On November 15, President Obama participated in the 17th Annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ meeting in Singapore. He announced that in 2011, when the United States hosts APEC, he looks forward to welcoming his fellow APEC leaders to Hawaii
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International Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education is part of our efforts to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.
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Both President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton plan to attend meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum later this week.
The President will also visit Japan, China and South Korea while he is in the region. While in Singapore, Clinton will hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts from the region.
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During confirmation hearings November 5, Ambassador-designate to Australia Jeffrey L. Bleich told a Senate panel that there is no greater honor or opportunity than to work with our valued Australian friends and allies. “The relationship between the United States and Australia is one of our strongest and most productive international alliances,” he said in his opening statement. Bleich, who is nominated by President Obama as the next ambassador to Australia, must be confirmed by the full Senate before the appointment is official.
To read a transcript of his testimony
The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will hold a confirmation hearing for Jeffrey L. Bleich, Ambassador-designate for Australia, on Thursday, 5 November.
President Obama is responsible for nominating individuals to a wide variety of civilian, judicial and military positions. The Senate must confirm nominations because the United States Constitution mandates this process for ambassadors, cabinet members and Supreme Court justices.
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Secretary of State Clinton has just released the State Department’s Annual Report on International Religious Freedom. This report supplements the most recent Human Rights Reports by providing additional detailed information with respect to matters involving international religious freedom.
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“The U.N. is vital to America’s efforts to create a better, safer world,” said President Obama in his proclamation of United Nations Day on 24 October. “As expressed in the founding values of the United Nations, we share a common security and are unified by our common humanity. This truth calls us to work cooperatively with nations from around the globe in the pursuit of peace, economic prosperity, and human opportunity.”
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The aim of World Food Day, proclaimed in 1979 by the Conference of the FAO of the United Nations, is to heighten public awareness of the world food problem and strengthen solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty. The Day marks the date of the founding of the FAO in 1945.
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President Obama was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace on Friday, 9 October.
In his remarks, President Obama noted, ”… throughout history, the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it’s also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action — a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.”
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The G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh is now history. The gathering of leaders ended with pledges for cooperation on a range of issues.
