SEC. OF STATE CLINTON SPEAKS IN SWEDEN ON CLIMATE AND CLEAN AIR

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Climate and Clean Air Coalition Event
Remarks Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of StateSwedish Climate Ambassador Anna Lindstedt, Swedish Minister for the Environment Lena Ek
Stockholm, Sweden
June 3, 2012
AMBASSADOR LINDSTEDT: Thank you. Your Royal Highness, Madam Secretary, Madam Minister, ladies and gentlemen, a warm welcome to you all, and thank you for being with us on this special occasion. We are honored by the presence of Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. Your Royal Highness, thank you so much for showing interest in this initiative.

With us today, we have the Secretary of State of the United States of America Hillary Rodham Clinton. Madam Secretary, we highly value your presence. Allow me to express my admiration for your hard work and dedication. To me, as a diplomat, you’re a role model. And it’s encouraging that you have taken such interest in the Climate and Clean Air Coalition on Short-Lived Climate Pollutants. We see the coalition as a means to strengthen ties between our two countries and as an important tool to promote health and clean air as well as to combat climate change.

I will now hand over to Lena Ek, Sweden’s minister for the environment. But first, let me convey how privileged I feel to work with you, Madam Minister. You show such determination in advancing a whole range of environmental policies, including this initiative.

Madam Minister, the floor is yours.

MINISTER EK: Thank you. Your Royal Highness, Secretary Clinton, Excellency, ladies and gentlemen, I’m extremely happy and honored to have this opportunity once again to address the issue of short-lived climate pollutants or SLCPs together with Secretary Clinton.

Much as happened in the short time since we met in Washington in February to launch the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to reduce SLCPs. We were proud to host the first formal meeting of the coalition here in Stockholm in April, where we were joined by new members, and the coalition has now grown from six to 16 countries, plus the European Commission, UNEP, and the World Bank. And we especially, of course, welcome the decision of all G-8 members to join at the recent summit in Camp David.

Short-lived climate pollutants is a strange and maybe unfamiliar set of words to most, but SLCPs such as black carbon, soot, tropospheric ozone, methane, and short-lived HFCs all have some characteristics in common. They significantly contribute to global and regional warming. They also impact crop yields, deteriorate air quality, and affect human health across the globe. And they are short-lived. And just because of this, they represent a golden opportunity to slow down climate warming in the near term, even more so because they represent as much as a third of increases in average global temperature.

I believe this coalition owes to rapid success to two things. Firstly, it delivers a simple but powerful message based on science. By preventing SLCPs emissions, we can significantly reduce near-term climate change and at the same time save 2.5 million lives per year, increase crop yields and food security, and promote gender equality and women’s rights across the globe.

Secondly, this is a coalition of action. All partners bring something to the table, and in joining have agreed to take action also at home. The coalition is structured around the basic idea that we need to act now, and countries are demonstrating their will and ability to reduce domestic emissions by agreeing to implement national reduction actions on SLCPS.

It’s only through effective action on greenhouse gases that we can stop climate change. Researchers are telling us that without drastic CO2 emission reductions we are facing temperature increases that will be substantially higher than the two-degree target. Therefore, we are wholly committed to the UNFCCC negotiations and to making the necessary mitigation efforts at home. Measures to reduce CO2, such as the Sweden carbon tax of 150 U.S. dollars per ton CO2, are not only necessary but contribute to green growth and enable lower taxes in other areas and job creation in the economy as a whole.
The key to success in the climate negotiations is trust building. Trust comes from commitment to action and through collaboration. And this is how I see the coalition, as a valuable complement to the UNFCCC. The coalition on SCLPs has decided on the first five focal area actions for emission reductions and be ready to kick off projects in all partner countries. Two areas of particular importance at this early stage – one is how to engage the private sector. Reducing SCLP emissions from diesel trucks, landfills, and recovery and user buy guides are examples of actions with huge potential that I’m looking at. To successfully realize that potential, we need the active engagement of businesses, and we need to build partnerships and exchange best practices on a global scale.

The other area is awareness raising. How do we communicate short-lived climate pollutants in a way that will catch people’s imagination and that is easy to understand? Today, Secretary Clinton and I have had a stimulating discussion with students and business leaders, and we will follow up on this thoroughly. Encouraged by this exchange and by the many invaluable suggestions, we have decided to extend the debate beyond this room. We intend to invite people, especially young persons all over the world, to participate in a contest of how to best communicate actions on short-lived climate pollutants. The benefits of actions are tremendous. Help us make them known.
Thank you. (Applause.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very much, Minister, and thank you for your leadership on behalf of the coalition. And it’s a great pleasure for me to be here in Sweden. It’s my first visit as Secretary of State, but it’s a chance for me to express publicly what I have told my friend and colleague, Foreign Minister Carl Bildt – how grateful the United States is for the close collaboration and cooperation we have in so many areas. This coalition is another example of that.

I also want to thank Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria for joining us, and more importantly, for your personal commitment and activities on behalf of the issue of climate change.

Now, Sweden and the United States have a long tradition of working closely together on issues that shape our security, our prosperity, and our people’s future. And on some of the most difficult challenges of our time, Sweden and the United States are stalwart partners. Now when it comes to the climate crisis, Sweden is a global leader, both in finding solutions and encouraging other countries to put them to use. We do need more action in the fight against climate change. We need real-world solutions and we need results.
The Climate and Clean Air Coalition is designed to get results for what are called – as the minister just said – short-lived climate pollutants, including methane, black carbon, and the hydrofluorocarbons. These pollutants are responsible for more than 30 percent of current global warming. And because they are also very harmful to human health and to agriculture, we can save millions of lives and tons of crops as well by acting now. This is what we call a win-win for sure.

In February, Sweden, the United States, four other nations, and the UN Environmental Program launched the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, and since then, as the minister said, we’ve been growing, bringing on all G-8 countries, as well as Norway, Nigeria, Denmark, and Colombia. And we were pleased when the World Bank and the European Commission signed up as well. We’ve also increased our funding thanks in part to contributions from Sweden and Norway. We are setting up a science advisory panel. And just in April, Sweden hosted the coalition’s first ministerial meeting, when we decided on a set of global action-oriented initiatives to implement immediately.

So we have built some strong initial momentum, but we need your help. Today, Sweden and the United States are beginning a global campaign to close the information gap about short-lived climate pollutants. Few people actually know about the impact we could have on global warming if we aggressively target them. And fewer still know that many cost-effective solutions already exist and are just waiting to be broadly implemented.
We, in fact, are going to be holding a global contest to find the best, most creative ideas for raising awareness about short-lived pollutants and the work that must be done to stop them. So I invite everyone to visit the coalition’s new website for further information. The address is www.UNEP.org/CCAC. And you can see it on your wall somewhere. It’s supposed to be. I don’t know where it is, but we were hoping – is it over there? Oh, over there. Okay.

Now, what we’re really looking for is how to translate the great ideas that came out of the group that Minister Ek was referring to this afternoon, that included some very dynamic Swedish university students who brainstormed about ways that could raise awareness, how we put all of that into motion. And so we’re looking for cartoon ideas, slogan ideas, app ideas. Whatever you come up with, we are going to be receptive.

Now, included in the group that Minister Ek and I met with were leading Swedish companies also supporting this effort, because we know we cannot solve this crisis without the active cooperation and, indeed, the leadership of the private sector, particularly oil and gas companies, makers of diesel trucks, green tech companies that can help turn methane from landfills into clean energy. Today, for example, representatives from Volvo, Mack Trucks talked about how to cut down black carbon worldwide, 20 percent of which is emitted by the transportation sector.

Major reductions of short-lived pollutants can be done inexpensively and with existing technologies. Experts tell us, for example, that one third of all methane leaked and vented by oil and gas companies can be avoided at a net cost of zero dollars or zero kroner. So we need to convince decision makers everywhere, political leaders, CEOs, civil society leaders, investors, and students that this is one of those areas where we can show tangible progress almost immediately and that we can do it in a cost-effective way.
Here are just a few concrete examples. We’re launching an initiative focused on hydrofluorocarbons. By 2050 – 2050 – at the current rate, these greenhouse gases could grow to nearly 20 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. So we will start by holding a technology conference in Bangkok in July to showcase new technologies that can eliminate the need for these potent greenhouse gases in refrigeration and air conditioning. At the upcoming sustainability conference in Rio, we’ll launch an initiative working with cities to reduce methane and other pollutants from their waste systems, and we will be working with oil and gas companies to take advantage of all the currently available zero-cost options.

Now, we’re aware that reducing these short-lived pollutants by themselves will not solve the collective crisis facing the world. We must also aggressively reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which we know remain the principal contributor to climate change and last in the atmosphere for generations. And countries and people around the world, like Sweden and Norway and Denmark, where I just visited, are taking bold actions.

The United States is also moving forward. The Obama Administration has adopted fuel efficiency standards that will be among the most aggressive in the world, effectively doubling the miles we will get per gallon of gas. We’ve made historic investments, more than $90 billion, in clean energy and are committed to being a world leader in this vital sector. And since just 2008, we’ve nearly doubled how much electricity we generate from renewable sources. And we’re making a big push to improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings and home appliances. We’re focused on pursuing President Obama’s call for a clean energy standard to cut carbon dioxide emissions while building domestic and export markets for clean energy technology.

And while we continue to work on bringing down carbon dioxide emissions and finalizing an international agreement, let’s also deliver a blow to methane, black carbon, and HFCs. We are poised to do both, and we should.

Now, I began my day yesterday in the high north, in Tromso, Norway, where we saw some breathtaking views and where we toured the waters on a research vessel, listening to marine biologists and sea ice experts and others explain the changes that have come to the Arctic. The waters don’t freeze, even in the dead of winter. The ice shelves that have crumbled no longer protect coastlines from erosion. Species are at risk. And it’s such a reminder to be in a beautiful place like Stockholm, or yesterday in Tromso, that we inherited a fragile, marvelous planet, and it’s our duty to protect it.

So we’re very grateful, once again, to be working hand in hand with Sweden. We’ve already made progress on the Climate and Clean Air Coalition in less than four months. And we’re going to continue working closely with Sweden and our other partners. And we are determined to take aggressive action in the months ahead. We can do no less.

Thank you all very much. (Applause.)

SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON'S REMARKS ON THE 2011 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Release of the 2011 Human Rights Report
Remarks Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State Washington, DC
May 24, 2012
Good morning. Good morning, everyone. I’m very pleased to be joined here today by Assistant Secretary Posner to release our 2011 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. These reports, which the United States Government has published for nearly four decades, make clear to governments around the world: We are watching and we are holding you accountable. And they make clear to citizens and activists everywhere: You are not alone. We are standing with you.

Mike and his team and the staff at our embassies and consulates around the world have worked tirelessly to produce these reports. And I want to thank each and every person who has contributed to them.

Now, as you know, this has been an especially tumultuous and momentous year for everyone involved in the cause of human rights. Many of the events that have dominated recent headlines from the revolutions in the Middle East to reforms in Burma began with human rights, with the clear call of men and women demanding their universal rights.

Today in Egypt, we are seeing in real time that those demands are making a difference as Egyptians are going to the polls to determine for the first time in their history who their leaders will be. Whatever the outcome of the election, the Egyptian people will keep striving to achieve their aspirations. And as they do, we will continue to support them.

We will support people everywhere who seek the same. Men and women who want to speak, worship, associate, love the way they choose – we will defend their rights; not just on the day we issue these reports, but every day.

As Secretary, I have worked with my superb team on advancing human rights in a 21st century landscape, focusing on new frontiers even as we stand up against age-old abuses. Where women have been and continue to be marginalized, we’re helping them become full partners in their governments and economies. Where LGBT people are mistreated and discriminated against, we’re working to bring them into full participation in their societies. We’re expanding access to technology and defending internet freedom because people deserve the same rights online as off. And we know that in the 21st century human rights are not only a question of civil and political liberties, it’s about the fundamental question of whether people everywhere have the chance to make the most of their God-given potential.

So we are supporting efforts around the world to give people a voice in their societies, a stake in their economies, and to support them as they determine for themselves the future of their own lives and the contributions they can make to the future of their countries. We think this is the way, together, we can make human rights a human reality.

Now as these reports document, there is a lot of work that remains to be done. In too many places, governments continue to stifle their own people’s aspirations. And in some places like Syria, it is not just an assault on freedom of expression or freedom of association, but an assault on the very lives of citizens. The Assad regime’s brutality against its own people must and will end, because Syrians know they deserve a better future.

These reports are more than a report card; they are a tool for lawmakers and scholars, for civil society leaders and activists. We also think they are a tool for government leaders. It’s always been bewildering to me that so many government leaders don’t want to make the most of the human potential of their own people.

And so I don’t expect this to be reading material everywhere, but I do hope somewhere in the corner of my mind that maybe a leader will pick it up and say: How do we compare with others, and what can we do today, tomorrow, and next year that will maximize the potential of more of our citizens?

This year we’ve made the reports easier to read online, easier to track trends across a region, easier to follow the progress of a particular group, easier to find out which governments are or are not living up to their commitments.

Now, every year that we issue this, we take stock of ourselves. We say: What more can we do? Where have we succeeded or are succeeding? Where are we falling short? And we know we have to recommit to the work of advancing universal rights, building the partnerships that will move us forward, helping every man, woman, and child live up to their God-given potential. And we know we have to be able to speak out and speak up for those unable to use their own voices.

But this is at the core of who we are. This is central to what we believe. And this is the work that will continue administration after administration, secretary after secretary, because of its centrality to our foreign policy and national security.

Now I’d like to turn things over to Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Right, and Labor Mike Posner, who will speak further about some of the specific findings in this year’s reports. Thank you all very much. Thanks, Mike.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT PRESS STATEMENT ON SOMALI TRANSITION

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Somalia Political Process
Press Statement Mark C. Toner
Deputy Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
May 3, 2012
Less than four months remain for Somali leaders to complete the steps they agreed to in the Roadmap to End the Transition, which lays out the steps for replacing Somalia’s transitional government with a more representative governance structure that will bring Somalia closer to the security and political stability for which Somalis have waited for too long. The United States is encouraged by the progress made so far, however, several steps remain to be completed: selection of delegates to a constituent assembly; approval of a new constitution, selection of a new and smaller parliament, and the indirect election of a new speaker and president.

Secretary Clinton made clear the position of the United States during her remarks at the London Conference on Somalia in February when she stated, "Attempts to obstruct progress and maintain the broken status quo will not be tolerated. We will encourage the international community to impose further sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, on people inside and outside [Somalia’s] Transitional Federal Government who seek to undermine Somalia’s peace and security or to delay or even prevent the political transition."

The United States supports the open letter issued on May 1 by the special representatives of the United Nations, African Union, and Intergovernmental Authority on Development that puts on notice all individuals and entities who seek to undermine Somalia's political transition that the international community will not tolerate such action. The United States is following the lead of its African partners and working to help Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government and other Somali leaders seize the current opportunity to make progress toward greater security and political stability.

POLAND'S CONSTITUTION DAY

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
On the Occasion of Poland's Constitution Day
Press Statement Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State Washington, DC
May 3, 2012
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Poland as you celebrate the 221st anniversary of your constitution this May 3.

Poland is a model of democratic transition and hope, inspiring countless advocates for freedom throughout the world. Through our NATO Alliance, nearly 2,500 Polish soldiers are serving in Afghanistan alongside soldiers from the United States and 48 other countries, all working toward the shared goal of defeating al-Qaida and strengthening the Afghan state so that Afghans can shape their own future. The United States is appreciative of the many areas of international cooperation that we share, and grateful for the role Poland plays as our protecting power in Syria.

As you celebrate Constitution Day, know that the United States continues to stand with you. We are committed to our enduring alliance and our shared values as we work together to bring peace and security throughout the globe. Best wishes for a happy Constitution Day and continued peace and prosperity in the year to come.