Tune in for a live Jazz concert in Istanbul at 2:00PM EDT today. Learn More Here
"International Mother Earth Day is a chance to reaffirm our collective responsibility to promote harmony with nature at a time when our planet is under threat from climate change, unsustainable exploitation of natural resources and other man-made problems. When we threaten the planet, we undermine our only home – and our future survival. On this International Day, let us renew our pledges to honour and respect Mother Earth."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (center left) meets with United States President Barack Obama (center right) at the White House, in the Oval Office.11 April 2013 Washington,D.C, United States of America
UN Photo
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) meets with United States President Barack Obama at the White House, in the Oval Office.11 April 2013Washington,DC, United States of America
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon travelled to Washington, D.C. today to meet with President Barak Obama and President of the World Bank Jim Yong Kim. This morning, the Secretary-General met with senior advisors at UN office in Washington.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
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
![[United Nations Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Côte d’Ivoire Doudou Diène, UN Photo]
“We appreciate the Independent Expert’s comprehensive analysis of factors that affect the human rights environment, and look forward to working with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire and the international community to address the concerns raised in the report.” -U.S. Statement on the Independent Expert’s Report on Cote d’Ivoire (March 19, 2013)](http://25.media.tumblr.com/0ff50880ce67059207a12a309c159d05/tumblr_mjypm0oZmb1r391tko1_250.jpg)
[United Nations Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Côte d’Ivoire Doudou Diène, UN Photo]
“We appreciate the Independent Expert’s comprehensive analysis of factors that affect the human rights environment, and look forward to working with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire and the international community to address the concerns raised in the report.” -U.S. Statement on the Independent Expert’s Report on Cote d’Ivoire (March 19, 2013)
![The United States strongly supports international efforts to bring peace, security, and humanitarian relief to the people of Darfur. We unequivocally support UNAMID, the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur, and demand immediate, unimpeded access for peacekeepers and humanitarians throughout Darfur. Over the past decade the United States has provided over $7.5 billion in funding for humanitarian, transition, and peacekeeping assistance for vulnerable populations in Darfur and eastern Chad. Read More
[UN Photo]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/8c98b5bde736e24d8c375adeabe5ab8e/tumblr_mivvzs4lDR1r391tko1_250.jpg)
The United States strongly supports international efforts to bring peace, security, and humanitarian relief to the people of Darfur. We unequivocally support UNAMID, the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur, and demand immediate, unimpeded access for peacekeepers and humanitarians throughout Darfur. Over the past decade the United States has provided over $7.5 billion in funding for humanitarian, transition, and peacekeeping assistance for vulnerable populations in Darfur and eastern Chad. Read More
[UN Photo]
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
Webster University’s 18th Humanitarian Conference
Ambassador Betty E. King was the key note speaker at Webster University’s 18th Humanitarian Conference in Geneva on February 21, 2012. She noted that there was no better place to have such a conference than Geneva as it is the world headquarters for the key international health and humanitarian assistance organizations – including the World Health Organization, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the Office of the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, among others. Ambassador King also took the opportunity to highlight the U.S. commitment to humanitarian organizations reminding the audience that “Humanitarian assistance is at the very heart of U.S. foreign policy not only because we are the world leader in providing humanitarian assistance, but because we believe it is the right thing to do and, therefore, have made it an integral part of our foreign policy.”
U.S. Mission Photo by Eric Bridiers
The U.S. Postal Service released its first ever global stamp today at the United Nations headquarters in New York. “This gorgeous stamp reinforces that truth. The United States remains committed to the idea of cooperation with our international partners – in this case to facilitate international postal communications,” said U.S. Ambassador for UN Management and Reform Joseph Torsella
Strengthening UN Relations
Secretary Kerry (Feb. 14): “So we’re grateful for the leadership that is exhibited by the Secretary General, and I am committed on behalf of President Obama to make certain that we strengthen our relationship with the UN even further in the years ahead.”Full Text»
In Malawi, the Future Belongs to the Organized
David Lane serves as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome.
After an early morning departure from Tanzania, we arrived in the Malawian capital of Lilongwe in a steady rain. The rain is not always favorable for travel, but it was very welcome in Malawi after a drought during the 2012 rainy season impacted the maize crop and food security, particularly in the south. Read Full Blog Post
Timor-Leste: Not Just an Ordinary New Year
BY JUDITH FERGIN / JANUARY 01, 2013
![Flag in Timor-Leste, 2012 [U.S. Embassy photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0101_timorleste_flag_m.jpg)
Judith Fergin serves as U.S. Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.
When the people of Timor-Leste woke up this morning, their young nation had opened a new chapter in its history. Today is the first day since 1999 that there is no UN Security Council-mandated mission on the ground.
From the passage of UNSC Resolution 384 on December 22, 1975 to 1999, Timor-Leste remained on the Council’s agenda as unfinished post-colonial business. In 1999, the Security Council supported the UN-administered popular consultation in which Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence instead of continued incorporation in Indonesia; it then sadly directed the dispatch of peacekeepers as a result of post-referendum violence. A series of peacekeeping and special political missions ensued. In 2011, the final peacekeeping mission — the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) — and the government established a joint transition plan to ensure an orderly transition to post-peacekeeping. The final Security Council Resolution on Timor-Leste, number 2037 of February 23, 2012, set December 31, 2012 as the end of UNMIT’s mandate.
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