Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, and Croatia from October 29 to November 2.
On October 30 in Algeria, the Secretary will consult with President Bouteflika on issues of bilateral and regional concern and will follow up the productive discussions on economic and security cooperation at the U.S-Algeria Strategic Dialogue held in Washington on October 19.
The Secretary will then travel to the Balkans to demonstrate the enduring U.S. interest, commitment and support for its future in the European and Euro-Atlantic community. She will be joined by Baroness… more »
About the Author: Kathleen Guerra serves as Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala.
As diplomats, one of our most important functions is to get to know the people of our host country. What do they think about what's happening in the world? How do they view the critical issues of the day in their country? And what is their opinion on the United States?
Here in Guatemala, as Cultural Affairs Officer, I am lucky to have a job that allows me to do just that. I travel to many remote sites around the country, to check up on our English teaching programs or to visit an archaeological site we support with a grant from the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation. I meet a wide variety of people from all over Guatemala: young, old, rural, urban, rich, poor, male, female. I talk to them, and I learn a lot about their lives.
But some things, like gender-based violence, I will never understand. This issue was central in a visit last Friday by Ambassador-at-Large… more »
The recent growth of tech start-ups in sub-Saharan Africa is starting to create a buzz.
And what's not to be excited about? Tech companies created in Africa, by Africans, to address local and global problems have untold potential to change the world. After judging a recent Global Innovations in Science and Technology boot camp in West Africa, venture capitalist Scott Hartley said, "Providing guidance for the top one percent of innovators likely improves the lives of the 99 percent."
Personal computer usage in Africa is exceptionally low at two percent and Internet penetration is only about 14 percent. However, with indications that tech start-ups, tech… more »
As the Acting Special Representative for Global Food Security, I lead U.S. diplomacy on food security and nutrition, and last week was a particularly busy one for the food security team.
I started the week in Rome for World Food Day, which recognizes the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization, and to participate in this year's UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS).
At CFS, I highlighted the progress made under the G-8 New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition in mobilizing the private sector to help lift 50 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa out of poverty over the next 10 years, and the expansion of our efforts to accelerate private sector investment to agriculture in Africa.
About the Author: Stephanie Grosser serves as a Program Analyst with the USAID Development Credit Authority.
Last week, the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Mission in Uganda and the USAID Development Credit Authority released a video that will make you rethink development. The video tells the story of a private infrastructure project on a remote island in Uganda, where a USAID co-guarantee spurred private sector investment.
In the 1960s, during USAID's founding decade, official development assistance represented 70 percent of all capital flows to developing countries. Today, foreign aid makes up just 13 percent, having been replaced over time by trade, investment, and other sources of private capital.
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 »
In 2011, the eastern Horn of Africa was reeling from the region’s most severe drought in 60 years. Progress has been made over the last year, yet some 9 million people are still in need of assistance in the Horn of Africa. Learn more about the crisis, and how you can help.
Two very significant issues also impede development in Africa: corruption and illicit activities, and tenuous political and security situations.…
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I beg to differ with Henry! The work and history of USAID in Malawi is immeasurable. I cannot quantify, the benefit our people have had from the various channels…
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From October 29 to November 2, Secretary Clinton will travel to Algeria and the Balkans. On October 30 in Algeria, she will consult with President Bouteflika on issues of bilateral and regional concern. The Secretary will then travel to the Balkans. more »
![Secretary Clinton boards plane in Beirut, Lebanon, April 26, 2009. [State Department Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20121029204713im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0716_clinton_departs_m.jpg)
![Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer appears at a Women Moving Forward event in Guatemala, October 19, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://web.archive.org/web/20121029204713im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_1028_women_guat_m.jpg)
![This Ugandan entrepreneur receives financing to expand his business courtesy of USAID's Development Credit Authority, a sponsor of DEMO Africa. [Photo by Morgana Wingard]](https://web.archive.org/web/20121029204713im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_1026_africa_tech_m.jpg)
![A Kenyan man shows millet he has grown at his farm in Siranga in western Kenya, July 18, 2012. [USAID/Kenya photo/ Public Domain]](https://web.archive.org/web/20121029204713im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_1019_kenya_sorghum_m.jpg)
