U.S. Department of State

Photo of the Week: Secretary Clinton Hosts Strategic Dialogue With Civil Society

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hosts Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on May 16, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Sarah Goldfarb serves as an Assistant Editor for DipNote.

This week’s “Photo of the Week” comes to us from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s official photographer Michael Gross and shows Secretary Clinton and Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine hosting a Global Town Hall with Civil Society Representatives on May 16, 2012. Present in the audience were civil society representatives from more than 40 countries and senior leaders from the State Department and throughout the U.S. Government. Individuals also participated online through embassy viewing parties held around the world.

Secretary Clinton said, “…As we see the explosion of civil society groups around the world, we want to support you. I think that in… more »

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hosts a Global Town Hall with Civil Society to kick off the 2012 Summit of our Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society from the Department of State in Washington, D.C. on May 16, 2012. [Go to http://video.state.gov for more video and text transcript.]

Join Secretary Clinton’s Strategic Dialogue With Civil Society

Watch a live broadcast of Secretary Clinton's Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society on www.state.gov at 10:00 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 16, 2012. [State Department image/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Dr. Tomicah Tillemann serves as the Secretary of State’s Senior Advisor for Civil Society and Emerging Democracies.

As Secretary Clinton’s Senior Advisor for Civil Society and Emerging Democracies. I’m writing to extend an invitation: I’d like you to join us online tomorrow to take part in Secretary Clinton’s Global Town Hall with Civil Society. This event will kick off the 2012 Summit of our Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society, and we want you involved.

“Civil society” is the term we use to describe activists, organizations, congregations, and journalists who work through peaceful means to make our countries better. In one way or another, you’re probably a part of civil society already. Over the last year, we’ve watched as civil society has changed our world. Courageous young men and women have brought dignity… more »

Secretary Clinton to Hold Global Town Hall with Civil Society Representatives

Notice to the Press
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
May 15, 2012

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will hold a Global Town Hall with Civil Society Representatives on May 16 at 10:00 a.m. at the Department of State. The event will be organized under the auspices of the State Department’s Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society 2012 Summit. Secretary Clinton will deliver opening remarks followed by Q&A with civil society representatives attending the event in Washington and participating virtually at embassy and consulate viewing parties around the world. The event will be live-streamed and available through http://www.state.gov.

For more information on the Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society, the 2012 Summit, and related events, please visit http://www.state.gov/s/sacsed/c47725.htm.

This event is open to the press.

For more information please contact Augusta Babson SACSED by email at BabsonAS@state.gov or by phone at 202-647-2121 or the Department of State Office of Press Relations at (202) 647-2492.

Pre-set time for cameras: 8:45 a.m. from the 23rd Street Entrance Lobby.
Final access time for journalists and still photographers: 9:30 a.m. from the 23rd Street Entrance Lobby.

Media representatives may attend this event upon presentation of one of the following: (1) A U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense or Foreign Press Center), (2) a media-issued photo identification card, or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification card (driver’s license, passport).

Senior Advisor for Civil Society and Emerging Democracies Tomicah Tillemann Travels to Belgium and Tunisia

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
May 2, 2012

Dr. Tomicah Tillemann, Senior Advisor to Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton for Civil Society and Emerging Democracies, will travel to Brussels, Belgium and Tunis, Tunisia from April 30 to May 4, 2012.

In Brussels, Senior Advisor Tillemann and Ambassador Merle Pajula, Director of Policy Analysis for Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will co-host the first Community of Democracies’ working group meeting for the LEND Network (Leaders Engaged in New Democracies), which is co-chaired by the United States and Estonia. In Tunis, Dr. Tillemann will represent the United States at a convening of the Community of Democracies’ Tunisia Task Force and meet with representatives from Tunisia’s government and civil society.

The LEND Network fills a crucial need, providing an on-line global forum for exchanging information and expertise on democratization from more than twenty countries and supporting leaders as they work to build strong, accountable institutions and strengthen the rule of law. For more information about the LEND Network, please visit:http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/03/186982.htm and http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2012/03/187004.htm.

In July 2011, Secretary Clinton and other leaders participating in the Vilnius Ministerial of the Community of Democracies announced the creation of the Democracy Partnership Challenge to support countries in the midst of promising democratic transitions. Tunisia and Moldova were selected as the first countries to participate in the initiative based on the strength of their applications, commitment to consolidating democratic gains, and potential for future progress. For more information about the Democracy Partnership Challenge and Task Forces for Moldova and Tunisia, please visit: http://www.state.gov/s/sacsed/communitydemocracies/c51358.htm.

A Discussion With Russian Civil Society Leaders

People walk on a sidewallk in Moscow, Russia, March 10, 2012. [AP File Photo]

About the Author: Thomas O. Melia serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

Today I was delighted to welcome to the State Department a dozen inspiring civil society advocates from Russia who work tirelessly to protect the human rights and dignity of prisoners, and for the rule of law. We were joined by Deputy SecretaryWilliam Burns, formerly our ambassador to Russia, USAID Deputy Administrator Donald K. Steinberg and Assistant Administrator Alexander, as well as Mark Kappelhoff, Chief of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. As we are seeing increasingly in Russia and in many countries across the globe, the United States included, civil society… more »

Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer hosts a civil society forum on the U.S. Department of State Policy Guidance on Promoting Gender Equality to Achieve Our National Security and Foreign Policy Objectives, at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., on April 9, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Lifeline Fund Provides Emergency Assistance to Embattled NGOs

Secretary Clinton during meeting of Lifeline Donor Steering Committee, Vilnius, July 1, 2011. [AP]

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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 »

A Promise Kept: Lifeline - The Embattled NGOs Assistance Fund

Fact Sheet Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
July 1, 2011

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 Czech Republic, Denmark, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom in this unique effort to protect and support civil society worldwide. Together they have seeded the Lifeline Fund with over $4 million to begin a multi-year effort.

Located around the world from Johannesburg to Prague to Bangkok, the seven consortium members CIVICUS, FORUM-ASIA, Freedom House, Front Line, the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, People in Need, and the Swedish International Liberal Centre will carry out the programs of the Fund, which are to:

• Provide emergency assistance to embattled NGOs for needs including, legal representation, appeals, and trial monitoring; medical bills arising from abuse; transportation costs for prison visitation of incarcerated members; and replacement of equipment damaged or confiscated as a result of harassment and

• Support discrete advocacy initiatives that raise awareness of the difficult, often hostile environments in which NGOs and civil society operate and to address the barriers to their freedom of association.

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