At the Our Ocean 2018 conference in Bali, Indonesia, the United States announced 15 commitments to strengthen sustainable management of marine resources; prevent plastic and other debris from entering the ocean; support research and observation of ocean ecosystems; and foster partnerships promoting maritime security and a sustainable blue economy. The commitments represent a whole-of-government approach, with contributions from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office (NMIO), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Smithsonian Institute, and the U.S. Department of State. For a description of these commitments, visit https://www.state.gov/e/oes/rls/other/2018/286990.htm.

For more details about this year’s conference, visit ourocean2018.org. For press inquiries, please contact OES-PA-DG@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 Department of State announces the selection of Miller Hull Partnership of Seattle, Washington as the design architect for the new U.S. Consulate General project in Casablanca, Morocco.

The multi-building complex will provide a safe, secure, and modern facility platform for the Consulate community and those it serves.

Since 1999, as part of the Department’s Capital Security Construction Program, the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has completed 149 new diplomatic facilities, with an additional 53 projects now in design or under construction.

OBO’s mission is to provide safe, secure, and functional facilities that represent the U.S. government to the host nation and support staff in the achievement of U.S. foreign policy objectives. These facilities represent American values and the best in American architecture, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, construction execution, and resiliency.

For further information please contact Christine Foushee at FousheeCT@state.gov, or visit www.state.gov/obo.

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 U.S. Mission to the African Union and the African Union opened their joint Countering Violent Extremism Week in Addis Ababa today. The second annual meeting will feature a conference followed by a two-day capacity-building communications-focused workshop for practitioners from across Africa.

U.S. Ambassador to the African Union Mary Beth Leonard and Principal Deputy Coordinator for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism Alina Romanowski delivered opening remarks along with African Union officials highlighting the strong partnership between the United States and Africa to counter terrorism and the roots of violent extremism.

The conference will focus on developments and best practices in the Lake Chad Basin and Horn of Africa. This event will build and strengthen relationships between governments and civil society organizations, and increase the capacity of CVE practitioners to challenge extremist narratives on the African continent.

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 Department of State has awarded the construction contract for the new U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India to B.L. Harbert International of Birmingham, Alabama.

This complex will provide a safe, secure, and modern facility platform for the Embassy community and those it serves. Weiss/Manfredi Architects of New York, New York is the architect for the project.

Since 1999, as part of the Department’s Capital Security Construction Program, the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has completed 149 new diplomatic facilities and has an additional 53 projects in design or under construction.

OBO’s mission is to provide safe, secure, and functional facilities that represent the U.S. government to host nations and support our staff in achieving U.S. foreign policy objectives. These facilities represent U.S. values and the best in U.S. architecture, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, construction execution, and resiliency.

For further information, please contact Christine Foushee at FousheeCT@state.gov, or visit www.state.gov/obo.

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.

Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs A. Wess Mitchell will travel to: Minsk, Belarus; Vilnius, Lithuania; and the Hague, Netherlands from October 30 to November 2.

On October 30, he will arrive in Minsk, where he will meet with senior Belarusian officials to discuss U.S.-Belarusian cooperation on a range of global issues.

On October 31, Assistant Secretary Mitchell will travel to Vilnius, where he will meet with senior Lithuanian officials, including Foreign Minister Linkevicius and Defense Minister Karoblis, to discuss regional issues and the bilateral relationship.

Finally, on November 1 he will arrive in the Hague where he will meet with senior Dutch officials to discuss a range of issues including security cooperation and the 2019 Global Entrepreneurship Summit, which will be co-hosted by the United States and the Netherlands in the Hague in June.

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.