US Mission Geneva

Thus far, over 60 nations have committed more than $700 million, including the $200 million I just referenced, the 150 relief and the 50 early recovery. We now calculate that the UN response plan, the initial plan of $460 million, is about two-thirds funded.

United States remains committed to reaching an agreement on a legally binding protocol on Cluster Munitions in the CCW to address their humanitarian impact on civilian populations. In our many rounds of negotiations in Geneva, we have made important progress towards achieving such an agreement—much difficult work has been done, many compromises have been found, and significant areas for further compromise have been identified.

The U.S. Government has been at the forefront of that response from an international perspective. With the additional announced $50 million of flood relief support that I announced while in Pakistan, it brings our total commitment for the immediate relief and early recovery to $200 million.

In April 2009 in Prague, President Obama articulated a bold vision: to “seek the peace and security of a world free of nuclear weapons.” We are committed to this ffort no matter how hard it might be, or how long it might take.

The United States government has to date provided $200 million for relief and recovery efforts in Pakistan, not including in kind and technical assistance. This includes $150 million to support immediate relief efforts in Pakistan, through the Pakistan National Disaster Management Authority, the UN’s emergency response plan, and many other local and international organizations and an additional $50 million allocated for initial recovery efforts to assist with reestablishment of communities impacted by the floods.

The first school built under an innovative public-private partnership was opened today by the Digicel Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). École Louis de Borno in Léogâne, the town which was epicenter of the earthquake, now stands ready to welcome 600 primary students when the new school year begins on October 4th.

The U.S. Mission in Geneva will be hosting the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) on Monday, October 4 and Friday, October 8, 2010.

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), an experiment that will search for antimatter and dark matter in space, will be flown August 26 aboard a giant U.S. Airforce Galaxy jet from Geneva International Airport to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The AMS experiment is scheduled to be transported on the last space shuttle flight in February 2011to the International Space Station It will be the largest scientific instrument on the Space Station and the largest physics experiment in space. AMS will help us to understand the origin and structure of the Universe by searching for signs of antimatter and dark matter.

The report stands as just one element of the U.S. effort to engage broadly and constructively with the UN and other international organizations. The review, which has featured an unprecedented level of consultation and engagement with civil society across the country, provides an opportunity to reflect on our human rights record and we hope will serve as an example for other countries on how to conduct a thorough, transparent, and credible UPR presentation.