U.S. Department of State

The Road to an Effective Innovation Diplomacy

Americans understand that one of our great national strengths is innovation. Great innovators — Benjamin Franklin, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and others — are household names.

The social and economic impact of innovative American researchers, companies, and workers over the course of U.S. history have been enormous. Innovation has dramatically improved the quality of life in this country since the time of Benjamin Franklin, by many accounts America’s most illustrious innovator. More recently, statistics show that innovation is responsible for nearly three-quarters of U.S. post-World War II economic growth. Knowledge-based companies exported more than $1 trillion — approximately 74 percent of total U.S. exports — in 2011. MORE

Building Consensus in Support of a Global, Inclusive, Free, and Open Internet

Next week, the United States will join the Member States of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) at the fifth World Telecommunication Policy Forum (WTPF) in Geneva. The U.S. comes to Geneva expecting a consensus outcome to the discussions there but also to renew our commitment to understanding the needs and challenges some countries have with respect to the Internet. MORE

Join a Google+ Hangout on Global Youth Issues April 4

Why are youth-led innovation and entrepreneurship important to diplomacy? Find out Thursday, April 4 at 9:00 a.m. EDT during a Google+ Hangout with the U.S. Department of State’s Special Adviser on Global Youth Issues Zeenat Rahman and young innovators from the United States, Ghana, and Egypt. You can watch the hangout on the State Department’s Google+ page or YouTube channel. Join the conversation by submitting questions now on the State Department’s Google+ page or on Twitter to @Zeenat using #GlobalYouth.

#SecKerry To Hold First #YouthConnect Event on Inaugural Trip to Europe and the Middle East

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry boards U.S. Air Force Boeing 757 at Andrews Air Force Base en route to Europe and the Middle East for his first overseas trip as Secretary of State, February 24, 2013. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Richard Buangan serves as Director of Digital Engagement at the U.S. Department of State.

Earlier today, Secretary of State John Kerry departed on his inaugural overseas trip as Secretary of State. From February 24 to March 6, he will travel to the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

The Secretary will begin his trip in London, the United Kingdom, where he will meet with senior British officials to discuss the range of bilateral and global issues on which we are closely coordinating. British Foreign Secretary William Hague already tweeted his delight to be hosting Secretary Kerry’s first overseas stop. Tweet us your thoughts…more »

Call to Innovators: Apply To Present at G-8 Conference on Open Data for Agriculture

Women pluck rice grass from a nursery to plant on plots in Ahero, Kenya on Nov. 13, 2009. [AP File Photo]

About the Authors: Catherine Woteki serves as Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics and Chief Scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Nick Sinai serves as the U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer.

In an exciting opportunity, the G-8 is inviting innovators to apply to present ideas that demonstrate how open data can be unleashed to increase food security at the G-8 International Conference on Open Data for Agriculture on April 29-30, 2013 in Washington, D.C.

Open data is being used by innovators and entrepreneurs around the world to accelerate development, whether it be tracking election transparency in Kenya or providing essential information to rural farmers in Uganda. The G-8 conference will convene policy makers, thought leaders, food security stakeholders, and data experts to discuss the role of public, agriculturally-relevant… more »

At DataJam, Innovators and Entrepreneurs Unleash Open Data for Global Development

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah and U.S. Chief Technology Officer Todd Park discuss the impact of open data in the field of global development during DataJam at the White House in Washington, D.C. on December 10, 2012. [USAID Photo/ Used by Permission]

About the Author: Dr. Rajiv Shah serves as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and Todd Park serves as Assistant to the President and U.S. Chief Technology Officer.

A remarkable new tool is becoming increasingly available to help end extreme poverty and ensure dignity and opportunity for people around the world — a tool that few people think about when they consider how to bolster international development efforts. That tool is data, and in particular “open data” — data freely available in formats that are easy to use in new and innovative ways, while rigorously protecting privacy.

The possibilities are truly endless — it could be regional epidemiological statistics being made available to community health workers; or real-time weather information being made available to small-holder farmers; or loan information being made accessible to first-time borrowers. In these and countless other arenas, open data has the potential to not only improve transparency and coordination,… more »

Social Media for Good: Civil Society IVLP Learnings from Silicon Valley

Augusta Babson, a Program Officer in the Office of International Visitors in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, poses for a photo with a participant in a U.S. Department of State-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program exchange program at Twitter Headquarters in San Francisco, California, December 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Augusta Babson serves as a Program Officer in the Office of International Visitors in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Mayke Randa was sitting in a conference room in San Francisco earlier this month when her hand shot into the air. She was eager to talk to the representative from Medic Mobile, a tech company in San Francisco that uses mobile technology to improve healthcare in challenging settings. “I use Twitter and Facebook to run five non-governmental organizations in Indonesia, but we haven’t used mobile phones for outreach. Today is a fantastic moment for me to meet the people behind important new social networking tools. I can bring this experience and knowledge back to my organizations and make a real impact.”

Mayke founded of a social movement in Indonesia called “Blood for Life” that uses online tools to connect blood donors and patients in dire need of transfusions. She is one of 25 activists from… more »

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Presents the Small/Medium Enterprise winner of the 2012 ACE Award to Tea Importers, Inc., for Sorwate, Ltd. Rwanda in Washington, D.C. on November 28, 2012. [Go to http://www.state.gov/e/eb/rls/rm/2012/202347.htm for a full text transcript.]

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton presents the 2012 ACE Large Enterprise award to Intel Products, Vietnam, in Washington, D.C. on November 28, 2012. Go to http://www.state.gov/e/eb/rls/rm/2012/202348.htm for a full text transcript.

TechCamp Inspires Young People in North Africa

Young people participate in a workshop during TechCamp in Morocco, November 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Rebecca Wainess serves in the Office of the Secretary of State’s Senior Advisor for Innovation.

Three years ago at the Forum for the Future, Secretary Clinton announced the Civil Society 2.0 initiative, in Marrakech, Morocco. The program was created to help grassroots organizations around the world increase their digital literacy to share their stories, build their memberships and connect to their community of peers around the world. Today, the TechCamp program has become the cornerstone of this initiative by providing hands-on training to more than 1,200 organizations from 84 countries to date.

Three years after the launch of the Civil Society 2.0 Initiative, we returned to Morocco to host TechCamp Morocco. Focused on youths and employment, this TechCamp brought together… more »