State and DoD Collaborate on African Media Workshop: AF/Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (PDPA) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) collaborated to organize a symposium on "Military and the Media" for 65 journalists and military Public Affairs Officers from 13 African nations and the U.S.  Hosted by AFRICOM staff in Garmisch, Germany, the workshop brought together the two groups to share insights, sharpen professional skills, and build valuable relationships.  AF/PDPA sponsored Voice of America trainers who conducted sessions with the African journalists, while AFRICOM specialists worked with the African military Public Affairs Officers.  The two groups came together for joint sessions and presentations by senior DoD and State officials.  

Ambassador and American Rabbi Meet Young Muslims in Cameroon:  Ambassador Jackson addressed members of the Cameroon Muslim Students Union (CAMSU), the most influential Muslim youth organization in the country, at their annual conference in Douala.  The Ambassador urged the young leaders to continue to be agents of religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue. Although the Embassy has had relations with CAMSU for over a decade and its president is a recent International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alum, this was the first time a U.S. Ambassador addressed CAMSU at their annual conference.  The Embassy also supported the visit of Rabbi Abraham Ingber, Founding Director of Interfaith Community Engagement at Xavier University in Cincinnati, as a speaker at the conference. Rabbi Ingber delivered two presentations that highlighted religious pluralism and tolerance in the U.S.  Rabbi Ingber was invited to the conference by CAMSU president Ismail Boyomo, who met Ingber during his participation in the 2012 IVLP program on Religious Tolerance and Interfaith Dialogue.

TechCamp Launches in Senegal:  Embassy Dakar Public Affairs and Economic Sections helped launch the first-ever global TechCamp in Africa.  After an opening reception with remarks by Ambassador Lukens and tech guru Marieme Jamme, TechCamp took off for two packed days of interactive sessions around mobile agriculture, or "mAgriculture." Participants interacted with 71 different agricultural non-governmental organizations (NGO) and learned from 20 "technologists," including 10 international trainers.  Agriculture is crucial to Senegal's development, and a priority for the Mission, including USAID and its programs.  In Senegal, 87% of the population owns a mobile device, while only 20% have direct access to the Internet.  Getting the NGOs to learn about and engage in mAgriculture should propel Senegal's agricultural development.  What's more, TechCamp gave the Public Affairs Section the opportunity to engage with new groups of young entrepreneurs and to showcase Senegal as a leading partner with the U.S. in high tech solutions to economic development.  

Pacific Island Forum Events Highlight People-to-People Ties with the Pacific:  Secretary Clinton became the first Secretary of State to attend the Pacific Island Forum (PIF).  In addition to engaging with leaders from around the Pacific, the Secretary highlighted the importance of the Pacific in our strategic vision for the Asia-Pacific.  Several public events focused on our people-to-people ties including two public events on peace and security in the Pacific and sustainable development, where the Secretary showcased how the U.S. government works side-by-side with Pacific partners to ensure the good stewardship of natural resources, the safety of citizens and communities, and respect for international law on which economic development and prosperity depends.  The Secretary also discussed with women leaders from government, civil society and multilateral organizations how to promote gender equality throughout the Pacific region.

Secretary Clinton Visits Indonesia, Highlights ASEAN Partnership:  During her visit to Indonesia, the Secretary held a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Natalegawa, where she described the U.S.- Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership as a foundation for America's renewed engagement in the Asia-Pacific.  At another joint press event, this one with Secretary General Surin of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Secretary spoke of the importance of the U.S.-ASEAN relationship in promoting regional stability and economic progress, and in highlighting our programs that build citizen exchanges and engage youth in our bilateral and multilateral relationships. 

Historic visit to Timor-Leste:  In the first-ever visit by a Secretary of State to Timor-Leste, Secretary Clinton traveled to Dili to commemorate the country's 10th anniversary as an independent state.  The Secretary held a joint press event with Prime Minister Gusmao and visited the Timor Coffee Cooperative, a USAID-funded project that supports rural economic development.

Under Secretary Launches New Diplomatic Culinary Partnership:  On September 7, Under Secretary Sonenshine and U.S. Chief of Protocol Capricia Penavic Marshall launched the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership at the State Department.  As part of this initiative, 25 culinary arts professionals from Burma, Libya, Palestinian Territories, South Africa, and other countries around the world will participate in an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) exchange.  In addition to experiencing different aspects of our food culture and industry, the exchange will highlight Global Economic Statecraft by promoting American food products and supporting export and trade.    

TechWomen Mentorship Program Commences in San Francisco:  From across the Middle East and North Africa, 41 women leaders in technology arrived in California on September 5, to begin a five-week professional mentorship program with their American counterparts.  Professional mentors come from over thirty technology companies in Silicon Valley and the greater San Francisco area including Facebook, Google, Twitter, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, and Oracle, which hosted an orientation for the group.

ECA Helps Afghans & Egyptians Experience U.S. Democracy:  Afghans and Egyptians participating in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) saw U.S. politics and democracy in action.  The Egyptians- including five political party staffers- visited Washington, DC and Des Moines, Iowa and the cities that hosted political party conventions: Tampa, Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina.  Eight Afghan participants visited Washington, DC and made stops in the election battleground states of Wisconsin and Florida.

Interview with U.S. Supreme Court Judge Stephen Breyer Highlights Resilience of American Democracy:  U.S. Embassy, The Hague arranged an interview for visiting U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer with the main Dutch daily, The NRC Handelsblad.  The interview, published on September 3, covered the role of the Court in sustaining American democracy, the Justice's views on what the Court should do, and his personal devotion to the U.S. Constitution.  The NRC Handelsblad is an influential, leading evening daily with a circulation of 200,000 and significant reach through its website.

Smithsonian Spark!Lab Opens in Ukraine:  On September 5 Ambassador John T. Tefft opened the Smithsonian-Lemelson Center's Spark!Lab, a month-long exhibit at the Art Arsenal Museum (Mystetskyi Arsenal) in Kyiv supported by a Public Affairs Section grant.  Smithsonian-Lemelson Center Deputy Director Jeff Brody and Ukrainian Ombudsman for Children's Rights Yuri Pavlenko also participated in the opening.  This is the first international exhibit of Spark! Lab which encourages kids to conceive, design, build and develop their inventions in an interactive laboratory.  Over 200 educators, students and young volunteers were on hand for the opening which was covered by major television stations.  Thousands of students are expected to visit the exhibit, which is staffed by volunteers from local universities who are trained by Lemelson Center education specialists. Spark! Lab is the Public Diplomacy contribution to the U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Partnership Commission's Science and Technology Working Group. 

Judy and Dennis Shepard Stump for LGBT Rights in Europe:  On September 3 and 4, Judy and Dennis Shepard participated in two jam-packed days of outreach in Poland to parents of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) individuals, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), parliamentarians, TV reporters, and others. As co-founders of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, Judy and Dennis Shepard have worked tirelessly to expand LGBT rights and protections through the legal system, while changing hearts and minds by telling the tragic story of their son's murder due to hate and intolerance.  The State Department sponsored the Shepards on a five-country European outreach trip.  The first leg of the Shepards' trip took place in  Warsaw, Poland and was co-sponsored by the  Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH, in Polish) - one of Poland's leading LGBT organizations. More than one hundred people - including parliamentarians, activists, cultural figures, and journalists - gathered to meet the Shepards at a reception hosted by Ambassador Lee Feinstein.  They gave half a dozen media interviews, including a thirteen-minute spot on "Dzien Dobry TVN," one of Poland's most popular morning television programs and participated in a Hate Crimes Conference at the Polish Parliament, sponsored by Parliamentarian Robert Biedroń, the only openly gay man in the Polish Parliament.  They concluded their program in Poland as guests of honor at a dinner hosted by the board of the Campaign Against Homophobia. 

Positive Coverage of Cairo 'Open Mic' Event:  At least five television stations and newspapers covered an 'Open Mic' sexual harassment awareness event at the IIP-supported Information Resource Center in Egypt last week.  More than 80 people from different backgrounds and ages discussed harassment on Cairo's streets and at the work place, as well as solutions.  Both women and men spoke courageously, giving personal context to the growing problem and demonstrating the need for change.  Participants expressed an interest in future cooperation with the embassy on the issue, and the Facebook event page became a discussion board on which the dialogue continued.    

U.S. Consulate Guangzhou Draws Thousands with IIP's Moveable Space: More than 5,000 people visited the U.S. Consulate's moveable space booth at the Guangzhou Fair.  This was the moveable space's first use in China and post's foreign commercial service and agricultural trade offices requested its future use.  The Guangzhou Fair, housed in one of the largest exhibition centers in Asia, attracted visitors from more than 70 cities and countries to promote Chinese domestic and international trade as well as cultural exchange. 

Team Approach Extends Traveling Speaker's Reach: U.S. Embassy Wellington and IIP collaborated to extend the global reach of U.S. Speaker Emily Banks, of the social media blog Mashable, by adding a webchat on social media responsibility in news reporting to her schedule.  The webchat attracted participants from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, and Malaysian television station Astro Awani will rebroadcast the discussion.  Topics included tools to verify news through social media, ethical questions involved in reporting in this new age, digital privacy and freedom, information governance, and censorship.

Humanitarian Assistance to Syria:  During his visit to Jordan, USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah announced that the United States is providing an additional $21 million to the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) to aid those affected by the violence in Syria.  The announcement received wide coverage across the region and around the world.  Administrator Shah did interviews with Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, Suriya al Shaab and Orient TV to discuss the announcement and U.S. efforts to provide food assistance to conflict-affected people inside Syria and support Syrians displaced to neighboring countries.  Administrator Shah also commended the generosity of Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq in assisting the approximately 240,000 Syrians who have fled their country. 

U.S. Embassy Brasilia DCM Todd Chapman meets Brazilian Journalists at NYFPC:  On Tuesday, September 4, the New York Foreign Press Center (NYFPC) hosted a roundtable discussion for three Brazilian journalists featuring Todd Chapman, the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) of the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia.  In a first for the NYFPC, DCM Chapman conducted the program entirely in Portuguese.   Correspondents from Record TV and Folha de Sao Paolo attended, as did Brazilian travel writer Katia Zero, the author of a best-selling book in Brazil on travel in the U.S. DCM Chapman, who was visiting New York to meet with U.S business and economic groups, touched on many topics that he identified as U.S. priorities in Brazil, including strengthening trade and economic ties, increasing student exchanges and improving visa processing.  The journalists were delighted by the opportunity to meet a senior U.S. Embassy official and impressed by DCM Chapman's Portuguese fluency.   

Building a Network of Change-makers in Nepal:  More than 40 young leaders participated in "Generation Change" programs sponsored by the Office of the Special Representative for Muslim Communities in Kathmandu and Nepalgunj (once the hub of the Maoist insurgency). The program unites a global network of young Muslims working on community-based service projects, building bridges between people of different backgrounds and faiths, and countering extremist narratives.  Pakistani-American trainer Wajahat Ali guided participants in developing leadership, public speaking, goal-setting, and teamwork skills.  Participants developed ideas to combat educational inequity, pollution and climate change, drug abuse, corruption, and unemployment. Selected participants will receive Public Affairs Section grants to make their projects a reality.

South Asian Alumni Discuss Climate Change:  On August 29, Embassy Islamabad hosted a multi-country digital video conference for alumni of U.S. government exchange programs in order to engage across borders on environmental issues.  Alumni from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nepal discussed drought, solid waste, and potable drinking water.  There was a consensus that the younger generation should promote regional cooperation on environmental problems, and that alumni should work to raise awareness among youth.  Other suggestions included sharing data and technology, updating regional cooperation documents, increased dialogue among environmental professionals, the mobilization of civil society, promoting policy on climate change, and the participation of Afghanistan as a full member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation rather than in an observer capacity.

Bangladesh: South Asian English Educators Conference: University, secondary level, and madrassa teachers from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Nepal gathered in Dhaka for workshops on innovative English language teaching practices and ways to better utilize national curriculum texts. The conference was the last of six offered by the Bangladesh English Language Teachers' Association through an Embassy grant that provided training to nearly 1,000 teachers nationwide who collectively teach over 100,000 Bangladeshi students.