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About the Author: María Otero serves as Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs.
Every morning, three Haitian women greet me in my office. Depicted in a painting above my desk, the market ladies serve as a daily reminder of… more »
Posted under: Western Hemisphere
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Polling for the Southern Sudan Referendum started on January 9, 2011. This represents a historic step towards completion of Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Speaking to reporters, Barrie Walkley, the U.S. Consul General in Juba, said, "As you may know the referendum...last[s] seven days. We probably expect that it will take another fourteen days to get all the results back in and to have them certified."
Walkley explains, "It is an area the size of France. It is larger then Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi combined and yet there are only fifty kilometres of paved road in the entire area, and all of those are inside of towns. There are no paved roads outside of towns, so getting the polling materials out to the sites is remarkably difficult. It will be achieved by helicopter, by motorcycle, people carrying things to remote areas."
Secretary Clinton,… more »
Posted under: Africa
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![Secretary Clinton in front of solar research project at Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, Jan. 10, 2011. [AP]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110111125001im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0110_clinton_masdarcity_m.jpg)
Speaking at the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates today, Secretary Clinton said:
"…We believe that the work that is being done here at Masdar has the potential to solve some of the most urgent challenges facing our planet. How do we develop sustainable energy sources that can power our cities without contributing to climate change? How do we create technologies that are scalable and both use less power and are widely affordable? How do we supply water for drinking and farming in places where fresh water sources are decreasing? How do we achieve economic growth without relying so heavily on fossil fuels where they're drilling for them, selling them, buying them, or burning them?
"Now, these challenges are pressing across the world, but they are especially significant here in the Gulf. We know that oil supplies are shrinking,… more »
Posted under: Travel Diary
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![Man works on housing repairs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Dec. 16, 2010. [USAID Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110111125001im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0110_haiti_progress_m.jpg)
U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth H. Merten published an Op-Ed in The Washington Post. Ambassador Merten discusses progress in the commitment to build a more prosperous and stable Haiti. The text of his Op-Ed appears below.
"Progress in Haiti is Slow, but Real"
By Kenneth H. Merten
January 9, 2011
When I arrived in Haiti as ambassador, unemployment was rampant, the government could not provide basic services such as education and health care, and only 12 percent of the population had access to electricity. And that was in August 2009 - months before the devastating earthquake that struck the country almost one year ago.
The 35 seconds of terror that Haiti suffered on Tuesday, Jan. 12, resulted in 230,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands… more »
Posted under: Western Hemisphere
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![Watch a video replay of Conversations With America -- Haiti in 2011 on state.gov.[State Dept. Image]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110111125001im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0110_haiti_cwa_replay_m.jpg)
On Monday, January 10, 2011, Haiti Special Coordinator Thomas Adams and InterAction President & CEO Sam Worthington will hold a discussion on "Haiti in 2011: The Way Forward." The discussion will be moderated by Philip J. Crowley, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Public Affairs. The event will be streamed live on state.gov and here on DipNote, the Department of State's official blog, at 10:30 a.m. (EST).
In the "Conversations with America" video series, the State Department's senior leadership hold discussions live, online, with government… more »
Posted under: Western Hemisphere
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About the Author: Luke Forgerson serves as DipNote's Managing Editor.
Last week, we celebrated the New Year and took the opportunity to reflect on the year behind us as well as the one ahead of us. Assistant Secretary Arturo Valenzuela looked back at the events and issues that shaped the Americas in 2010. Secretary Clinton began her 2011 in South America, where she attended the inauguration of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on January 1.
Last week, Secretary Clinton also met with Japanese Minister of Foreign… more »
Posted under: Behind the Scenes
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![Secretary Clinton boards plane in Beirut, Lebanon, April 26, 2009. [State Department Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110111125001im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0716_clinton_departs_m.jpg)
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is traveling to the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Qatar from January 8-13. At each stop, Secretary Clinton will consult with government officials on a full range of regional and bilateral issues, and emphasize the importance of government-civil society engagement. In addition to these meetings, the Secretary will engage with civil society and community leaders in each country working to help citizens realize shared aspirations for progress. This engagement underscores the U.S. commitment to support civil society and promote partnerships that lead to prosperity for the people of the region.
In Qatar, the Secretary will participate in the Seventh Forum for the Future, a joint initiative of the countries of the Broader Middle East and North Africa region (BMENA) and the industrialized countries of the Group of Eight (G-8). The… more »
Posted under: Travel Diary
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![Southern Sudanese women line up to cast their votes in Juba, Sudan, Jan. 9, 2011. [AP Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110111125001im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0109_sudan_polling_m.jpg)
Statements by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton | Ambassador Susan Rice
Following is the text of a joint statement by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Støre, and United Kingdom Foreign Secretary William Hague on the start of polling for the Southern Sudan referendum.
Begin Text:
We welcome the start of polling today for the Southern Sudan Referendum. This represents a historic step towards completion of Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement. We recognise the significant progress which has been made in recent weeks towards preparing for the referendum, including the… more »
Posted under: Africa
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![People register to vote in Torit, Sudan, November 15, 2010. [USAID]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110111125001im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_1216_sudan_m.jpg)
Today, President Barack Obama published an Op-Ed in The New York Times, in which he addresses the Southern Sudan referendum. The text of the Op-Ed appears below.
"In Sudan, an Election and a Beginning"
President Barack Obama
January 8, 2011
NOT every generation is given the chance to turn the page on the past and write a new chapter in history. Yet today -- after 50 years of civil wars that have killed two million people and turned millions more into refugees -- this is the opportunity before the people of southern Sudan.
Over the next week, millions of southern Sudanese will vote on whether to remain part of Sudan or to form their own independent nation. This process -- and the actions of Sudanese leaders -- will help… more »
Posted under: Africa
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![A woman returns to her home in Haiti after repairs by USAID-funded teams, Dec. 16, 2010. [USAID]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110111125001im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_1_7_haiti_potw_m.jpg)
More photos: U.S. Department of State's Flickr photostream | State@Work
Josette Colin returned to her earthquake-damaged home in the Simmond-Pele neighborhood of Port-au-Prince after USAID/OFDA-funded Pan American Development Foundation teams made it habitable again. USAID's Kendra Helmer captures the joy attached to the homecoming.
January 12 is the one-year anniversary of Haiti's devastating earthquake. Cheryl Mills, Counselor and Chief of Staff to Secretary Clinton, and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah opened the State Department's daily press briefing… more »
Posted under: Western Hemisphere
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Jan. 10: Sam Worthington, President and CEO of InterAction, held a conversation with Secretary Clinton's Haiti Special Coordinator Thomas Adams, on continued U.S. support to Haiti. more »
Ambassador Goosby (Jan. 10): "Since 2004, the U.S. has been a strong supporter of Haiti's fight against HIV/AIDS through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR." more »
@usmariaotero shares how one organization is helping to transform the banking sector in #Haiti: http://go.usa.gov/ryK #Hait1Year