US Mission Geneva

The U.S. Mission is organizing a photo competition on Flickr. Winning photos on the theme of American Streetscapes will be featured in a special Independence Day poster presented to diplomats from around the world who attend our annual July 4 celebration in Geneva.

Yesterday, the President transmitted the New START Treaty to the United States Senate. All of the documents associated with the transmittal package, including the texts of the Treaty, Protocol, and Annexes; the unilateral statements associated with the Treaty; the Secretary’s Report, including a detailed Article-by-Article analysis of the Treaty; and the President’s Message to the Senate are available on the State Department website.

“We are committed to working with the Haitian government and the people of Haiti to develop a sustainable, long-term health care system that will not only help the survivors of the earthquake but increase the ability of Haitians to receive the health care they need inside Haiti delivered by their own trained professionals.”

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah will make his first trip to Africa as Administrator today, visiting both Kenya and Sudan. During his six-day visit he will focus on the development and progress of President Obama’s Global Health Initiative and Food Security Initiative, while gaining a deeper understanding of U.S. bilateral and regional investments in agriculture, health, and democracy and governance.

“By opening the American market to almost all goods from beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries, AGOA has helped Africans use trade to fight poverty and grow their economies – and AGOA is also good for U.S. business,” said Ambassador Kirk

The United States joined the Human Rights Council a year ago because we feel very firmly that the promotion and protection of human rights internationally is a core value of the United States, and a fundamental cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy.

The United States greatly appreciates the straightforward and open manner that the delegation has addressed the issue of hate crimes and commends Sweden for the efforts it has made to combat these crimes. Despite these efforts, however, there has been an increase in anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic and homophobic violent hate crimes, as the Government has acknowledged.

The United States commends Guyana’s efforts toward establishing a national, independent human rights institution and looks forward to its nomination and establishment. The United States remains concerned with reports of extrajudicial killings and the use of excessive force by police. Widespread police brutality, impunity, and a lack of accountability undermine the effectiveness of the country’s security forces.

The United States is proud to partner with Slovenia and its International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF)