence" campaign. Speaking in support of day and the campaign, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's IssuesMelanne Verveer released a video message describing examples of innovative programs in India, Senegal, Brazil, and Afghanistan that address violence against women.
Ambassador Verveer said, "The United States is working bilaterally and multilaterally to define gender-based violence… more »
About the Author: Tad Brown is a Foreign Service Officer posted to the U.S. Consulate in Kolkata, India.
One of the joys of raising a family overseas is the opportunity to expose our children to the diverse holidays and festivals celebrated around the world. In recent months, my son toured the pandals (provisional temples) on the streets of Kolkata to marvel at the elaborate panoramas of Durga Puja and danced with excitement as fireworks crackled to celebrate Diwali. Even while we partake of local culture and customs, though, we make a point to celebrate our own holidays and traditions from home, not always an easy task when the settings are so different.
In my hometown of Buffalo, New York, the first tradition of Thanksgiving is a pick-up football game -- the "Turkey Bowl" -- played in warm hats and gloves, often with snow on the ground,… more »
About the Author: Laura Gritz is the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Thanksgiving came early this year when the Iceland Fulbright Alumni Association hosted a fundraising dinner on November. 13. With support from the Iceland Fulbright Commission and U.S. Embassy Reykjavik, the Thanksgiving dinner attracted nearly seventy guests, including notable Fulbright alumni from government, academia, and the media.
U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Luis Arreaga encouraged Icelandic Fulbright alumni to continue expanding outreach activity. Former Foreign Minister Jón Baldvín Hannibalson described how his Fulbright years in America shaped his views at a young age.… more »
President Barack Obama's Proclamation for Thanksgiving Day begins, "A beloved American tradition, Thanksgiving Day offers us the opportunity to focus our thoughts on the grace that has been extended to our people and our country. This spirit brought together the newly arrived Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe -- who had been living and thriving around Plymouth, Massachusetts for thousands of years -- in an autumn harvest feast centuries ago. This Thanksgiving Day, we reflect on the compassion and contributions of Native Americans, whose skill in agriculture helped the early colonists survive, and whose rich culture continues to add to our Nation's heritage. We also pause our normal pursuits on this day and join in a spirit of fellowship and gratitude for the year's bounties and blessings.
"Thanksgiving Day is a time each year, dating back to our founding, when we lay… more »
Here in the United States, we know that if the President is pardoning the turkey, Thanksgiving is right around the corner!
Today's "Photo of the Week" comes from staff photographer Pablo Castro at the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo, Uruguay, and it reminds us of everything that we have to be thankful for. DipNote wishes a happy Thanksgiving to all our readers who celebrate… more »
About the Author: Sharon Hudson-Dean serves as Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Last week, my office hosted an expert on constitutional issues from the New School for Social Research in New York City for a week of meetings, public discussions and consultations on international best practices to feed into the constitution-making process in Zimbabwe. We brought Dr. Andrew Arato here as part of our U.S. Speaker's program and as an independent expert who could share his experience and views with Zimbabwean colleagues and audiences outside our delicate government-to-government conversations.
For me and for all of our audiences, the visit was a crash course in comparative constitutions, with a wonderful dose of nitty-gritty local analysis by the professor. Dr. Arato is a Hungarian-American who has studied the tricky… more »
About the Author: Ambassador Eric Goosby serves as U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.
In a statement released yesterday, President Obama hailed an important new development in the fight against HIV/AIDS: the findings of the iPrEx study on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) for HIV prevention.
Prevention is the most fundamental challenge in the fight against AIDS. The United States is committed to supporting high-impact, evidence-based, combination prevention approaches. The U.S. President's Emergency… more »
About the Author: Robert Sauers serves at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.
A large crowd of cricket enthusiasts watched today as Finance Minister Mohammad Omer Zakhiwal and United States Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry laid foundation stones to inaugurate the renovation of the Kabul National Cricket Stadium.
Because of the national team's exceptional success in many international tournaments, cricket in Afghanistan is gaining popularity. The growing number of players includes not only men, but women as well. More than 100 young women are currently playing cricket in Kabul and the Afghanistan Cricket Board is about to create a National Women's Cricket Team for the 2011 Asian Elite Cup Tournament in February 2011.
"Cricket in Afghanistan is more than a game. It is a means for bringing Afghan youth from different backgrounds… more »
Speaking today via videoconference, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten briefed the press about Haiti's elections, scheduled for Sunday, November 28th.
Ambassador Merten said,"...We are five days away from presidential and legislative elections here in Haiti, and we thought this would be a good opportunity to affirm our support for the Haitian peoples' right to participate in free, fair, and transparent elections on November 28th. This is something we have discussed with the Haitian government and various elements of the Haitian population for a long time. Given the issues the next president and the next legislature will have to confront here in Haiti in terms of providing vision for Haiti's future and a program for implementing that vision, we hope to see broad participation amongst the Haitian population in this important election. We urge Haitians to go out… more »
Today, via teleconference, the U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Khartoum, Bob Whitehead, Juba Consul General Barrie Walkley, and USAID Sudan Mission Director William Hammink gave a press briefing on the status of preparations for the January 9th referendum on Southern Sudan. They also spoke about the support and the technical assistance that the United States has provided to support the parties as they work towards a full and timely implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
Mr. Hammink said, "As you may know, the referendum is a key provision of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the CPA, which ended the long and deadly North-South civil war. Since the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement signed that agreement, the U.S. government has provided assistance to the two parties to help implement the various provisions of the CPA as… 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 »
True enough I think mediation is the way, but it also makes one think what the dictators thought they had to be afraid of in the first place to lock her…
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hello my name is mukuna i,m a student at university of kisangani to Relations department i want learn more from your service because this is the option…
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Assistant Secretary Crowley (Nov. 9): "e have transferred the first tranche of money, $120 million, to the Department of Treasury. ... will in turn be transferring that money to the World Bank for the Haiti Reconstruction Fund." Full Text» more »
![Lanterns on display ahead of Diwali, the festival of lights, Mumbai, India, Nov. 3, 2010. [AP Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20101126124411im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_1125_diwali_m.jpg)
![A view across Reykjavík in Iceland from Öskjuhlíd Hill, May 31, 2008. [AP File Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20101126124411im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_1124_iceland_m.jpg)
![President Obama pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey Apple at the White House, Nov 24, 2010.[AP]](https://web.archive.org/web/20101126124411im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_1124_turkey_m.jpg)
![A ceremony at U.S. Embassy in Montevideo, Uruguay honors veterans, Nov. 10, 2010. [State /Public]](https://web.archive.org/web/20101126124411im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_1124_potw_m.jpg)
![Dr. Andrew Arato speaks in Zimbabwe, Nov. 2010. [State Dept. /Public Domain]](https://web.archive.org/web/20101126124411im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_1124_zimbabwe_m.jpg)
![Samples of Nevirapine, an antiretroviral AIDS drug, in Memphis, Tenn., Dec 13, 2004. [AP File]](https://web.archive.org/web/20101126124411im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_1124_HIV_m.jpg)
![Supporters blow cornets at a campaign rally in Cap Haitian, Haiti, Nov. 22, 2010. [AP]](https://web.archive.org/web/20101126124411im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_1122_haiti_m.jpg)
![A southern Sudanese woman receives her voter registration card, Nov. 15, 2010. [AP]](https://web.archive.org/web/20101126124411im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_1122_sudan_m.jpg)
