Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman pictured with UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng on March 26th, 2013, during consultations in Washington on U.S. and UN efforts on atrocity early warning, prevention and response. State Department Photos
Esther Brimmer, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations, addressed the High Level Segment of the 22nd Session of the United Nations High Level Segment February 26. ” If we are to live up to the lofty ambition that the Human Rights Council by its nature represents, all our nations – working together, despite our different histories – must harness that same potential for progress, that same drive to ensure for all the universal human rights that are their birthrights,” assistant Secretary Brimmer said in her statement. “That is the standard by which we all must be judged, not just in this twenty-second Council session, but in future sessions and in the years to come.” Full text
Today, the U.S.-India Joing Working Group on UN Peacekeeping Operations it meeting at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC. Following their morning meetings, members of the U.S. and Indian delegations took this photo in the Department’s Ralph Bunche Library. 2/13/13. State Department Photo.
Finding a Lasting Solution to Instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo
On February 11, the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings hosted a conversation with Ambassador Johnnie Carson, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African affairs, on finding a lasting solution to instability in the DRC. Watch Video
Today is the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C). An estimated 100 to 145 million women have undergone this brutal procedure, and about 3 million girls are at risk each year. Starting now, watch a live webcast of a panel of experts who will discuss successful efforts and solutions to address this issue. http://goo.gl/wX3xd
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton holds a Townterview at the Newseum in Washington, DC on January 29, 2013 at 9:30 AM. A “Townterview” is a mix of a town hall and a television interview. The concept was first introduced by the Secretary when she entered office as a way to broaden People to People engagement. This is her 59th town hall and an opportunity to engage with young people around the world in advance of her last day as Secretary of State on Friday, February 1st. Follow Secrertary Clinton’s Global Town Hall | live streaming on state.gov | live tweeting @StateDeptLive
The conference will be held at the Hilton Washington DC/Rockville Hotel & Executive Meeting Center, 1750 Rockville Pike, in Rockville, Md., on Dec. 4-6.
Keynote speakers will include Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency; John O. Brennan, assistant to President Obama for homeland security and counterterrorism; Ambassador Glyn T. Davies, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy; Mark Weatherford, deputy undersecretary for cyber security at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Press Statement
Mark C. Toner
Acting Spokesperson
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
November 6, 2012We are deeply concerned about the Republic of South Sudan’s decision to order a Human Rights Officer working for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to depart the…
Just how many people does the World Food Program feed each year? How much does that cost and where does it get the money? Find the answers to these questions and more in this infographic about WFP—the world’s largest humanitarian aid agency.
![Join Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Esther Brimmer for a discussion on U.S. priorities at the 67th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday, September 21, 9:00-9:45 a.m. EDT.
[UN Photo. A wide view of the General Assembly meeting. 03 August 2012 United Nations, New York]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_manv4eDICJ1r391tko1_250.jpg)
Join Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Esther Brimmer for a discussion on U.S. priorities at the 67th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday, September 21, 9:00-9:45 a.m. EDT.
[UN Photo. A wide view of the General Assembly meeting. 03 August 2012 United Nations, New York]
"Indigenous women suffer disproportionate rates of violence, and the U.S. government is working with tribes to address this. The Department of Justice has streamlined the process for tribes to apply for grants for public safety, awarding nearly $120 million to tribes over the past two years. It has set up a national clearinghouse for training and technical assistance concerning sexual assault of Native American women. And it is funding a project to collect and preserve sexual assault evidence in geographically isolated tribal communities. The Indian Health Service (IHS) of the Department of Health and Human Services has recently promulgated its first sexual assault policy and protocol for use in its U.S. health facilities, and the Department of the Interior is working with IHS to coordinate this protocol with law enforcement throughout Indian country in the United States."
Item 3 and 5: U.S. Country Response to the Report of the Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples
Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America
Human Rights Council 21st Session
Geneva, September 18, 2012
LIVE NOW: Preview of U.S. Priorities at the 67th Session of the UN General Assembly
Live video for mobile from Ustream
TUESDAY, SEP 18, 2012 | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Featuring
Esther Brimmer,
Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs,
U.S. State Department
with introductory remarks by
Daniel F. Runde,
Director of the Project on Prosperity and Development and Schreyer Chair in Global Analysis,
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Since the founding of the United Nations in the wake of World War II, American Administrations have employed that body’s General Assembly to introduce and strengthen the discourse around new policy ideas and address burning issues. Notable announcements in the past include President Obama’s seminal Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development at the 2010 meeting, which set the agenda for his administration’s development policy priorities.
A large number of global challenges may be on the agenda for this year, including Syria, Iran, food security, and the Horn of Africa. Please join us for remarks by Esther Brimmer, who will outline the priorities and agenda of this year’s UN General Assembly, which will convene on September 18, 2012.
"Native Americans in the United States experience high rates of poverty, illness, substance abuse, suicide, and incarceration, as well as relatively low levels of education. The United States is taking steps to alleviate these problems. President Obama’s proposed fiscal year 2013 budget allocates $19.4 billion for programs benefitting indigenous communities in education, transportation, and access to justice. The request represents a three percent increase from the amount requested for fiscal year 2012."
Item 3 and 5: U.S. Country Response to the Report of the Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples
Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America
Human Rights Council 21st Session
Geneva, September 18, 2012
"The United States thanks the Commission of Inquiry for its continued diligent and critical work during the past year responding to the grave and escalating situation in Syria. This Council must and will renew the mandate of the COI so it can continue to perform its unique role. The United States strongly urges all States to support the extension of the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry and once again calls for the Commission to be granted access to Syria. The United States also aligns itself with the joint statement read by Turkey."
Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America
Delivered by Ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe
Human Rights Council 21st Session
Geneva, September 17, 2012
HRC Mandate on Transitional Justice Sends Strong Signal That Victims Have Rights
Clustered Interactive Dialogue on the Report of the Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries and the Report of the Special Rapporteur on Truth, Justice, Reparation, and non-Recurrence
Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America
Delivered by Arsalan Suleman
Human Rights Council 21st Session
Geneva
September 11, 2012
The United States welcomes the Working Group’s focus on collecting and analyzing national legislation on private military and security companies. We view national regulation of private security company activity as the most appropriate and effective way to ensure respect for human rights and accountability for human rights-related abuses and look forward to continuing to learn from the Working Group’s research in this area. With regard to its reporting on the United States, we hope the Working Group will also take account of the new auditable American National Standards Institute Management System for Quality of Private Security Company Operations, compliance with which is now required in Department of Defense contracts and which we hope, as a matter of good practice, will become an international standard.
The United States also appreciates the Working Group’s support for the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers, thanks the Working Group for its comments on the draft Charter for the Code’s oversight mechanism, and welcomes its continued engagement in this process. We view this initiative as complementary and supportive of national regulation, and believe it has the potential to help raise industry standards and manage the risk of human rights impacts associated with private security service provision in complex environments.
Finally, for the reasons we have expressed in the context of the open-ended intergovernmental working group on PMSCs, and to use the words of the mandate of that Working Group, the United States is open to “considering the possibility of elaborating an international regulatory framework” – and, indeed, through the Montreux Document and the Code, the United States is working along this line. We also remain of the view that national law, regulation and policy can and should be improved, and hope we can work toward that end, too, in the inter-governmental working group. We were pleased to join in adopting the working group’s conclusions and recommendations a few weeks ago. But we are not prepared to support “the option of elaborating a legally binding instrument” and believe “other approaches and strategies” are more appropriate.
The United States welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and non-recurrence. The decision of the Human Rights Council to adopt a special mandate on transitional justice sends a strong signal that impunity for serious human rights violations will not be tolerated and that victims have rights. This imperative is all the more timely given events in Syria and elsewhere.
We support the SR’s integrated and comprehensive approach to the four elements of his mandate, incorporating the full range of judicial and non-judicial measures including prosecutions; truth-seeking; reparations; lustration (or barring former officials from office), memorialization; and institutional reform.
We support his recognition of the distinctive characteristics of some recent transitions and the need for a comprehensive process of national consultation, particularly with those most affected by human rights abuses and violations in contributing to a holistic transitional justice strategy. We also agree with his proposed focus on the linkage between these four elements and broader issues such as development, security, and the rule of law, and appreciate his commitment to integrating a gender perspective that takes account of the different needs and opportunities of men, women, and children.
In light of these conclusions, we call upon the members, the international community, and regional organizations to assist countries in implementing a holistic transitional justice program, to ensure the promotion and protection of human rights, and to incorporate best practices into the development and implementation of transitional justice mechanisms. We look forward to learning more from the work of the Special Rapporteur.
