US Mission Geneva

The internet has become the public space of the 21st century – the world’s town square, classroom, marketplace, coffeehouse, and nightclub. We all shape and are shaped by what happens there, all 2 billion of us and counting. And that presents a challenge. To maintain an internet that delivers the greatest possible benefits to the world, we need to have a serious conversation about the principles that will guide us, what rules exist and should not exist and why, what behaviors should be encouraged or discouraged and how.

The Secretary’s 21st Century Statecraft initiatives complement the Department’s work to advance Internet freedom. 21st Century Statecraft connects the private and civic sectors with foreign policy by bringing new resources and partners together, and using connection technologies to make diplomacy more innovative.

On behalf of the United States, I welcome this opportunity to participate in Japan’s tenth Trade Policy Review. I also wish to welcome members of the Japanese delegation, led by Mr. Takehiro Kagawa, Deputy Director-General of the Economic Bureau in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The United States is pleased to announce an initial contribution of $125 million toward the 2011 operations of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

There are very few moments in our lives where we have the privilege to witness history taking place. This is one of those moments. This is one of those times. The people of Egypt have spoken, their voices have been heard, and Egypt will never be the same.

The Report of the Obama Administration’s Nuclear Posture Review, or NPR, emphasized that today, our greatest nuclear threat is no longer a large-scale nuclear exchange, but the danger that terrorists could acquire nuclear materials or, worse, a nuclear weapon.

In addition to having signed and ratified the Treaty of Tlatelolco, the United States is preparing to submit for Senate advice and consent to ratification protocols to the nuclear weapons-free zones established for Africa and the South Pacific, following up on Secretary Clinton’s announcement at the NPT Review Conference.

I welcome the opportunity afforded to this delegation and other delegations to address the issue of the conclusion of a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT) a vital objective which has been repeatedly endorsed by the international community.

Thank you, Mr. President, for facilitating this very useful discussion of space policy. We would also like to commend Canada for its long-standing focus on these important issues.