Gender Integration Efforts in the Field

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton participates in a women's empowerment event in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 20, 2010. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: E. Anthony Wayne serves as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.

Last month, I participated in a conference with my fellow U.S. Ambassadors and other U.S. diplomats in Washington, D.C. At the opening event, on March 13, 2012, Secretary Clinton announced that she was releasing the first-ever policy guidance on gender integration for the State Department. This new guidance instructs our embassies and bureaus to implement specific steps to promote gender equality and advance the status of women and girls in all of our work in order to further both our national security and foreign policy goals. You can read more about the policy guidance… more »

“Visa Festival” Assists Argentines With Their Future Travel to the U.S.
Argentinians Are Given Visas

About the Author: Shannon B. Farrell serves as the press attache at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Marco Vermaasen, a press specialist at U.S. Embassy Buenos Aires, contributed to this entry.

Who was President of the Continental Congress? In what city did the United States declare independence? These are a few of the trivia questions Argentine citizens answered on July 4, 2011, during a celebration at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires. This event was not just a traditional Independence Day gathering, however. On a day when many Americans were relaxing by the pool or grilling hot dogs, we opened our doors to Argentines wishing to travel to the United States. Argentina has become one of the top ten visa issuing posts in the world, and the July 4working day highlighted our efforts to address growing visa demand, which has increased by 150 percent since January 2010.

Argentine tourists contribute to the U.S. economy in the business, tourism, and trade sectors. Despite having a population of only 41 million people, Argentina ranked 13th in the number of nationals… more »

Fulbright Research Program Expands Opportunities for Collaboration in the Americas
Scholars gather for launch of Fulbright NEXUS Program in Buenos Aires, Argentina, May 16, 2011.

About the Author: Alina Romanowski serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Academic Programs.

Today, I had the privilege of helping to launch the Fulbright Regional Network for Applied Research (NEXUS) Program in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The NEXUS initiative is bringing together 20 applied scholars and mid-career researchers from the United States and nine other Western Hemisphere nations (Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile) for a series of seminars and a Fulbright exchange experience over the next 12 months. These scholars are focusing on harnessing innovative strategies and technologies to bring about practical solutions to real-world challenges in renewable energy, climate change, public health, and sustainable growth. Through the NEXUS initiative, scholars will share best practices to fight… more »