21st Century Statecraft Month: Digital Engagements Jan 23-27

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
January 23, 2012

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The U.S. Department of State has designated January 2012 as 21st Century Statecraft month. Twenty-first Century Statecraft complements traditional foreign policy by harnessing and adapting the digital networks and technologies of today’s interconnected world. The U.S. Department of State and U.S. Missions abroad have developed a range of initiatives to showcase U.S. diplomatic leadership in leveraging digital networks and technologies in service of its foreign policy goals.

Throughout the month of January, U.S. officials in Washington, DC and at U.S. Missions abroad are participating in digital engagements across multiple social media platforms on a wide array of issues to directly connect with the public on foreign policy issues that matter to them.

This week’s engagements include the following events:
• The Department is launching “My State Department” today “My State Department” is an optional interface that allows users to customize their view of the vast electronic collection that comprises www.state.gov, for targeted, quick and easy access to the foreign policy topics that they find most interesting.

• On Tuesday, January 24, U.S. Department of State Director of Policy Planning Jake Sullivan will participate in a “Live at State” video chat to discuss U.S. foreign policy priorities with bloggers and journalists from around the world. The video will be available on www.video.state.gov.

• Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration David Robinson will hold a Facebook chat from 12:00-12:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, January 24. Acting Assistant Secretary Robinson will discuss how the United States provides aid and sustainable solutions for refugees, victims of conflict and stateless people around the world.

• Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Mike Hammer will hold a Twitter Q&A in Spanish via @USAenEspanol from 2:00-2:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, January 24. Acting Assistant Secretary Hammer will discuss U.S. foreign policy and the Western Hemisphere region.

• For the first time, the Department will stream President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address live to all Embassy and Consulate websites and Facebook pages worldwide on Tuesday, January 24. The speech will be instantly delivered via a new streaming video channel placed directly on Embassy and Consulate websites and Facebook pages. The speech will be rebroadcast on a 24-hour loop to reach international audiences across all time zones, accompanied by special Q&A sessions with former Members of the U.S. Congress.

• On Wednesday, January 25, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union William Kennard will participate in a discussion organized by the European Broadcasting Union on access to communication networks and creative content online. The U.S. Mission to the European Union (USEU) will post video of the discussion on its Facebook and YouTube platforms. Follow @USAmbEU and @US2EU for more information.
• Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Suzan Johnson Cook and Dr. Chris Seiple of the Institute for Global Engagement will participate in “Conversations With America,” an online video series in which the State Department's senior leadership hosts discussions with leaders of prominent non-governmental organizations. Ambassador Johnson Cook and Dr. Seiple will discuss foreign policy and religion on Wednesday, January 25. Members of the public can submit their questions in advance of the conversation to the State Department’s DipNote blog.

• On Thursday, January 26, U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa David Huebner will hold a Twitter Q&A on how U.S. Embassies advance #Dignity4All by supporting human rights for LGBT persons. Submit your questions to @davidhuebner, and follow @usembassynz and @usembassysamoa for more information.

In addition, Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland is taking questions from the public selected from the Department’s 11 official Twitter feeds (Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Urdu) and answering them from the press briefing room each Friday during the month of January. Questions can be submitted using the hashtag #AskState. You can see last week’s Twitter briefing here.

Stay tuned to www.state.gov, the DipNote blog, @StateDept on Twitter and the U.S. Department of State’s official Facebook page for additional engagement opportunities on our social media platforms throughout 21st Century Statecraft month.

ENDS