Cancun COP-16
Special Envoy Stern (Nov. 22): "What we are seeking in Cancun is a balanced package of decisions... It is now widely understood that a legal treaty this year is not in the cards. There is broad convergence on the notion that a package of decisions is desirable... to preserve the balance.., we need to make comparable progress on all the core issues." Full Text»
International Tiger Conservation Forum
Nov. 19: Under Secretary Otero will lead the U.S. interagency delegation to the International Tiger Conservation Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, November 21-24. The Under Secretary Otero will also hold separate meetings with civil society groups and Russian government officials. Full Text»
Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate
The Forum facilitates a candid dialogue among major developed and developing economies to make progress in meeting the climate change and clean energy challenge. (Nov. 15) Media Note»
Joint Announced by the U.S.and Australia on Bilateral Cooperation in the Civil Use of GPS and Civil Space Activities
Officials from the Governments of the U.S. and Australia met in Washington, on October 26-27, 2010, to review progress under and build future activities on the Joint Delegation Statement on Cooperation in the Civil Use of GPS and Space-Based Positioning Navigation and Timing (PNT) Systems and Applications signed on April 19, 2007, at Canberra, Australia. More»
North American HFC Amendment Proposal at the 22nd Meeting of the Parties of the Montreal Protocol
Deputy Assistant Secretary Reifsnyder (Nov. 8): “ The United States, Canada, and Mexico have jointly proposed an amendment that would phase down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs. We have taken this significant action because HFCs are potent greenhouse gases and are being widely adopted as the primary alternatives to CFCs and HCFCs, ozone depleting substances, which the Montreal Protocol is successfully phasing out.” Full Text»
Critical Use Exemption for Methyl Bromide at the 22nd Meeting of the Parties of the Montreal Protocol
Deputy Assistant Secretary Reifsnyder (Nov. 8): “ The Parties to the Montreal Protocol have committed to reducing the production and consumption of methyl bromide because it is a potent ozone depleting substance. The United States takes this commitment seriously, and has worked extremely hard to facilitate the adoption of feasible alternatives across all sectors that use methyl bromide.” Full Text»
Secretary Clinton's Visit to New Zealand
Secretary Clinton’s visit to New Zealand on November 4-5 reflects the value the United States places on our bilateral relationship, which encompasses broad political, economic, scientific, and security cooperation. Fact Sheet»
Secretary Clinton’s Visit to Australia Highlights Collaboration
Secretary Clinton’s three-day trip to Melbourne, Australia highlighted the excellent collaborative relationship our two nations enjoy. The United States and Australia are key allies with a history of shared political interests and a future of increased cooperation on trade, technology, and transnational issues. Fact Sheet»
Media Note: U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue: Working Group Achievements (Oct. 28)»
Assistant Secretary Jones will lead the U.S. delegation to the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan. The high level segment of the meeting takes place October 27-29, 2010. (Oct. 26) Media Note»
Conclusion of High-Level Partnership Dialogue Working Group Meetings between the U.S. and Colombia
The U.S. and Colombia have concluded the first round of working group meetings as part of our High Level Partnership Dialogue. Delegations from the two nations had excellent and productive discussions in the working groups on human rights and good governance, energy, and science and technology. (Oct. 25) Full Text»
United States and Turkey Sign Science and Technology Agreement (Oct. 20) Media Note»
Statement by Assistant Secretary Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones at the International Renewable Energy Agency Preparatory Commission Meeting in Abu Dhabi. (Oct. 24) Statement»
Debt-for-Nature Agreement to Conserve Costa Rica’s Tropical Forests
The U.S. and Costa Rica, the Central Bank of Costa Rica, and The Nature Conservancy have concluded agreements that will provide more than $27 million over the next 15 years for tropical forest conservation in Costa Rica (Oct. 15) Full Text»
U.S. Government Certification of Mexico Sea Turtle Conservation and Shrimp Imports
The Department of State today certified Mexico under Section 609 of United States Public Law 101-162, which prohibits the import of shrimp and shrimp products harvested in ways that may adversely affect some sea turtle species. (Oct. 15) Full Text»
A New Paradigm: Climate Change Negotiations in the Post-Copenhagen Era (Oct. 8)»
United States Support for Polio Eradication
Polio is a highly infectious disease that kills and cripples children. To address this public health crisis, in 1988 the World Health Assembly launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). (Oct. 7) Fact Sheet»
Obama Administration’s Pledge to Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis (Oct. 5) Media Note»
America's Response to Climate Change, an original video produced by the State Department for COP-15.
The Department of State hosted a U.S. Center at the annual Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the 15th session in Copenhagen, Denmark, December 7-18, 2009.
COP-15 Web Site» White House Blog»
The Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science (OES), led by Assistant Secretary Kerri-Ann Jones, promotes transformational diplomacy through advancing environmental stewardship, encouraging economic growth, and promoting social development around the globe to foster a safer, more secure and hopeful world.
Nearly 200 employees further these goals through programs and activities concerning infectious diseases, biodiversity, climate change, access to water and energy, ocean and polar affairs, science and technology cooperation, management of toxic chemicals, environmental components of trade agreements, and the exploration of space. In addition, the Bureau represents the United States at major international negotiations. Together, these activities demonstrate the Bureau's commitment to policies that make concrete improvements in people's lives.
The Oceans and Fisheries Directorate has two offices dedicated to international oceans issues. The Office of Marine Conservation has primary responsibility for the international conservation and management of living marine resources, including efforts to manage shared commercial fisheries on a sustainable basis and to reduce impacts of fishing on protected species and vulnerable marine ecosystems. The Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs has primary responsibility for international ocean law and policy, marine pollution, marine mammals, Arctic and Antarctic affairs, maritime boundaries, and marine science.
The Environment Directorate deals with a broad range of global issues related to protecting the environment and conserving natural resources. The Office of Environmental Policy coordinates U.S. approaches to transboundary air quality issues, safeguarding the stratospheric ozone layer and environmentally sound chemicals management. The office also handles environmental aspects of free trade agreements and environmental issues in multilateral organizations such as the U.N. Environment Program and in international financial institutions. The Office of Ecology and Natural Resource Conservation coordinates U.S. approaches to international wildlife and forest issues, including partnership in the global Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking, the U.S. Initiative Against Illegal Logging, the Congo Basin Forest Partnership and the Liberia Forest Initiative. The office also handles issues related to the conservation of coral reefs, wetlands and drylands, access to genetic resources, and control of invasive species. Taking the lead on climate change issues, including polices and partnerships that span a wide range of initiatives, is the Office of Global Climate Change.
The Health, Space and Science Directorate includes the Office of International Health and Biodefense which works with U.S. Government agencies to facilitate policy-making regarding infectious disease, surveillance and response, environmental health, and health in post-conflict situations. The Office of Space and Advanced Technology handles issues arising from our exploration of space to assure global security regarding this new frontier, and the Office of Science & Technology (S&T) Cooperation promotes the interests of the U.S. science and technology communities in the international policy arena, negotiates framework and other S&T agreements, manages the Department's Embassy Science fellows program, and takes a leading role in representing U.S. science and technology in multilateral international organizations, such as UNESCO and other UN organizations, APEC, OECD, and others.
The Office of Policy Coordination and Initiatives (PCI) promotes policy coherence, supports the development of new initiatives, and leads strategic planning efforts on the full range of OES issues - involving oceans, environment, science & technology, and health. PCI focuses regionally and on emerging cross-cutting issues to ensure that the U.S. deploys "smart diplomacy" effectively by integrating these OES priorities to promote sustainable development and advance U.S. foreign policy objectives at the bilateral, regional and global level. The office provides guidance to and coordinates OES activities extensively with the State Department's bilateral Environment, Science, Technology and Health (ESTH) officers and Regional Environment Offices (REOs, known as "Hubs") in U.S. embassies around the world.
