Human Rights Report-Global Action:  On Friday, June 29, IIP, ECA and DRL (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor) collaborated on a multi-platform webchat discussion in which Assistant Secretary Posner responded to live questions about the recently released Human Rights Report.  Alumni of ECA exchange programs from every region raised questions about local human rights challenges, ranging from current life in Syria, to Female Genital Mutilation in Burkina Faso, to freedom of speech in Iraq and Chile. Suzanne Philion, ECA's Senior Advisor for innovation served as the moderator, directing Alumni questions from the State Alumni home page to Assistant Secretary Posner.  126 ECA Alumni from 67 countries watched live via the ECA site, including alumni from Pakistan, India, Iraq, Bahrain, Lebanon, Russia, Afghanistan, the Occupied Territories, Ukraine, Turkey and elsewhere.  140 alumni offered almost 200 questions prior to the program.  CO.NX hosted additional webchat viewers on its portal page and on Ustream, garnering an additional 581 unique views from 25 countries.  Notable participation included viewers at Embassy Conakry.  And, of the total viewership, 355 of views were from China.  

• ECA and IIP combined audiences totaled: 807 participants
• Viewing countries included: Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Germany, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, and the U.S. 
• 87% of the viewers were new to the CO.NX page.
• Many of the viewers were directed to the page by a Twitter feed on a Chinese website: http://www.weibo.com/

Secretary Clinton in Finland:  At the first stop on her most recent European tour, the Secretary participated in a climate change event hosted by Embassy Helsinki, Finland.  She highlighted Ambassador Oreck's work in championing the League of Green Embassies, a Department initiative that seeks to make U.S. Government facilities overseas models of energy efficiency as well as platforms for promoting American-made green technologies.  The Secretary's visit to a Marimekko factory and purchase of a handbag helped feed the social media buzz surrounding her trip.  Finland was the 99th country visited by Secretary Clinton; her next stop, Latvia, was her 100th. 

Sharing Approaches to Ending Female Genital Mutilation (FGM):  At a Dutch Parliament panel discussion jointly organized by Embassy The Hague and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Political Officer Thomas O'Keeffe spoke to an audience of 130 Members of Parliament and policy advocates on efforts to combat FGM, outlining opportunities for governments and civil society to advance the abandonment of this cruel and common practice.  NGO press releases highlighted the speech and an influential women's rights NGO is publishing an article detailing U.S. contributions.

Georgian Police Help Moldovan Peers Combat Corruption:  Embassy Chisinau, Moldova facilitated a visit by Georgian police officials to share their experience in combating corruption with law enforcement officials in Moldova.  Ambassador Moser urged Moldova to adopt a similar "zero tolerance" policy toward corruption.  Prime Minister Filat promised he would actively seek Georgia's assistance in reforming its justice sector, noting with a reduction in corruption, Moldova would see economic benefits.  

50 in 50 Campaign Surpasses 50K Milestone:  IIP's "50 States in 50 Days" campaign in support of the President's National Travel and Tourism Initiative has earned over 53,000 click-throughs to more information on tourism in America at Brand USA's website DiscoverAmerica.  One of the campaign's most successful days was June 21 (Illinois), when Chicago's Cloud Gate sculpture "The Bean" triggered a record 4,000+ responses on IIP's Innovation Generation  Facebook page, reaching over 127,000 fans.

U.S. Speaker Advances Muslim Outreach, CVE Goals in Pakistan:  IIP Speaker and founder and CEO of the Institute on Religion and Civic Values Shabbir Mansuri spoke in Karachi recently on diversity, tolerance and countering violent extremism (CVE).  He engaged students, religious leaders, and journalists, visited a local madrassa, led an interactive discussion at the prestigious local think tank Pakistan Institute of International Affairs, spoke at the University of Karachi and participated in several interviews and media events.  Mansuri also appeared on the Embassy's "Tea Time with the U.S." radio show and his visit generated favorable news coverage.

Iraqi and Saudi Journalists Benefit from "Youth in Politics" Foreign Press Center (FPC) Tour:  Public Affairs Section Baghdad sponsored an Iraqi print journalist to attend the "Youth in Politics" FPC reporting tour.  Traveling to Virginia and Texas, the journalist visited university campuses, youth organizations and campaign headquarters, meeting with a range of interlocutors to understand the significance of youth in politics.  On his return to Iraq, he wrote about his U.S. experiences, highlighting the importance of minorities in U.S. elections, the role of youth in politics and elections, and the overall importance of campaigning to promote a candidate.  The Saudi journalist on the program found it extremely beneficial as well, commenting that the program improved his understanding of the U.S. political system, and noted on arrival that "the nice, smiling, friendly Americans that I had known for years prior to September 11 are back!"

American Center Jerusalem Hosts Jewish and Arab Students:  "Forego violence - and you will gain your freedom" and "Imagine the world you want and create it!" were two slogans written by 50 Jewish and Arab eighth graders from Jerusalem's Hand in Hand bilingual school who attended an anti-violence program at the American Center. The full day of interactive workshops on the subject of violence in society, racism, and social change, focused on civil rights and tolerance, taking examples from U.S. history and civil rights leaders. 

U.S. and Egyptian Students Engage in Dialogue on Historic Change:  One day after the election of Mohamed Morsi as Egypt's President, five American students from Wake Forest University met with eight Egyptian students from Cairo University to discuss topics related to governance and social issues.  The American students are enrolled in an intensive Arabic language program in Cairo while studying "Politics and Identity in Egypt."  The dialogue featured viewpoints on the Muslim Brotherhood's changing role in Egyptian politics, changing domestic and foreign policy in Egypt, and U.S.-Egypt relations. 

Kyrgyzstan: Summer Camps Open:  On June 26, Public Affairs Section (PAS) Bishkek held the first of three American Corner summer camps for high school students in Bishkek, Kant and Karakol.  Programming at the five-day summer camps will focus on improving the students' English language skills, familiarize them with American culture, as well as encourage volunteerism and community leadership.  This year, eight U.S. students from Reserve Officers Training Corps' (ROTC's) CULP (Cultural Understanding and Language Proficiency) program will assist local staff in running the summer camps.  

Turkmenistan: Speed-networking for FLEX Alumni: In a variation on speed dating, PAS Ashgabat set up a meeting of alumni from all 20 years of the program.  Alumni met and talked about their experiences for three quick minutes before moving on. FLEX in Ashgabat boasts the first second generation FLEX participant this year, as the child of a FLEX alumn has been selected for the batch of FLEX students coming to America this fall.

Promoting Understanding of LGBT Rights in the Americas during Pride Month:  U.S. Mission Mexico conducted a series of activities to inform and promote understanding of rights for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) persons in support of Mission goals to build stronger, more resilient communities.  The activities included speaker programs, workshops, media outreach and a film series.  Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Deputy Director of Corporate Programs, Deena Fidas engaged young LGBT activists, government of Mexico City officials, and leading Mexican businesses through her workshops and discussions while IIP-speaker and Education Director for the National School Climate Center Richard Cardillo addressed, via digital video conference, a full house of local schoolteachers, education administrators, and journalists on best practices to address bullying, both on-line and in person.  Public Affairs Section placed an op-ed on recent actions by the U.S. to support equality for LGBT persons and received positive coverage of its three-film series at the University of Guadalajara's contemporary art institute on LGBT themes by major media outlets and social media that previously avoided reporting on the LGBT community.

Embassy Tegucigalpa sponsored a presentation by U.S. Agency for International Development officer Ken Seifert, author of the novel Rising Storm, which examines the complex relationship between religion and homosexuality.  The event included broad participation by members of the Honduran LGBT community and members of the Honduran National Police, whose relations with the LGBT community have improved due to sustained Embassy outreach and prosecutorial training.  Ambassador Kubiske echoed calls made by Uunder Secretary Otero and other high-level visitors to Honduras for progress in the investigations of violence and murders perpetrated against LGBT individuals.  The Ambassador also urged the Honduran National Assembly to enact laws sanctioning hate crimes and creating protections against discrimination in hiring.  Her statements received widespread, positive media coverage (Hondudiario, El Heraldo, La Tribuna, Proceso).  LGBT groups, including those from the political resistance who have sometimes been critical of the United States, were effusive in their praise for the event, and thanked the Ambassador for the public attention her statements brought to their cause.

Paula Uribe, WHA senior advisor, participated in a Spanish-language LiveAtState web chat with journalists, public officials and activists from the region, invited by our Public Affairs Sections, to discuss the Department's advocacy on protecting the human and civil rights of the LGBT community.  Drawing almost a dozen participants from Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, and Argentina, the program focused on the important work the United States is doing to build awareness of the issue among governments and civil society. 

U.S. Embassy Sponsors National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Performance:  In celebration of the Centro Cultural de Musica's 70th anniversary and as part of a South American tour, the National Symphony Orchestra (based in Washington, D.C.) performed at the Auditorio Nacional Adela Reta (Sodre).  The U.S. Embassy partially sponsored the event.  Ambassador Reynoso, along with Embassy staff and contacts, attended the concert.  The Public Affairs Section also held a Facebook contest for fans interested in attending the event.  Ambassador Reynoso met with Maestro Christoph Eschenbach, NSO director, and celebrated cellist Claudio Boh�rquqez, a Uruguayan-American who performed a solo during the concert.  The audience warmly received the NSO, which performed three encores for the delighted crowd.  The Public Affairs Section also supported the program through media, arranging the interview of Mr. Eschenbach with weekly B�squeda (circulation 20,000).  U.S. Embassy sponsorship of the event forms part of the Public Affairs Section's Month of American Music, in which the U.S. Embassy will present American musicians in diverse concerts and events in Uruguay.