Click on the image to watch the videos

Geneva,
February 3, 2012

The U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva is pleased to present the first interview in a new series entitled “Americans Abroad: Getting Things Done in Geneva” in which we will highlight the important work Americans do at the UN and other international organizations in Geneva.

The work of these Americans is enormously important, and what they do every day helps the many and varied organizations where they work achieve the successes that you hear about when the unthinkable happens – the earthquakes, pandemics, famines and movements of displaced peoples, but also working on other everyday issues as well, less dramatic, but also critical, from developing global health standards, to defending intellectual property rights and establishing telecommunication standards, among many others.

(Watch the videos)

OPENING DATE: January 30, 2012

CLOSING DATE: February 13, 2012

WORK HOURS: WAE – When Actually Employed (8 hours per week).
Work schedule to be determined and flexible according to the travel schedule of the regional Medical Officer.

BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION

The incumbent will provide medical care and appropriate health information, advice and disease prevention programs to include but not be limited to general internal medicine to US Direct Hire employees and their dependents.

The incumbent has to maintain communication with and evaluate the capabilities of local providers on an ongoing basis and has to serve as a physician consultant to the HU nurses. She/he will diagnose and treat patients as appropriate according to his/her scope of medical practice.

The incumbent has to make recommendations and effect medical evacuation of appropriate patients. And has to provide the Office of Medical Services with program, activities, and statistical reports as directed. She/he will advise patients on health resources in the community and region.

READ THE FULL JOB DESCRIPTION (pdf attached)

]]> http://geneva.usmission.gov/2012/02/03/job-physician/feed/ 0 http://geneva.usmission.gov/2012/02/03/us-mission-geneva-launches-2012-internet-freedom-fellows-program/ http://geneva.usmission.gov/2012/02/03/us-mission-geneva-launches-2012-internet-freedom-fellows-program/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:27:23 +0000 DGN http://geneva.usmission.gov/?p=16704 Geneva,
February 3, 2012

The U.S. Mission to the UN in Geneva is seeking dynamic and creative journalists and/or human rights activists for the 2012 Internet Freedom Fellows Program, repeating the successful program it ran in 2011.  Ideal candidates are individuals whose work demonstrates the importance of a free internet to the promotion and defense of human rights and freedom of expression.

The Internet Freedom Fellows program, operated by the Public Affairs Section at US Mission Geneva in cooperation with the U.S. Delegation to the Human Rights Council, brings human rights activists from across the globe to Geneva, Washington and, funding permitted, Silicon Valley to meet with U.S. and international government, civil society and private sector leaders in the fields of technology and human rights.  The program will take place June 18-29 during the 20^th session of the Human Rights Council.

As in 2011, the principal goal of the program in 2012 is simple — to underscore the essential importance of a free internet to the promotion of human rights at the grass roots level.  By identifying and involving grass roots human rights activists from around the world, the program will highlight in a tangible manner why and how a free internet is essential to their work.

This year, to recognize the important interplay between global networks and individual freedoms, the program will feature greater involvement from civil society and technology companies to emphasize how diverse actors can and must work together to protect individual freedoms on the internet in the support of Human Rights.

In Geneva the program will include meetings with diplomats, representatives from the UN and civil society involved in human rights and internet freedom issues and several public events, including a live-streamed event at the United Nations on internet freedom with an active global social media component as well as a one-day symposium, the “Internet Freedom Forum,” at the U.S. Mission. The Washington and Silicon Valley programs, similar to the Geneva program, will include meetings with key US, civil society and private sector representatives in the fields of human rights and technology, as well as public events.

For more information on the 2011 program please visit our web site at:

http://geneva.usmission.gov/us-hrc/internet-freedom-fellows-2011/

or view the video at:

http://youtu.be/IV04ZpNkYE0

For more information please contact:

pa@usmission.ch.

The ILO, a United Nations agency, will help Colombia implement the April 2011 Colombia Action Plan Related to Labor Rights. That plan, concluded between Colombia and the United States, was crucial to passage by Congress of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. President Obama signed the legislation implementing the trade agreement in October 2011.

“Minister Pardo and his leadership team share our commitment to worker rights and strong and effective labor law enforcement,” Solis said. “The grant from the U.S. Department of Labor announced today is but one effort to help ensure that Colombia has all the tools it needs to carry out this commitment.”

The Colombia Action Plan committed the country to improve protection of labor rights, prevent labor violence and prosecute instances of such violence.

U.S. labor unions and other groups opposed to the free-trade agreement assert that the Colombia Action Plan has not prevented the murder of labor leaders in that country.

Acknowledging how much work remains to improve labor rights in Colombia, Solis reaffirmed U.S. commitment to cooperating with Pardo. The Labor Department said that, “To date, Colombia has met each milestone in the action plan.”

Peace Corps volunteer Jessica Jackman joins Ukrainian students for a picnic to celebrate the end of the school year.

Washington,
February 2, 2012

A U.S. Peace Corps volunteer is helping her Ukrainian community take advantage of the sun’s power by working with them to build two greenhouses equipped with solar-powered heating and irrigation systems.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, left, speaks with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen during a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters on February 2.

By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.
IIP Staff Writer
Washington,
February 2, 2012

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano led a delegation of top U.S. intelligence and security officials in a Senate briefing on threats posed by computer attacks as lawmakers consider a new measure to strengthen cyberdefenses.

The classified briefing February 1 followed testimony on the worldwide threat assessment, an annual Washington hearing with the heads of the government’s intelligence and counterterrorism agencies, who this year cited cyberthreats as a major security concern.

FBI Director Robert Mueller said countering cybersecurity threats will become the top priority for the U.S. intelligence community in the future. Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee January 31, he said the FBI is focusing on cybersecurity as “the next substantial threat,” and laid out a three-part plan to address it.

First, Mueller called for the intelligence community to change its organizational structure to more effectively combat cyberthreats. The intelligence community long has known that threats against the United States could come in the form of cyber-espionage or threats to critical infrastructure such as the nation’s utilities and transportation systems.

“In the same way we changed to address terrorism, we have to change to address cybercrime. We have to recruit and hire and bring on the persons who are capable of doing it,” he said.

The director also called for local, state and federal agencies to share intelligence to more effectively address cyberthreats. Mueller commended the Obama administration’s development of the National Cyber Investigative Task Force, created to bring together all bureaus with a role in addressing computer attacks in order to combat threats collectively.

Mueller’s third point addressed the need for legislation to create a national data-breach protocol for reporting cyberthreats.

Cyberthreats were cited by other intelligence chiefs during the January 31 briefing as a major security concern due to the ever-increasing importance of information technology as a key part of the infrastructure of modern societies. The speed with which these technologies move into more and more aspects of life far exceeds the pace at which security practices are adopted, according to the assessment by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

“We foresee a cyber-environment in which emerging technologies are developed and implemented before security responses can be put in place,” Clapper testified.

To avoid this, lawmakers have proposed a bill to compel operators of vital infrastructure, such as power grids, water-treatment plants and phone carriers, to boost cyberdefenses. The Senate measure, which has yet to be formally introduced, would authorize the Homeland Security Department to identify infrastructure critical to the U.S. economy and national security and develop standards that must be met to protect them.

Statement by the Press Secretary on Aerial Bombardments in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
February 2, 2012

The United States strongly condemns the bombing by the Sudanese Armed Forces of civilian populations in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States in Sudan.  Aerial attacks on civilian targets are unjustified and unacceptable.  Such attacks are a violation of international law and compound the ongoing crisis in these areas.

We continue to be deeply concerned by the ongoing fighting and lack of humanitarian access in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States in Sudan, which is causing tremendous human suffering, death, and displacement.  In particular, we urge the Sudanese government to grant immediate and unconditional humanitarian access to civilian populations in need in these areas.  More than 500,000 people are affected by this conflict, and without humanitarian access by March, the situation in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile will reach Stage 4 of a humanitarian emergency, one step short of full-scale famine.  We believe that this conflict can only be resolved by dialogue, not through violence, and we encourage all parties to negotiate a peaceful settlement.

Remarks by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at a Press Gaggle on Syria, outside the UN Security Council, February 1, 2012

Ambassador Rice: Well, we have more work to do, but I think it was a constructive session, conducted in a good spirit. It’s way too soon in my judgment to know whether ultimately there will be agreement, but I think people are in the spirit of rolling up their sleeves and trying to get to work in a serious manner.

Reporter: The issue regarding the transition of power, [operative paragraph] 7b. Was progress made in that area?

Ambassador Rice: That’s one of the more difficult issues. It’s still being worked.

Reporter: Any sense that this might be moving along fast enough to have a vote by the end of the week as some of you have been saying before?

Ambassador Rice: Not clear. I wouldn’t be wedded to one day or another. I think it’s moving at a pace that indicates seriousness. But this is also, obviously, an issue of great importance in capitals, and people are going to have to get instructions. There will undoubtedly be more discussion, and then probably another round of instructions. So I think this could—we’re not talking weeks, but we’re not talking, you know, tomorrow.

Reporter: Was there any issue you felt you made a breakthrough on—is there any issue you felt you made a breakthrough on?

Ambassador Rice: All of the changes that were discussed were in the context of reaching an overall package. So none of them were taken in isolation, so that remains to be seen.

Reporter: Ambassador, bedrock language between sort of “fully support” and “note” the Arab peace plan, any progress at all on that?

Ambassador Rice: I said on the way in that the United States, for one, doesn’t discuss its redlines in the press, unlike some others, so I’m not going to start now. But I think that, as I said, everybody is trying to approach this in a constructive and rational way and that has—that, in itself, is progress.

Reporter: What’s driving that?

Ambassador Rice: I’ll let others speak for themselves. For the United States, we think the situation in Syria is dire. We have been saying for months that it’s long past time for this Council to take meaningful action. We have a thoughtful, well-intentioned, constructive proposal from the Arab League, for which they seek the Council’s support. And we think that it’s deserved and should be granted. So that’s what motivates us. We want to see the end to the bloodshed and a peaceful political transition in Syria in which the people of Syria can realize their legitimate aspirations.

Reporter: But as you said, this has been going on for months. Do you sense a different mood, this time in the talks than you have had in the previous discussions about this?

Ambassador Rice: All I want to do is characterize what happened today. I don’t want to predict, because this has been quite an unpredictable situation. But today’s discussions were conducted in a constructive and roll-up-your sleeves manner, and if that can continue, then there’s a possibility that we’ll reach agreement. But there’s no certainty. These are tough issues, and there are issues of interest and principle that still divide the Council. So it’s really too soon to know.

Reporter: But this proposed new language that—

Ambassador Rice: It was a discussion about all kinds of different parts of the—

Reporter: But there’s a new text coming out this evening?

Ambassador Rice: We’ll see. We’ll see. Thanks, guys.

Former first ladies Nancy Reagan, left, and Laura Bush at a 2005 display of red dresses for the heart health awareness campaign that year. First ladies donated all the gowns.

By Charlene Porter
IIP Staff Writer
Washington,
February 2,  2012

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the greatest single global killer, the cause of 30 percent of all deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Members of the U.N. General Assembly in 2011 resolved to emphasize public awareness of this health risk in their home countries and advocate healthier lifestyles that can prevent CVDs.

The United States urges citizens to take responsibility for heart health with the annual recognition of American Heart Month every February, as declared by presidential proclamation.

President Obama’s proclamation January 31 called heart disease a “staggering health problem” with one in three American adults affected by some form of cardiovascular disease.

“This month, let us rededicate ourselves to reducing the burden of heart disease by raising awareness,” the proclamation said, “taking steps to improve our own heart health, and encouraging our colleagues, friends, and family to do the same.”

CVDs are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels. Heart disease and stroke are the most widely occurring, but arterial disease in the arms and legs and pulmonary embolism are also included in the group.

Both the WHO and U.S. health agencies have emphasized that these diseases are caused largely — 80 percent, according to WHO — by lifestyle behaviors that individuals have the power to improve: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, physical inactivity and tobacco use.

On the global scale, the WHO is emphasizing the severity of CVDs in the developing world. “People in low- and middle-income countries who suffer from CVDs and other noncommunicable diseases have less access to effective and equitable health care services which respond to their needs (including early detection services),” a WHO fact sheet says.

The dangers of heart disease and other CVDs in the developing world ranked high on the list of concerns when the U.N. General Assembly held a special session on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in September 2011. The session convened around the belief that NCDs not only adversely affect individuals and families, but that they contribute to a downward spiral of poor health, inability to thrive and sustained poverty.

The special session ended with U.N. member states committing to reduce risk factors, create health-promoting environments, strengthen national policies and health systems, bolster international cooperation and partnerships and promote research and development. The delegates pledged to work with the WHO and other international organizations toward those goals. As the assembly adopted this political declaration, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, “We can do more than heal individuals — we can safeguard our very future.”

AMERICAN HEART MONTH

In 2012, the U.S. National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute will enter a new decade of its February campaigns, The Heart Truth, which alert women to their risk of CVDs. Heart attack long was thought to be a greater health concern for men in the United States, and only in recent years have women realized that they too are at high risk.

The Heart Truth and its centerpiece symbol of the red dress have been important in raising awareness and media coverage over the last decade. Joining the U.S. government in the cause, the fashion industry — including designers, models, and celebrities — is a partner in National Wear Red Day, marked on February 3 this year, when tens of thousands of participants suit up in red apparel as a symbol of their concern about cardiovascular disease.