About the Author: Karen Glocer serves as an Economic Officer at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science.

On April 25, we celebrate Girls in ICT Day, established by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in 2010 to inspire girls to consider a career in technology. Women are half the world’s population and half the world’s talent, but there’s a persistent gender gap in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) field.

As a first tour economic officer with a Ph.D. in Computer Science, I’m thrilled to be able to use my background to contribute to the ITU program celebrating International Girls in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Today, I taught 27 girls of ages between 13 and 17 the basics of programming in python, an intuitive, but powerful programming language that is widely used by software companies, research scientists, engineers, and universities. My goal… more »

About the Author: David Kennedy is a Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva.

At the front lines of the fight for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are human rights defenders, who often depend on the internet to communicate with fellow activists and to report on human rights violations to the international community. For the third year in a row, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva brought together human rights activists from different parts of the world to meet with fellow activists, U.S. and international government leaders, and members of civil society and the private sector. Since 2011, the Internet Freedom Fellows program has convened human rights activists from across the globe to Geneva, Washington and Silicon… more »

About the Author: Hannah Johnson serves as an Assistant Editor for DipNote.

This week’s “Photo of the Week” comes to us from Eric Bridiers with U.S. Mission Geneva and shows participants in the roundtable on non-communicable disease (NCDs) targets and indicators.

The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), U.S. Mission Geneva, and the Mission of Panama co-hosted this roundtable to discuss the development of targets and indicators for the prevention and control of NCDs. U.S. Ambassador Betty E. Kingdelivered opening remarks where she pointed out that the United States is “strongly committed to raising profile of NCDs as a major global public health concern” as NCDs account for 70 percent… more »

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
October 1, 2012

Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne C. Richard will travel to Geneva October 1 - 4 to lead the U.S. delegation at the 63rd session of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the principal international organization concerned with the protection of refugees and stateless persons worldwide. Priority issues for the U.S. delegation will be the continued enhancement of protection activities, continuing assessments of UNHCR operational and institutional reform efforts, resolving protracted displacement situations, and strengthening international humanitarian coordination. Assistant Secretary Richard will also hold high-level bilateral meetings with other governments attending the meeting as well as the senior leadership of other Geneva-based international humanitarian organizations to discuss various humanitarian relief operations.

The United States is UNHCR’s largest donor, contributing to-date more than $775 million in Fiscal Year 2012. UNHCR’s Executive Committee meets in Geneva annually to review and approve the agency’s programs and budget, to advise on international protection and discuss a wide range of other issues with UNHCR and its intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. The U.S. provides humanitarian assistance around the world through international organizations, such as UNHCR, and non-governmental organizations, as they respond to humanitarian crises, wherever they occur, offering protection to refugees, and pursuing solutions for populations of concern.

For more information, contact Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration’s Public Affairs Advisor Deborah L. Sisbarro at (202) 453-9348 or PRM-Press-DL@state.gov; or visit PRM’s website:http://www.state.gov/j/prm/.

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
April 30, 2012

Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) Anne C. Richard will travel to Switzerland, Iraq, and Jordan from May 1 – 10, 2012.

In Geneva, Assistant Secretary Richard will lead the U.S. delegation at the International Conference on the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees to support voluntary repatriation, sustainable reintegration and assistance to host countries. Through a unique quadripartite consultative process, the Islamic Republics of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan and UNHCR have agreed on a multi-year regional strategy to address assistance to Afghan refugees and returnees, including nearly three million Afghan refugees who continue to be generously hosted by Pakistan and Iran and those Afghan refugees who choose to voluntarily return to Afghanistan. Assistant Secretary Richard will also meet with officials of various international humanitarian organizations to discuss relevant humanitarian issues.

In Iraq, Assistant Secretary Richard will meet with Iraqi officials and representatives from international organizations and non-governmental organizations responsible for assisting internally displaced Iraqis and Iraqi returnees.

In Jordan, Assistant Secretary Richard will meet with Government of Jordan, international and non-governmental officials to discuss policy and program issues regarding displaced Syrians in Jordan, and Iraqi and Palestinian refugees. She will also preside over the ground-breaking for a new school for Palestinian refugees.

For more information, please contact Deborah Sisbarro at 202-453-9339, or PRM-Press-DL@state.gov.

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
April 30, 2012