U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius at a signing ceremony for cooperation on countering nuclear smuggling in Brussels, Belgium on April 23, 2013. A text transcript can be found at http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/04/207875.htm

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers remarks with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton after their meeting at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on July 11, 2011.

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Last July at the Community of Democracies meeting in Krakow, Secretary Clinton announced that the United States would create an international fund to support embattled Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and invited like-minded governments to join in this global effort. One year later, the Department of State, together with twelve other democratic nations spanning the globe, launched the Lifeline: Embattled NGOs Assistance Fund in a meeting in Vilnius with the international consortium of organizations who will be implementing the Fund’s activities.

The Department of State is honored to partner with Australia, Benin, Canada, Chile, the… more »

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On July 1, 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton joined Lithuania’s Parliament Speaker Irena Degutien to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the re-establishment of Baltic independence. Secretary Clinton said:

“At today’s wreath-laying ceremony at the Lithuanian Parliament, the United States joined Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Baltic States’ re-establishment of their independence from the Soviet Union, and honored the brave men and women who sacrificed for their countries’ freedom.

“In January 1991, thousands of ordinary Lithuanian citizens surrounded the Lithuanian Parliament… more »

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On July 1, 2011, during her trip to Hungary, Lithuania, and Spain, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite at the Presidential Palace in Vilnius. After the meeting, Secretary Clinton said:

“…We did have a broad-ranging discussion, and I appreciate greatly the cooperation that exists between the United States and Lithuania. Lithuania is making a major contribution in Afghanistan, where it trains police and helicopter pilots, and leads a provincial reconstruction team in Ghor Province.

“Lithuania also takes seriously its responsibilities as a NATO ally, and so do we. So that… more »

Remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the Communities of Democracy Ministerial held in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 1, 2011.

About the Author: Melanne Verveer serves as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues.

Women are half the world’s population, yet hold less than one fifth of the positions of power in national governments. While it is certainly true that women today have made tremendous gains in reaching the highest rungs of leadership — Brazil, Costa Rica, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia and Bangladesh are among the countries with female presidents — overall the gains remain uneven. Furthermore, the contributions women have made toward achieving peace, prosperity, governance, and civil society in many parts of the globe too often go unrecognized; their inclusion in the political processes of their countries remains limited.

This week, coinciding with the Community of Democracies Ministerial in Vilnius, Lithuania, prominent female leaders representing government and civil society came together in a special conference to redress this imbalance and to commit to increasing support… more

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Budapest, Hungary, June 29, to participate in the dedication of the Lantos Institute. The establishment of the Lantos Institute has been supported by the Government of Hungary to promote Hungarian-born Congressman Tom Lantos’ long commitment to democratic principles and the protection of individual and human rights. Secretary Clinton will also meet with Prime Minister Orban, Foreign Minister Martonyi, and representatives of civil society while in Budapest.

Secretary Clinton will visit Vilnius, Lithuania, from June 30 to July 1, to participate in the Community of Democracies 6th Ministerial. The Ministerial will bring together senior government officials, parliamentarians, NGOs, women and youth leaders,… more »

TechCamp Vilnius will be the third event in a series supporting Secretary Clinton’s Civil Society 2.0 initiative to build the digital literacy of civil society organizations around the world. TechCamp is a key program of this initiative: a two day training event through which the State Department pairs leaders in the technology community with civil society organizations to provide training, resources and assistance that enable civil society organizations to harness the latest connection technologies to build their capacity and advance their missions.

From June 29-30, 2011 TechCamp Vilnius will focus on convening over 70 civil society groups working in the areas of democracy, transparency, and citizen engagement. Representing more than 15 countries from across Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia, participants will get hands-on training in a variety of areas ranging from how to use social media, organize online, practice digital safety, leverage mobile applications, and more. These civil society groups will be poised to use connection technologies to grow their networks, communicate more efficiently and be able to keep pace with the changing world.

Announcing Civil Society 2.0, Secretary Clinton said, “This organized effort will provide new technologies to civil society organizations. We will send experts in digital technology and communications to help build capacity.”

TechCamp will be hosted on the margins of the Community of Democracies, and will send an important message about our commitment and support for democracy and 21^st Century Statecraft. As these tools build new networks, relationships and create new avenues for communication, civil societies’ adoption of them and use in support of democracy, transparency and good governance are integral to moving forward in the 21^stcentury.

Following Vilnius there is a TechCamp planned in Moldova in July focusing on open government. For more information about Civil Society 2.0, TechCamps or hosting a future TechCamp, visitwww.techcampglobal.org or contact Katie Dowd, dowdkw@state.gov.