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A Snapshot of
Public Diplomacy in Action
Tara D. Sonenshine, Under Secretary of State for
Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
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Greetings!
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf signed The U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue to expand the cooperation between our countries and establish working groups in three key areas: agriculture and food security; energy and power infrastructure; and human development with a special emphasis on education and economic opportunity. The Dialogue was the perfect culmination of a great friendship, as well as our public diplomacy programs that work to empower women and civil society in Liberia.
As you can see from the examples below, we continue our core mission of engaging face-to-face using 21st century statecraft to communicate U.S. foreign policy and American values to people in all corners of the world.
For example, we brought American filmmakers to lead workshops in Iraq. We reached out to women scholars in Afghanistan. Our xBorder Games used social media to build bonds among 45 alumni from our public diplomacy programs in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, while social media also supported our efforts to promote Ghana's democratic transition. In Argentina we made a video to promote study in the U.S., and our DanceMotion USA is connecting young American dancers from Chicago, IL and Philadelphia, PA with people in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
As we work to promote values such as inclusiveness, tolerance, diversity and democracy, I want to make sure we are focused on supporting the needs of disabled communities. We do many programs and projects, such as Embassy Kathmandu's hosting in December of a digital video conference with 70 non-governmental organization activists working on disability issues. And since 2002, our own Sports United division has included the theme of Sport and Disability in its open grant competition, with exchanges scheduled this year for Brazil and Mexico. But we will continue to do more, through our exchange programs, cultural outreach, internships and internal support, and State Department leadership on international disability rights.
Sincerely,
Tara D. Sonenshine
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Public Diplomacy Programs
Programs by Area for the Week of January 7, 2013
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Bureau of African Affairs (AF)
Supporting Ghana's Democratic Transition Through Social Media: A White House delegation headed by Millennium Challenge Corporation CEO Daniel
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Yohannes and AF Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson visited Ghana for the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama. Embassy Accra made a special effort to highlight the United State's participation through social media, using Facebook and Twitter to announce the U.S. delegation, cover its meetings and share photographs, one of which was used by the state owned Ghana Broadcast Corporation to emphasize foreign dignitary attendance. Public Affairs Section Accra also sent photos to U.S. Embassies in countries whose head of state attended the inauguration, in order to stimulate additional online discussion and support for democracy in Africa. The world's attention on Ghana's peaceful transition provided an excellent opportunity to use social media to reach a wide audience and highlight the United State's participation in the inauguration.
Teaching Tanzanian Youth About Business: Tanzanian hip-hop singer and International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumna Witness Mwaijaga introduced the documentary film "How to Write a
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Hip-hop singer Witness Mwaijaga with Tanzanian students.
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Business Plan" and gave a presentation on her experiences as an entrepreneur to a group of young people hosted by Embassy Dar es Salaam. The program underscored the leadership of alumni like Witness, whose contributions promote development and empower youth in their country and communities. Witness emphasized the importance of promoting empowerment of women and entrepreneurship for economic development, and the values of hard work, self confidence, and perseverance in the pursuit of achieving dreams and goals.
Supporting Girls' Education in Sudan: Embassy
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CDA Stafford cuts the ribbon on the new library.
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Khartoum Charg� d'Affaires Joe Stafford provided a set of "My Arabic Library" books, along with English materials, to a girls' primary school in a low-income area of Khartoum. Students put on a performance of songs, dancing and a short play to thank the Embassy for the contribution of the materials. The donation provided an opportunity for personal contact with a population that often misunderstands the U.S., and allowed post to reach out to underprivileged youth, especially girls.
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Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG)
Reach of Radio Sawa Expands in Libya: The  Broadcasting Board of Governors has just launched a transmitter in Misrata, providing Radio Sawa's latest news and information to citizens in the northwestern Libyan city. The Misrata FM channel marks the third transmitter launched in Libya since the fall of former leader Moammar Gadhafi.
"Getting a clear signal into Libya is critical," said Andr� Mendes, the BBG's Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer. "We're delighted that we've been able to complete the installation despite this period of uncertainty in Libya and now can reach a larger audience than ever before in this pivotal country." [Read more]
VOA Show ZirZameen Explores Art and Activism: Unconventional artists and activists narrate their own stories on a new VOA program that seeks to connect underground communities in Iran and the rest of the world.
The twice-monthly TV and web program called ZirZameen is produced by Voice of America's Persian Service and is available in both English and Farsi editions. The show, hosted by Mehrnoush Karimian, premiered in December and is available on social media sites, the VOA Persian satellite stream and on Livestation, a 24/7 Internet streaming platform. [Read More]
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ZirZameen - Episode 1: Karim Jabbari, eL Seed & Meryem Saci
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Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP)
Ambassador Kim Hosts New Year's Party with Social Media Friends: Embassy Seoul arranged a New Year's party for the Embassy's online friends. Out of 35,000 people following Post's various social media  accounts, 20 were invited based on their online activity. Among the guests were a Japanese executive, Americans working for Korean firms, Korean students, a university professor, and other bright people from all over the Republic of Korea. The party was a hit with a white elephant game and question and answer session with the Ambassador. The Ambassador wrote a blog about the party, and the Embassy will post an "Ask the Ambassador" YouTube video highlighting the event. The Ambassador will continue this type of online-offline engagement with innovative netizens in the future.
English Series Wraps Up at Jakarta's @america: For four months, hundreds of Indonesian English teachers gathered every Saturday morning to
 take part in the series "Shaping the Way We Teach English," taught by the Regional English Language Officer and English Language Fellows. The teachers came to @america in Jakarta or participated via digital link at the Consulate in Medan and the American Corner in Yogyakarta. The Embassy Jakarta Public Affairs Officer and Consulate Medan Principal Officer awarded certificates of completion to Jakarta and Medan participants. The course was very successful and will be implemented again in the future.
President Obama's Cutout "Tours" Hong Kong:
In the lead-up to the U.S. Presidential Inauguration, Consulate Hong Kong began a social media project that included photos, videos and travelling cardboard cutouts of President Obama and the First Lady. The first three  Consulate Hong Kong Facebook posts of "President Obama" riding the Mid-Levels Escalator and standing in a Mass Transit Railway (MTR) station generated 42 comments, and 213 likes. Public Affairs Section Hong Kong will complete the project on January 21, 2013 with a video montage of the cutout President's "tour" of Hong Kong.
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Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)
Building Bridges with Burma through Basketball: The first-ever Burmese Sports Visitor Program tipped off on January 8 when ECA Assistant Secretary Ann Stock and Brooks Meeks, NBA's Vice
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Assistant Secretary Ann Stock joins young Burmese athletes for a photo after their orientation at the Department of State.
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President of Basketball Operations-International, gave the group of six boys and six girls an enthusiastic welcome to the State Department. The 12 young adults participated in ten days of sports related programming that focused on team building, conflict resolution, leadership skills, and disability sports. Assistant Secretary Stock emphasized that the group's sports diplomacy activities would be "an adventure with lessons that apply on and off the court."
DanceMotion USA Begins Global Youth Engagement with D.C. Area Youth: The Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and IllStyle and Peace Productions dance companies stopped in Washington, D.C. en route to their overseas tours to Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine (IllStyle and Peace Productions) and Algeria, Tunisia, and
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Assistant Secretary Stock with IllStyle Dancers at the DanceMotion Orientation.
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Spain (The Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.) Both companies presented workshops for 75 students at Arlington's Kenmore Middle School, whose Principal, Dr. John A. Word, is a Fulbright alumnus. The two dance companies met with ECA Assistant Secretary Ann Stock, the Cultural Programs Division Staff and Press and Public Diplomacy Regional Bureau Representatives before heading overseas to share the American Dance experience with their international audiences.
IVLP Supports Global Conference for UN World Tourism Organization: Seven officials from Zambia's Ministry of Tourism began an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on January 7 to support their planning of the 20th session of the United Nations
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Assistant Secretary Stock speaks with Zambian Tourism Officials.
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World Tourism Organization General Assembly, which will take place in Zambia in August 2013. During their IVLP program the officials examined how to plan a world conference, including best practices, leveraging partnerships, and capitalizing on them for longer term benefit beyond the conference. The group met with ECA Assistant Secretary Ann Stock in Washington, D.C., and travelled to Philadelphia, PA, and New York, NY for further meetings.
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Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR)
Ambassador Moon Promotes Federation Constitutional Reform in Bosnia: The weekly political magazine "Odgovorite ljudima/Respond to the People" featured an interview on January 9 with Ambassador Moon regarding Federation constitutional  reform. Ambassador Moon highlighted the need to make the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina more streamlined and functional, and noted that, together with partners from the international community, the Embassy will organize a conference in spring 2013 on Federation constitutional reform. He noted that the Embassy expects that experts, non-governmental organization representatives, academics, and others will suggest constructive and pragmatic proposals on how to reform the Federation and said proposals would then be presented to both the citizens and political party leaders. Asked about specific parameters for reform, the Ambassador rejected the possibility of further geographical division of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and noted that the creation of a third entity was not on the tabl.
Live to the People in Albania: On January 8, Ambassador Alexander Arvizu conducted a live web chat on the Embassy's Facebook page. The two-hour chat session generated over 200 direct questions, 359 comments, and  35 responses from the Ambassador on issues including the June 23, 2013 Albanian elections, the Central Election Commission (CEC), the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), and personal questions about what it is like to serve as an ambassador in Albania. All media stations covered the event and all Albanian news agencies live-blogged with online presences. The news agencies posted transcripts of the conversation in real time with regular updates as the Ambassador added new responses. Posts related to the web chat received over 30,000 views and generated over 800 new likes and counting.
Embassy Ankara helps Syrian Boy Gets a New Lease on Life in the United States: On January 3, Mission Turkey posted a Facebook story and video, about Americans' assistance to a young Syrian boy. Eleven year old Abed recently lost his leg in a missile  attack in Syria. His 19-year old brother Omar carried Abed across the Turkish border to safety after the attack. The brothers' parents and seven sisters remain in Syria. The Global Medical Relief Fund paid for Abed's and Omar's travel and lodging, while the Shriners' Children's Hospital in Philadelphia is financing Abed's medical care, including a new prosthetic leg and rehabilitation. Because the boys were unable to get valid Syrian travel documents and based on the boys' urgent need and extenuating circumstances, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security used its authority to grant "humanitarian parole" for the brothers to enter the United States. The U.S. Embassy in Ankara translated the boys' documents and helped to expedite procedures. Their story continues to garner likes on Mission Turkey's Facebook page, underscoring U.S. humanitarian assistance to Syrians.
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International Information Programs (IIP)
Cousteau Blog Post Sets Record on "Our Planet": World celebrity explorer and environmental advocate  Philippe Cousteau's guest blog post surpassed all records as the most popular post on the Our Planet Facebook page, reaching nearly 1.2 million fans. Several prominent environmental organizations and Cousteau himself retweeted the post on Twitter, reaching thousands of additional tweeters.
Wildlife Conservation Captivates Muscovites: Stephanie Leontiev, a New York University student and co-founder of the Youth for Conservation Forum (YFCF), engaged 80 7th-11th graders at the Slavic Anglo-American School 'Marina' as well as adults at the American Center in Moscow on wildlife conservation. YFCF raises awareness about wildlife conservation and biodiversity issues, especially saving wild tigers from extinction. Leontiev encouraged her audiences, especially youth, to get involved and join YFCF in its efforts by forming their own chapter.
Persian Speaking Fans Passionate about Recycling: On January 5, Vision of America (Persian) posted innovative recycling ideas on their Facebook page which caught fans' attention, generating 220 shares and collecting more  than 1,300 likes. Ideas such as reusing plastic beverage bottles as planters accounted for the above-average activity following the post. "This is a very interesting and innovative idea and can be used in many developing countries..." and "Wow, it reduces our waste and helps us manage agriculture" were among the dozens of positive comments.
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Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA)
Baghdad Exchange Alumni Councils Promote Human Rights, Rule of Law, through Film: As part of the American Film Showcase (AFS) the Baghdad Public Affairs  Section welcomed American documentary directors Marilyn Agrelo ("Mad Hot Ballroom") and Roland Legiardi-Laura ("To Be Heard") for a series of workshops, screenings, and discussions with Iraqi filmmakers, students, journalists, poets, government officials, as well as a special group of orphans. Marilyn Agrelo paid a special visit to the Iraqi Safe House for Orphans, which was the subject of the documentary film "In My Mother's Arms" by Iraqi film director Mohammed al Dardji. The visitors helped young Iraqi filmmakers to develop, edit, fund and distribute film concepts. Hip-Hop Artists Showcase American Culture in Manama: American hip-hop artists Edan Portnoy and Paten Locke and hip-hop dancer Frankie Perez did two performances and conducted an interactive workshop  with Bahraini youth January 4-7 through a program sponsored by the U.S. Embassy. At the workshop the performers discussed the history of DJ-ing and hip-hop culture and demonstrated some basic DJ-ing techniques, including scratching and back-spinning, as well as taught the participants various break dancing techniques. Jerusalem: American Corner Salfeet "Advances to Go" with Monopoly-style Program: The board game Monopoly has proven a potent tool in fostering the  entrepreneurial spirit among Palestinian youth, while simultaneously conveying a mainstay of American culture. American Corner Salfeet hosted 20 undergraduate students from Al Quds Open University for a discussion about business plans, barriers to entry, and board games. Many enterprising ideas were proposed by the students and Public Diplomacy Officer Vin Traverso traced the proposed end products back to the common roots of an entrepreneurial spirit shared by both Palestinians and Americans.
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Al Jazeera Arabic interview with Ambassador Ford: Ambassador Ford was interviewed in Arabic by Meha Ahmed on Al Jazeera Arabic on January 4. The Ambassador emphasized the over $200 million in humanitarian aid the U.S. has provided the Syrian people, including food aid, winterization assistance, and the provision of medical supplies. Ambassador Ford also signaled support for the efforts of Joint Special Envoy Brahimi, but expressed regrets that there is a lack of results from his engagement. Lastly, Ambassador Ford said the U.S. remains deeply committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people in the future.
FPC's Embedded Journalist Program Participant Interviews President Banda: A participant from the Foreign Press Center's (FPC) 2012 Elections Program - Pilarani Phiri from Zodiak Broadcasting Radio Station in  Malawi - reported that he secured the first live phone interview with a Malawian president as a result of his Program experience. In his words: "one thing I learned while covering the elections is that the American President is always scrutinized by the public. Immediately I arrived home [and got] in touch with our 'White House' to have the President answer questions from the public. I am proud to announce that on December 31, I [was] the first Malawian journalist to have a live phone interview with the President where people [asked] questions to the President, a thing that has never happened before in my country."
Bosnian Brooklyn Nets Player Interview Makes
 Front-Page of Dnevni Avaz: The New York Foreign Press Center assisted the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo in securing an interview with Brooklyn Nets player Mirza Teletovic - a Bosnian basketball star who has recently joined the NBA - in Dnevni Avaz (Daily Voice), the leading Bosnian newspaper and news website. |
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA)
Games Promote Friendship among SCA Exchange Alumni: On January 5-6, while India and Pakistan faced each other on the cricket pitch, teams of  exchange alumni from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh engaged in the xBorder Games. Using social media tools like Google+, Storify, and Twitter, two teams comprised of alumni from each country competed in a digital scavenger hunt. The xBorder Games connected 45 alumni separated by geographic, cultural, and linguistic lines, created new friendships, and increased cross-cultural understanding. U.S. Embassies Islamabad, New Delhi and Dhaka organized the event.
Afghanistan: Finding the Next Generation of Women Leaders: During a six-week open application process, over 1,000 young women applied for the second Afghan Women Scholars program at American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), which is funded by the U.S. Embassy and provides five-year scholarships to women in the undergraduate and law programs. AUAF admissions and Embassy staff will interview over 100 finalists in Kabul, Jalalabad, Mazar, Shebarghan, and Ghor. The Women Scholars program will award 55 scholarships, with a focus on diversifying the AUAF student body and providing opportunities to young women for a university education.
Kazakhstan: Paralympian and Fulbright Scholar Inspires: Kazakhstani Junior Faculty Development Program alumnus and current Fulbright Scholar Yevgeniy Tetyukhin spoke about disability policy to an  audience of special education teachers and administrators at the University of Guam on January 8, 2013. A professor, two-time Paralympian, and lifelong disability advocate, Tetyukhin is spending a year as a guest researcher at the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Center on Disability Studies. His research focuses on disability policy in the context of globalization and multicultural diversity.
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Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA)
Annual "Baseball Visa Day" Attracts Major Leaguers and Attention to Embassy Caracas' Program: On Tuesday, January 8, U.S. Embassy Caracas held its annual "Baseball Visa Day" during which Venezuelan players and their family members obtain visas for the upcoming season in the United States. This year some 40 major leaguers and their families visited the Consular Section for their visas, and afterwards participated in a brief ceremony and reception with coverage by multiple print and television media outlets. Charg� d'Affaires (CDA) James Derham gave remarks, reminding those present that baseball was just one of many historic and cultural ties uniting Venezuela and the United States, and congratulating the players for an unprecedented season in which one Venezuelan won the batting Triple Crown (the first player to do so in 45 years), one pitched a no-hitter, another pitched a perfect game, and nine played in the World Series.
Public Affairs Section Caracas took the opportunity to promote the program "B�isbol y Amistad," (B&A) now in its seventh season. B&A Director Jos� Gregorio "Yoyo" Salas joined CDA Derham and Venezuelan baseball icon Vic Davalillo for group pictures with the players, whose ranks included 2012 World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) Pablo Sandoval, 2012 National League Champion Series MVP Marco Scutaro, F�lix Hern�ndez, Freddy Garc�a, Omar Infante, Carlos Zambrano, and Asdr�bal Cabrera, among others.
Embassy Buenos Aires Produces Videos on Life-Changing Power of International Exchange: As part of WHA's efforts to promote the life-changing power of international exchange, Public Affairs Section Buenos Aires created a video of the interviews of eight exchange students - Americans studying in Argentina and Argentines who returned from study in the United States. Local media also covered the impact of the exchanges on the student's lives.
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