In 2007, children under the age of five who were living in refugee camps in Kenya had a one in four chance of getting malaria, which can be deadly without treatment. Through distribution of insecticide treated nets, improved treatment, and community education the figure has now been reduced to less than one in fifty. Similar progress has been made in reducing the incidence of malaria in other refugee settings throughout the world, saving many young lives. It's just one example of many life-saving programs implemented by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which receives significant support from the United States.
The U.S. government, through the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, is pleased to highlight our recent $126.8 million contribution to UNHCR. With this contribution, the United States will have provided… more »
About the Author: Alberto Rodriguez serves as Spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Dr. Marilyn Wyatt, the wife of U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter, met with participants in the Lady Health Workers program at a health house in Jhelum, Pakistan on April 15, 2011. She highlighted how Americans are working with Pakistanis to save lives and improve health in poor communities.
The Lady Health Workers are receiving training through the Family Advancement for Life and Health (FALAH) project from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This four-year, $48 million program works in 15 districts in Pakistan to remove barriers to and increase information about birth spacing.
Speaking at a press conference, Dr. Wyatt said, "Evidence shows that when a woman plans her births, she has healthier children. The U.S.… more »
About the Author: Ambassador Eric Goosby serves as U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.
The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) understands the critical role of civil society, including homegrown community-based organizations, in our efforts to fight HIV/AIDS. As the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, I was pleased to announce recently that PEPFAR will provide $1.5 million to support global and regional civil society networks to provide technical support, strengthen collaborations, and build strong leadership and capacity in communities highly impacted by HIV.
Local civil society organizations are often closest to the communities most affected by HIV, and serve as essential bridges for these populations into prevention, treatment, and care. However, many local grassroots organizations are small and need help with the “how-to”… more »
Forty years ago this week, a small U.S. delegation visited China to help ease tensions between Washington and Beijing through rather unorthodox means. On April 10, 1971, nine American table tennis players, four officials, two spouses, and 10 journalists crossed a bridge from Hong Kong into mainland China to usher in the age of "Ping Pong Diplomacy." Eight days of cultural exchange contributed to a thaw in bilateral relations. In February 1972, President Richard Nixon traveled to the People's Republic of China. At a welcome banquet in Beijing, Premier Zhou Enlai praised the U.S. table tennis team for opening "a new chapter in the relations of the American and Chinese people."
New chapters in this relationship are being written every day. During the second annual U.S.-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE), Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and… more »
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon briefed reporters today on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's participation in a NATO ministerial meeting in Berlin last week. Assistant Secretary Gordon said:
"In Berlin, on the 14th and 15th in April, the Secretary, Secretary Clinton, participated in a NATO ministerial that was an opportunity to consult with key allies and partners not just on Libya, but on a wide range of other bilateral and multilateral issues. The NATO ministerial included sessions on Libya, on Afghanistan, where ISAF -- all of the ISAF partners joined NATO members, NATO's deterrence and defense posture review, NATO's partnership's in general, and specifically the NATO-Russia Council, the NATO-Georgia Commission, and the NATO-Ukraine Commission, so it was a busy couple of days.
About the Author: Alberto Rodriguez serves as Spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Over 35 students and their parents gathered April 17, 2011, at the National Library to kick off their pre-departure orientation for the U.S. government funded 2010-11 Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program. This is the ninth group of YES students from Pakistan to go to the United States. This orientation program, which is organized by the iEARN Society for International Education, plays a key role in preparing students with the required skills, attitude, and knowledge to spend a successful year in the United States.
"I am excited to see these outstanding students go to the United States," said Cultural Attache Brent Beemer. "They will be studying in U.S. schools, living with American families, and becoming part… more »
"I wish to convey in person to the Japanese people my country's admiration for your strength in the face of this multi-dimensional crisis of unprecedented scope.… more »
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto in Tokyo on April 17, 2011. Following their meeting, Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Matsumoto held a joint press conference with U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO President Thomas Donohue and Hiromasa Yonekura, chairman of the Japanese business association Nippon Keidanren. Mr. Donohue's participation underscored the U.S. business community's faith in Japan's economic recovery. Foreign Minister Matsumoto announced an agreement between the U.S. and Japanese governments to create a new public-private partnership to support reconstruction efforts… more »
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke to members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Seoul, South Korea on April 17, 2011. The Secretary said:
"...I wanted to come by to express our strong commitment to ratifying, through our Congress, the Korean free trade agreement by the end of this year. That is our goal. That is our commitment. And we need your help in order to achieve it. We are very committed to expanding jobs in the United States and in our trading partners. We think that what is happening here is vital to America's economic renewal. East Asia is home to 4 of our 10 largest trading partners. And the Asia Pacific, as all of you know so well, represents, by far, our fastest-growing export market.
"I have championed American jobs and American businesses as Secretary of State. I have been very honored and privileged to speak out on behalf… more »
Our photo of the week displays the note Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton signed in the guest book at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea. Secretary Clinton wrote, "It is an honor to be once again in the Blue House on behalf of my country and our strong continuing alliance with the Republic of Korea."
Secretary Clinton is on travel to Seoul April 16-17 to meet with President Lee Myung-bak and Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan as part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen the alliance and to discuss cooperation on regional issues, including our solidarity and support for Japan in the wake of the earthquakes and tsunami. Earlier today, Secretary Clinton discussed bilateral issues related to trade and underscored the Obama Administration's support for the U.S.-Korea… 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 »
The British along with the international community helped build Hong Kong into a major financial hub. If not this help, I feel that Hong Kong would have…
more »
Apr. 19: The United States and the African Union (AU) enjoy a strong partnership that continues to develop as we engage in areas of mutual interest spanning a variety of sectors. more »
Secretary Clinton (Apr. 19): "On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I reaffirm the commitment of the United States to stand with Ukraine and the forty-four other nations participating in the Kyiv Summit as we mark the 25th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster. more »
![Refugees at the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya are photographer, April 2002. [State Dept.]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110419235726im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0419_refugees_kenya_m.jpg)
![Dr. Wyatt vists a Health House near District Jhelum in Pakistan, April 15, 2011. [State Dept.]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110419235726im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0419_women_pakistan_m.jpg)
![PEPFAR-funded AIDS care unit, White River Junction, South Africa, Dec. 15, 2008. [AP File Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110419235726im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2010_0219_pepfar_clinic_m.jpg)
![Consul General Camp, CELAP Vice President Haishan play ping-pong, Shanghai, April 2011.[State Dept.]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110419235726im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0418_ping_pong_m.jpg)
![Pakistani students play soccer at a field in Islamabad, Pakistan, Dec. 20, 2010. [AP File Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110419235726im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0418_pakistan_students_soccer_m.jpg)
![Demonstration reflected in Benghazi, Libya reflected in man's sunglasses, April 11, 2011. [AP Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110419235726im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0417_libya_m.jpg)
![Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto and Secretary Clinton in Tokyo, April 17, 2011. [AP]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110419235726im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0417_clinton_japan_fm_m.jpg)
![Secretary Clinton at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, April 17, 2011. [AP Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110419235726im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0417_clinton_rok_m.jpg)
