The Department of State is announcing the establishment of the Global Engagement Center’s (GEC) Technology Series to counter foreign propaganda and disinformation. This initiative will convene some of the country’s best technologists, academics, and civil society advocacy groups on a regular basis to identify technological solutions and to encourage stronger public-private partnerships in the fight against foreign propaganda and disinformation.

On May 2, 2018, the GEC held its kickoff event for this technology series and participants agreed to hold short counter foreign propaganda and disinformation technology demonstrations over the next six months. These technologies may include, but are not limited to, bot network detection, blockchain-enabled content authentication, and counter-messaging automation.

Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Heather Nauert attended the event and emphasized the importance of this initiative. “These demonstrations will show the U.S. interagency how specific technology can be applied to stem the spread of false narratives and to authenticate emerging information,” said Under Secretary Nauert.

The GEC is seeking additional participants in its future GEC Technology Series activities. For more information, please contact GECIncubator@state.gov.

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On the occasion of North Korea Freedom Week, we must not forget the millions of North Koreans who continue to suffer under one of the most repressive and abusive governments in the world. For more than 60 years the people of North Korea have faced egregious human rights violations in virtually every aspect of life. In addition to the roughly 100,000 individuals, including children and family members of the accused, who suffer in political prison camps, North Koreans face an almost complete denial of fundamental freedoms by their government. Those trying to flee this oppressive environment, if caught, are often tortured or killed.

We remain gravely concerned and deeply troubled by these abuses. In tandem with the maximum pressure campaign, we will continue to press for accountability for those responsible. We are also going to continue our efforts to increase the flow of independent information into, out of, and within this isolated state to present everyday North Koreans with a more realistic picture of the outside world.

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The United States strongly condemns today’s ISIS-claimed attack on the Libyan High National Elections Commission in Tripoli. We offer condolences to the families of the victims and wish a quick recovery for those injured. We stand with all Libyans in the fight against terrorism and remain committed to working with the Government of National Accord to deny ISIS any safe haven in their country. This terrorist attack against a key pillar of Libya’s fragile democracy only deepens the United States’ commitment to support all Libyans as they prepare for credible and secure elections.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

Delegations from the United States and Honduras held the sixth meeting of the Bilateral Human Rights Working Group on April 30, in Tegucigalpa. This latest session of the Working Group brought together high-level U.S. and Honduran government officials to collaborate on improving the human rights situation in Honduras.

The Working Group addressed five themes: strengthening governmental human rights institutions; working with international human rights partners and civil society; citizen security; combating corruption and impunity; and migration issues. The U.S. delegation also met with a diverse group of local civil society organizations to discuss their views.

The U.S. delegation was led by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs John Creamer; USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean Barbara Feinstein; and Director of Western Hemisphere Affairs for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Jon Piechowski.

The Honduran delegation was led by the Minister of the Presidency Ebal Díaz; the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation María Dolores Aguero; the Minister of Security Julián Pacheco; the Minister of Human Rights Karla Cueva; the Minister of Defense Fredy Díaz; and in representation of the Judicial Branch, the President of the Supreme Court Rolando Argueta.

For further information, please contact WHA Press at WHAPress@state.gov.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

The following is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert:

Deputy Secretary John Sullivan met with Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama on April 30, as part of the official working visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Washington, DC.

The Deputy Secretary recognized Nigeria’s leadership on our shared priorities of improving security, creating economic opportunity, and advancing democracy and stability across Africa. He offered continued support to the Nigerian government and civil society as they work to prevent and mitigate conflict. The Deputy Secretary and Foreign Minister Onyeama also discussed opportunities to enhance bilateral trade and investment.

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