Small grants: huge impact. That was the recurring theme of an inspiring event Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer hosted earlier this week at the Department of State. As part of the WEAmericas initiative to support economic empowerment for women-owned businesses in the Western Hemisphere, we announced 25 small grants for organizations in 15 Latin American and Caribbean countries, as well as two regional projects. The Walmart Foundation and the Secretary of State's International Fund for Women and Girls sponsored the grants.
As many Americans are preparing for this weekend's Super Bowl -- arguably the biggest annual sporting event in the United States -- Brazilians are looking ahead to 2014, and 2016, when they'll host the World Cup and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In December 2012, I led a dynamic delegation of sports and entertainment business leaders to Sao Paulo and Brasilia. At the request of Brazil's Ministry of Sports, my office assembled this delegation to expand U.S.-Brazil cooperation in preparation for Brazil's hosting a series of major international sporting events, including the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Our efforts to expand U.S.-Brazil cooperation in this area were met with great enthusiasm from all we met with in Brazil.
The delegation of 15 experts from the U.S government and the private sector -- including national football… more »
On a blazing hot day, eager exhibitors hurried across the fairgrounds, where they were adding the final touches to the myriad of booths and displays. Flocks of anxious kids arrived proudly swinging their bag of recyclables in one hand and dragging their parents with the other hand to an eye-catching van used by storm chasers. After surveying the crowd and the layout of the fair, I was overwhelmed with a sense of relief; three months of planning had paid off for us. With no rain in the forecast and everything in place, the Green Fair was ready to begin on the grounds of the National University of Pedro Henriquez Urena (UNPHU) in the Dominican Republic.
Last summer, U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo's "Green Team" celebrated the third annual Green Fair, which attracted more than 850 adults and children and brought together the public and private sector to address eco-friendly… more »
As we enter 2013, we'd like to share with you how the United States worked with our partners in the Americas last year. The year 2012 brought dynamic new developments in the Western Hemisphere, highlighted by the Sixth Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia, where President Obama attended the first CEO Summit of the Americas and launched a series of ambitious new initiatives together with our hemispheric partners. Connecting the Americas 2022 is working to provide universal access to electricity in our hemisphere over the next decade. 100,000… 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…
more »
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.…
more »
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…
more »
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 »
![Three WEAmericas Small Grants awardees (from left) -- Founder and President of Comunidades de la Tierra Maria Pachecho (Guatemala), Board Member of Women Entrepreneurs Network Caribbean Yaneek Page (Caribbean), D.C. Director of Fundación Paraguaya Mary Liz Kehler (Paraguay) -- pose for a photograph at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., February 4, 2013. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://web.archive.org/web/20130216120955im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0209_WeAmericas_IJC_m.jpg)
![Rio de Janeiro's Mayor Eduardo Paes, third right, Brazilian Olympic Committee president Carlos Arthur Nuzman, center, and representatives from civil society wave the newly arrived Olympic flag in front of the Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Aug. 19, 2012. In 2016, Rio de Janeiro will host the Olympic Games. [AP File Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20130216120955im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0131_brazil_sports_m.jpg)
![Grupo de Sonido de Capotillo, a local percussion group, impresses the crowd using nature-themed music and recycled products during their performance at the third annual Green Fair in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, September 9, 2012. [U.S. Embassy photo/ Public Domain]](https://web.archive.org/web/20130216120955im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0119_dr_green_fair_m.jpg)
