EPA AND NASCAR TEAM UP

Photo Credit: Wikimedia.  
FROM: EVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
NASCAR and EPA Partner on Green Initiatives
WASHINGTON – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) signed an agreement to raise awareness of environmentally friendly products and solutions to address America’s environmental challenges. Today’s memorandum of understanding provides NASCAR with EPA technical assistance and environmental expertise, using EPA programs like Design for the Environment and the Economy, Energy and Environment (E3) framework,  to help protect Americans’ health and the environment.

“Because NASCAR is followed by millions of passionate fans and many businesses, it can be a powerful platform to raise environmental awareness, drive the adoption of safer products by more Americans, and support the growing green economy,” said Jim Jones, EPA’s acting assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). “The EPA and NASCAR partnership attests to the progress NASCAR has already made on environmental stewardship through greener fuel choices and multiple recycling initiatives for waste and automotive fluids, and highlights opportunities to further these efforts.”

“This MOU is a great example of NASCAR’s commitment to green innovation and our role as a leader in sustainability,” said Steve Phelps, Chief Marketing Officer of NASCAR. “Even with the largest sustainability program in sports, NASCAR – along with our teams, tracks and partners – continues to create innovative platforms to help reduce the environmental impact of our sport.”

One of the areas of focus for the partnership is promoting safer products that have earned EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) label. The Design for the Environment label helps consumers and businesses identify products that perform well, are cost-effective, and are safer for the environment. NASCAR can make a difference by using DfE products at racing events and conveying to fans that choosing DfE products is an easy choice they can make to protect the health of their families and the planet.

Another example is NASCAR’s offer to encourage its suppliers to get an “E3 tuneup”-- to increase productivity, reduce the use of energy and materials, lessen environmental impacts and be better positioned to compete in the global marketplace. The E3 initiative – Economy, Energy and the Environment -- helps promote sustainable manufacturing and economic growth throughout the United States. E3 can help improve the profitability and competitiveness of these businesses, which can help create higher-paying skilled manufacturing jobs.

This MOU will pave the way for other opportunities and areas of focus for EPA and NASCAR such as sourcing more sustainable concessions at NASCAR events, expanding the use of safer chemical products, conserving water, reducing waste and promoting recycling. By working together to foster more sustainable behavior, addressing sustainability challenges and seizing on E3 opportunities, a greener NASCAR and NASCAR supplier network will have positive economic and environmental impacts that extend far beyond the racetrack.

GSA LOOKS TO SAVE LIGHTHOUSES AND CASH

Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  U.S. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRAION
GSA Seeking Stewards for 12 Historic Lighthouses
Real property disposal program saves taxpayer money, preserves the past.
WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. General Services Administration announced it is looking for caretakers of several historic lighthouses in an effort to save tax dollars while preserving the past.  As part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act program, the agency is offering 12 historic lighthouses along the Atlantic Seaboard and Great Lakes, at no cost, to eligible state or local governments, non-profit corporations, historic preservation groups, or community development organizations.  This program helps move the government towards meeting the President’s goal of cutting real estate costs by over $1.5 billion and the government is on track to save $3.5 billion by the end of the year.

"GSA has a responsibility to dispose of excess government real estate assets, including historic lighthouses,” said GSA’s Acting Commissioner of Public Buildings Linda Chero.  “Historic lighthouses are unique in that they have sentimental and tangible value as historic landmarks in local communities. Through the preservation program, GSA helps find new stewards for excess lighthouses that are no longer considered mission critical to the United States Coast Guard.”

In partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Park Service, GSA administers the federal program that conveys historic lighthouses to caretakers through the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. Since enactment of this legislation in 2000, GSA has conveyed 84 lighthouses to new stewards who are required to maintain historic preservation standards for these unique properties.

Proceeds from the public sales go back into the Coast Guard’s lighthouse fund to continue preservation and maintenance of lights that are still in federal ownership.  Organizations interested in acquiring one of the lighthouses will have 60 days to submit a letter expressing interest in the property and complete a rigorous application process. If no suitable steward is identified, the lighthouses are then auctioned to the general public.

GSA will soon issue Notices of Availability for the following light stations: Ontonagon West Pierhead Light, Manistique Light, Stannard Rock Light, and Fourteen Foot Shoal Light in Michigan; Liston Rear Range Light in Delaware; American Shoal Light in Florida; Ashland Light in Wisconsin; Butler Flats Light, Graves Light, Edgartown Light in Massachusetts; and Halfway Rock Light and Boon Island Light in Maine.
To find out more information on these properties and how to submit a letter of interest, visithttp://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/nhlpa/nhlpa.htm.
Lighthouses available for public sale will be listed and auctioned at http://realestatesales.gov.

"G8 AND AFRICAN LEADERS COMMIT TO NEW ALLIANCE FOR FOOD SECURITY"

Photo:  Corn Field.  Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
G8 Action on Food Security and Nutrition
Fact Sheet
Office of Global Food Security
May 18, 2012
At the Camp David Summit, G8 and African leaders will commit to the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, the next phase of our shared commitment to achieving global food security. In partnership with Africa’s people and leaders, our goals are to increase responsible domestic and foreign private investments in African agriculture, take innovations that can enhance agricultural productivity to scale, and reduce the risk borne by vulnerable economies and communities. We recognize and will act upon the critical role played by smallholder farmers, especially women, in transforming agriculture and building thriving economies.

The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition is a shared commitment to achieve sustained and inclusive agricultural growth and raise 50 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years by aligning the commitments of Africa’s leadership to drive effective country plans and policies for food security; the commitments of private sector partners to increase investments where the conditions are right; and the commitments of the G8 to expand Africa’s potential for rapid and sustainable agricultural growth. We welcome the support of the World Bank and African Development Bank, and of the United Nation’s World Food Program, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and Food and Agriculture Organization for the New Alliance. We also welcome the successful conclusion of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the context of National Food Security and support the broad-based consultation process and pilot use of the Principles of Responsible Agricultural Investment.

The New Alliance Will Build on and Help Realize the Promise of L’Aquila
Since the L’Aquila Summit, where we committed to “act with the scale and urgency needed to achieve sustainable global food security,” we have increased our bilateral and multilateral investments in food security and changed the way we do business, consistent with core principles of aid effectiveness. Based on the findings of the 2012 G8 Accountability Report and consistent with the Rome Principles on Sustainable Global Food Security, the G8 will agree to:

Promptly fulfill outstanding L’Aquila financial pledges and seek to maintain strong support to address current and future global food security challenges, including through bilateral and multilateral assistance;
Ensure that our assistance is directly aligned behind country plans;
Strengthen the coordination of G8 strategies, assistance and programs in-country and with partner countries to increase efficiencies, reduce transaction burdens, and eliminate redundancies and gaps.

The New Alliance will be rooted in partnership
To accelerate national progress in African partner countries, the G8 will launch New Alliance Cooperation Frameworks that align with priority activities within each partner’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) national investment plan and include predictable funding commitments, specific policy actions, and statements of intent from the private sector.

The G8 will partner with the African Union, New Partnership for Africa's Development and CAADP to implement the New Alliance, and leverage in particular the Grow Africa Partnership, in order to ensure our efforts build on African ownership, yield significant outcomes, and can be replicated across Africa. The G8 will work together to advance the objectives of the New Alliance and G-8 members will support its individual elements on a complementary basis.

To mobilize private capital for food security, the New Alliance will:
Support the preparation and financing of bankable agricultural infrastructure projects, through multilateral initiatives including the development of a new Fast Track Facility for Agriculture Infrastructure.
Support the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), with the goal of securing commitments of $1.2 billion over three years from existing and new donors, scaling up and strengthening the operations of its public and private sector windows and support other mechanisms that improve country ownership and align behind CAADP national investment plans.

Report on the progress of G-8 development finance institutions in catalyzing additional private investment in African agriculture and increasing the range of financing options and innovative risk mitigation tools available to smallholder farmers and medium-sized agribusinesses.

Call on the World Bank, in collaboration with other relevant partners, to develop options for generating a Doing Business in Agriculture Index.

Announce the signing of Letters of Intent from over 45 local and multinational companies to invest over $3 billion across the agricultural value chain in Grow Africa countries, and the signing by over 60 companies of the Private Sector Declaration of Support for African Agricultural Development outlining their commitment to support African agriculture and public-private partnerships in a responsible manner.

To take innovation to scale, the New Alliance will:
Determine 10-year targets in partner countries for sustainable agricultural yield improvements, adoption of improved production technologies, including improved seed varieties, as well as post-harvest management practices as part of a value-chain approach, and measures to ensure ecological sustainability and safeguard agro-biodiversity.

Launch a Technology Platform with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa and other partners in consultation with the Tropical Agriculture Platform and the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) initiative that will assess the availability of improved technologies for food commodities critical to achieve sustainable yield, resilience, and nutrition impacts, identify current constraints to adoption, and create a roadmap to accelerate adoption of technologies.

Launch the Scaling Seeds and Other Technologies Partnership, housed at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa to strengthen the seed sector and promote the commercialization, distribution and adoption of key technologies improved seed varieties, and other technologies prioritized by the Technology Platform to meet established goals in partner countries.
Share relevant agricultural data available from G8 countries with African partners and convene an international conference on Open Data for Agriculture, to develop options for the establishment of a global platform to make reliable agricultural and related information available to African farmers, researchers and policymakers, taking into account existing agricultural data systems.
Launch an information and communications technology innovation challenge on extension services at the African Union Summit in July 2012.
Explore opportunities for applying the non-profit model licensing approach that could expand African access to food and nutritional technologies developed by national research institutions.

To reduce and manage risk, the New Alliance will:
Support the Platform for Agricultural Risk Management (PARM) to complete national agricultural risk assessment strategies, to be conducted by the World Bank and other international institutions in close partnership with New Alliance countries, with the mandate of identifying key risks to food and nutrition security and agricultural development and recommending options for managing these risks.
Create a global action network to accelerate the availability and adoption of agricultural index insurance, in order to mitigate risks to farmers, especially smallholder and women farmers, and increase income and nutritional security. This network will pool data and findings; identify constraints; support regional training and capacity-building; and accelerate the development of instruments appropriate for smallholders and pastoralists.
Recognize the need for Africa-based sovereign risk management instruments, recognizing the progress by the African Union and its member governments toward creating the African Risk Capacity, a regional risk-pooling facility for drought management.

To improve nutritional outcomes and reduce child stunting, the G8 will:
Actively support the Scaling Up Nutrition movement and welcome the commitment of African partners to improve the nutritional well-being of their populations, especially during the critical 1,000 days window from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday. We pledge that the G8 members will maintain robust programs to further reduce child stunting.
Commit to improve tracking and disbursements for nutrition across sectors and ensure coordination of nutrition activities across sectors.

Support the accelerated release, adoption and consumption of bio-fortified crop varieties, crop diversification, and related technologies to improve the nutritional quality of food in Africa.
Develop a nutrition policy research agenda and support the efforts of African institutions, civil society and private sector partners to establish regional nutritional learning centers.
To ensure accountability for results, the New Alliance will:
Convene a Leadership Council to drive and track implementation, which will report to the G8 and African Union on progress towards achieving the commitments under the New Alliance, including commitments made by the private sector.

Report to the 2013 G8 Summit on the implementation of the New Alliance, including the actions of the private sector, in collaboration with the African Union.

DURING CHICAGO NATO SUMMIT THE MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM WAS DECLARED OPERATIONAL

Photo Credit:  U.S. Air Force 
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
NATO Declares Missile Defense System Operational
By Cheryl Pellerin
CHICAGO, May 20, 2012 - During its first session at the 25th NATO Summit here today, the alliance's senior governing body declared operational the missile defense system it endorsed at its November 2010 summit in Lisbon, Portugal, NATO's secretary general said.

During a news conference following the North Atlantic Council session, Anders Fogh Rasmussen characterized the accomplishment as true trans-Atlantic teamwork.
"We call this an interim capability, ... the first step toward our long-term goal of providing full coverage and protection for all NATO European populations, territory and forces," Rasmussen said.

"Our system will link together missile defense assets from different allies -- satellites, ships, radars and interceptors -- under NATO command and control," he added. "It will allow us to defend against threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic area."

The secretary general described the culture of cooperation in NATO as "smart defense," in which countries work together to develop capabilities they could not develop on their own.

"We already have some good examples," he said, noting that NATO allies share the job of patrolling airspace in the Balkan states.

"This means our Baltic allies can focus their resources in other critical areas, such as deployable forces for Afghanistan," he said. "This is why we have agreed that NATO will provide continuous air policing for the Baltic states."

The council also agreed today to acquire an alliance ground surveillance capability that uses unarmed drones to provide crucial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information to military commanders who must monitor developing situations and identify potential threats.

"During our operation to protect the people of Libya, we learned how important it is to have the best possible intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance." Rasmussen said. "So we realized that we need more of this capability. We are now filling that gap."

According to a White House fact sheet, a group of 14 allies has agreed to acquire five unmanned aerial vehicles and their command-and-control ground stations. Participating allies are Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States.

NATO will operate and maintain the system on behalf of the alliance, with common funding from all 28 allies, the fact sheet said.

The council also approved a package of more than 20 multinational projects to provide capabilities at an affordable price for NATO, the secretary general said. These include a project among several allies to jointly acquire remote-controlled robots that can clear deadly roadside bombs, he said. Another group of allies will pool their maritime patrol aircraft to efficiently provide more awareness of activities on the sea.

"Within NATO we have also agreed that our forces will step up exercises, training and education, including with our partners, so they can preserve the skills they've mastered in operations," Rasmussen added.

At the 2010 Lisbon summit, NATO leaders adopted a strategic concept that committed NATO to meeting security challenges of the 21st century, from terrorism to ballistic missile and cyber attacks to nuclear proliferation, White House officials said.

At this summit, NATO's leadership outlined a vision of how NATO will maintain the capabilities it needs. A new document titled "NATO Forces 2020" helps to set NATO's priorities for investing in capabilities over the next decade.

The framework calls for realistic efforts to maintain and develop multinational capabilities despite defense budget cuts in the United States and Europe, White House officials said. It also institutionalizes lessons learned from recent and current operations, ensures that NATO can maintain interoperability among allies and with partners, and identifies critical capabilities gaps.

"Our goal," the secretary general said, is ... an alliance that deals with the economic challenges of today and is prepared for the security challenges of the future."

SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON TALKS TOUGH REGARDING BURMA

Photo:  Burma,  Secretary of State Clinton with Aung San Suu Kyi.  Credit:  File Photo By U.S. State Department. 
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Readout of Secretary Clinton's Call with Aung San Suu Kyi
Media NoteOffice of the SpokespersonWashington, DC
May 21, 2012
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Aung San Suu Kyi last night to review developments in Burma and to discuss the recent U.S. decision regarding sanctions. They talked about the need for specific steps to promote responsible, transparent investment, empower reformers, and target abusers. They agreed that the important progress of the past several months remains fragile and that the international community needs to help protect against backsliding. In this regard, the Secretary assured Aung San Suu Kyi that the United States is keeping its sanctions authorities in place as an insurance policy. Finally, they also discussed the urgent need for progress in resolving the ethnic conflicts and ending human rights abuses in the ethnic areas. They agreed to remain in close touch.

G8: NUCLEAR SAFETY AND SECURITY GROUP REPORT

Photo:  Chernobyl Power Plant 2003.  Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
G8 Nuclear Safety and Security Group Summit Report
May 19, 2012
1. The Nuclear Safety and Security Group (NSSG), established at Kananaskis Summit and responsible to Leaders, provides technically informed strategic policy advice on issues that could impact safety and security in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Following the Deauville Summit, we remain committed to the objective of achieving the highest levels of safety and a culture of continuous improvement to nuclear safety and security.
2. We welcome continued cooperation, under the auspices of the IAEA with other relevant international organizations in this area, and will promote strong and competent national nuclear safety and security frameworks and cultures, by addressing both existing and emerging challenges and establishing partnership relations in these issues.

Nuclear Safety in the Aftermath of the Fukushima Accident
3. The Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami that severely affected the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station reminded the G8, and the world, of the importance of ensuring robust nuclear safety mechanisms in order to protect life, health and the environment and to prevent related adverse economic effects.

4. The NSSG welcomes the risk and safety assessments of nuclear installations conducted in G8 and other countries in response to the accident at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station (Fukushima accident). This strong response to the Fukushima accident has already resulted in measures to improve nuclear safety.

G8 Support for the IAEA Action Plan and the Enhancement of Safety and Security Framework
5. The NSSG welcomes and endorses the IAEA’s Action Plan on Nuclear Safety (Action Plan), as it provides the most comprehensive roadmap for coordinating international efforts to strengthen and enhance existing nuclear safety programs in all countries in light of the Fukushima accident. The NSSG underlines that its implementation requires the concrete and determined commitment of states alongside the Secretariat of the Agency. The NSSG also recognizes the importance of the success of the Fukushima Ministerial

Conference on Nuclear Safety to be held in December 2012.
6. The NSSG is committed to working alongside the IAEA to fully implement the Action Plan in order to improve nuclear safety worldwide, and has decided to pursue a wide range of activities to further this objective.

7. The NSSG recognizes the role the regulator plays in providing an expectation that individuals and organizations performing regulated activities establish and maintain safety and security cultures commensurate with the significance of their activities and the nature and complexity of their organizations and functions. The NSSG further recognizes the role industry and operators play in creating a work environment at nuclear facilities and activities where nuclear safety is paramount and where plant employees are encouraged to place safety as their highest obligation. In an effort to demonstrate support for industry actions to improve nuclear safety, the NSSG acknowledges national initiatives for fostering and sustaining a safety culture, recognizing that these initiatives can provide the basis for a replicable, holistic approach to strengthening the safety culture at nuclear facilities worldwide. The NSSG acknowledges the valuable contribution of the IAEA peer review services to improve the safety culture.

8. The NSSG welcomes the actions that are being taken to enhance the international emergency preparedness and response system under the Action Plan. The NSSG recognizes, especially in view of the lessons learned from the Fukushima accident, that the strengthened, effective, and sustainable national and international emergency preparedness and response programs are critical to ensuring protection of life, health, the environment, and the economy. The NSSG urges countries not only to review their existing emergency preparedness and response programs and to make necessary improvements, but also to support the strengthening of regional and international emergency preparedness systems. The NSSG is fully committed to ensuring a comprehensive worldwide emergency preparedness and response system and encourages all countries to support the implementation of strategies arising from the IAEA International Action Plan for Strengthening the International Preparedness and Response System for Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies. The NSSG also supports strengthening national, regional and international communications and assistance within a sustainable infrastructure.

9. The NSSG supports ongoing initiatives based on a coordinated approach to nuclear safety and security practices. The NSSG also encourages the full consideration of emergency preparedness and response when addressing nuclear safety and security in order to further maximize benefits of these programs while reducing duplication and redundancies.

10. The NSSG resolves to enhance and strengthen the effectiveness of the international legal framework by the most efficient and practicable means available, making full use of the upcoming review meeting of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, as well as the extraordinary meeting of the Convention on Nuclear Safety. In addition, measures to strengthen the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency should also be considered. In so doing, the NSSG acknowledges the importance of working proactively to apply lessons learned from the Fukushima accident on current nuclear safety practices.

11. The NSSG recognizes the importance of a global nuclear liability regime based on the principles set forth in the relevant international instruments. The national laws of all countries should be consistent with those principles and should assure the availability of appropriate compensation for victims which would be provided in a single forum in a prompt, equitable, and non-discriminatory manner with minimal litigation. The NSSG commits to working toward establishing a global nuclear liability regime by promoting universal adherence to one or more relevant international instruments appropriate for each country.

Chernobyl Projects
12. The NSSG remains committed to the timely and cost-efficient completion of the ongoing projects at Chornobyl, which are managed on behalf of the donor community by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), to convert the destroyed reactor unit into a stable and environmentally safe state. The NSSG resolves to remain seized with this issue. Meanwhile the NSSG views it as critically important that the Government of Ukraine makes the required institutional and financial provisions to ensure the efficient and successful implementation of the projects.

Safety Upgrade of Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plants
13. The NSSG welcomes the safety upgrades of all Ukrainian nuclear power plants (NPPs). The ultimate objective is for Ukrainian NPPs to satisfy internationally recognized nuclear safety standards. The program is currently ongoing and is expected to be completed in 2017. Ukraine has submitted a request to Euratom and the EBRD for loans for the project; the due diligence review is ongoing. The program review of the safety and environmental impact has been completed.

INTERNET FREEDOM AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS LAW

Photo:  Statue of Liberty and Coast Guard patrol.  Credit:  Wikimedia. 
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Two Cases for Internet Freedom
Remarks Philip L. Verveer
Coordinator for International Communications & Information Policy Winnik Telecom and Internet Forum
Hogan Lovells, Washington, DC
May 12, 2012
 I am very grateful to Hogan Lovells and to my friends in its communications practice for the invitation to deliver these remarks.
I first met Joel Winnik nearly 35 years ago when we both worked at the Federal Communications Commission. Joel’s many outstanding qualities are well known to his colleagues in the communications bar. But beyond those qualities, there is one thing about him that has always marked him apart for me. Joel was the first lawyer I ever met who specialized in international communications law.

In this, he was prescient. When he began practicing international communications law, the sector almost universally consisted of state-owned monopolies. There were perhaps one billion telephone connections in world. And here “telephone” is a material qualification, because apart from telex services, voice connections were about the only thing available for international communications. Some international calls went by undersea cables, some by satellite, and some by high frequency radio.

The international regulatory concerns of the day involved such things as AT&T’s preferred use of undersea cables in which it had an ownership interest rather than communications satellites in which it did not; the consequences of the Congressional decision to appoint the Communications Satellite Corporation as the chosen instrument for our participation in International satellite communications; and disputes between Western Union and the International Record Carriers, who were the international suppliers of what we now would now call ultra slow speed data service.

Although Joel died too young, he lived long enough—and he contributed to—a great transformation in international telecommunications. Today there are almost no true monopolies in telecommunications—thanks to changes in public policy around the world and to wireless technology. There are approximately eight billion connections—an astounding increase that has contributed immeasurably to the well being of the world’s population. New institutions of great significance—ICANN, IETF, the Internet Society, and the World Wide Web Consortium, among others—have come into existence. And, most remarkably, the increase in the amount of information accessible almost instantaneously to anyone with an Internet connection anywhere in the world ranges well beyond anything anyone could have imagined when Joel began practicing international communications law.

Joel’s work as a government and private attorney contributed to all of these developments. It represents a very tangible accomplishment in which Joel’s family, friends, and professional colleagues can and should take pride.

These developments continue to produce changes so fundamental in economics, politics, culture, and social relationships that we cannot hope to understand them in any comprehensive way. As Hegel said, “The owl of Minerva flies only at dusk,” and we are much closer to sunrise than to sunset.

But we do know some things. One of them—a very important thing about which we can feel very secure—is that the Internet is a great enabler of human expression, association, and assembly; and another thing—about which we can feel equally confident—is that the Internet is a great enabler of increases in material well being. One of the most important responsibilities confronting us today is assuring that these Internet-related opportunities are not impaired. This is a responsibility not just to ourselves and our descendants, but to people like Joel whose life’s work helped to provide the opportunities.

At the State Department, one aspect of this responsibility involves Internet Freedom. This is what I propose to elaborate upon.

A great deal has been and continues to be written and debated about Internet Freedom. Most of it, understandably, involves the extent of the Internet’s intrinsic utility in addressing and solving the very acute geopolitical problems of the day. One prominent example: the disputes involving the significance of the Internet in the Middle Eastern and North African political upheavals of the last eighteen months. Or, closer to home, of the never ending effort to find the optimal balance between the rights and responsibilities of individuals and the broader society in the use of the Internet. An example: the extraordinarily contentious disputes about proposed approaches to the protection of intellectual property in cyberspace. The recent books of Evgeny Morozov and Rebecca MacKinnon, among many others, provide examples.

I will prescind from these important immediate and practical concerns. Instead, I will very briefly offer my thoughts on the fundamental case for Internet freedom. Or, to say it differently, on the proposition that—explicitly or implicitly—we hold out when we address governments on the subject of Internet Freedom.

That case, of course, is not entirely divorced from considerations of utility. But, as we shall see, the assertions associated with principle are more fully developed than the assertions associated with material advantage.

The interest of Secretary Clinton and of the State Department as an institution in Internet Freedom falls squarely within the traditional functions of diplomacy. Diplomacy is conventionally said to involve three things—security, prosperity, and values. Internet Freedom addresses values and prosperity in a direct way and, we believe, through them, security.

This suggests that Internet Freedom relies on two bases—rights, specifically human rights, and economics. Both of these foster security.

Secretary Clinton has addressed Internet Freedom on several occasions. Her remarks have been wide-ranging, but they begin with the premise that freedom of expression, of association, and of assembly are fundamental human rights. They are innate. Each human being is entitled to them by virtue of being human, not by virtue of a grant from a governing authority. These rights are reflected—again, not granted, but acknowledged—in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Championed by Eleanor Roosevelt, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, with eight abstentions but without dissent, in 1948. Article 19 holds that:

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
The right “to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers” is the embodiment of the rights-based case for Internet Freedom, articulated some two decades before the concepts that, reduced to practice, became the Internet.

The Uniform Declaration is just that, a declaration. While it enjoys great moral authority, it is not binding, in the sense of international law. But the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, derived from the Universal Declaration, is. Adopted by the General Assembly in 1966, but also signed and ratified by most nations, with some notable exceptions, it is a binding, multilateral treaty. Article 19.2 mirrors the Universal Declaration in holding that:

Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.

From a juridical perspective, then, there is a compelling case for Internet Freedom grounded in human rights. The problem, of course, is that it is not enough to persuade countries that have strong reasons to interfere with Internet Freedom.

This is why the economics case for Internet Freedom—the case appealing to more immediate self-interest—is very important. And, as I am about to describe, that case is not as well developed as the rights-based case.

The economic case for Internet Freedom is grounded on at least two propositions. The first is that interfering with the use of the Internet as a commercial channel inevitably will impose costs. We might think of this as the transactional case. This raises the question of whether it is possible to interfere with the Internet as a transmitter of political and related ideas while maintaining it at full, or at least acceptable, efficiency for economic purposes. The second proposition is more fundamental. It is based on the intuition that serious reductions in the free flow of ideas will harm a society’s ability to engage in innovation and thus ultimately will handicap economic growth. We might think of this as the cultural/psychological case in the sense the effects of censorship and repression on culture and behavior.

Secretary Clinton addressed both of these matters in her second Internet Freedom speech:
Walls that divide the internet, that block political content, or ban broad categories of expression, or allow certain forms of peaceful assembly but prohibit others, or intimidate people from expressing their ideas are far easier to erect than to maintain. Not just because people using human ingenuity find ways around them and through them but because there isn’t an economic internet and a social internet and a political internet: there’s just the internet. And maintaining barriers that attempt to change this reality entails a variety of costs—moral, political, and economic. Countries may be able to absorb these costs for a time, but we believe they are unsustainable in the long run. There are opportunity costs for trying to be open for business but closed for free expression—costs to a nation’s education system, its political stability, its social mobility, and its economic potential.

In both of these propositions, we are involved in an assessment of costs and benefits. If a government’s highest priority is regime preservation, it may be willing to pay any cost to secure it. History gives us too many examples of this, but we do not need to go beyond the present case of North Korea to appreciate both that the phenomenon exists and that the willingness to pay any cost is appalling in terms of its consequences.

Fortunately, we do not have many contemporaneous examples of countries that approach the regime stability-economic growth equation with the ferocity of North Korea, but we do have many that are making a bet that they can secure the Internet’s economic benefits without incurring unacceptable costs. They do this through censorship—in the modern way through technology and in the time-tested way through intimidation.
To dilate on the use of technology, the problems for governments attempting to rely on filtering and firewalls to keep out unwanted ideas involve both effectiveness and overbreadth. The more fully the screening of information, the more certain it is that the screens will catch too much. They will exclude information that would be valuable for commercial purposes, impair marketing and sales, and complicate supply chain cooperation. It is not hard to imagine why these kinds of problems are certain to arise. If a country is intent on keeping its citizens in ignorance about matters that might seem politically unsettling, it must constantly adjust what is acceptable and what is not. Given news cycles that have been compressed to minutes by the Internet, censorship requires literally constant judgments. And if the individuals responsible for censorship face greater sanctions for errors of omission than of commission, it is inevitable that economically valuable material will be excluded.

So this is the transactional case. What of the second proposition involving culture and psychology?

There is a strong and widely held belief that Internet Freedom produces economic benefits in fundamental ways, separate and apart from its transactional value. But at least as far as I am aware, this hasn’t yet been the object of extensive scholarship. What might confirm this intuition of deeper economic benefit?

This obviously is related to the far larger matter of the prerequisites for economic growth. As it happens, we have a reasonably clear sense of what they are. Sustained economic growth requires a stable level of security where citizens have protection from violence from both internal and external sources. So a state is necessary, but so are appropriate and effective institutions. The state must be what Professors Acemoglu and Robinson in their recent book Why Nations Failcall inclusive and non-extractive. Opportunities to amass wealth must be widely available rather than limited to a small, politically powerful segment of the population. And those with governing authority must not make excessive extractions of the society’s wealth. They must not be rent seekers, pursuing the accumulation of wealth for themselves, their families, and their retainers, a phenomenon that continues to be all too prevalent in our world.

The ideal, then, involves the creation of a legal and regulatory milieu that is conducive to investment. This prototypically consists of a stable, reliable rule of law that, among other things, assures that contractual commitments are honored. The ideal also involves an autonomous judiciary for purposes of arbitration of disputes and to oversee those matters that warrant the imposition of social controls.

We need these institutional arrangements for purposes of economic growth, but there remains the interesting possibility that Internet Freedom has a critical connection to innovation—a connection that involves respect for and encouragement of personal autonomy. At the risk of intruding on the prerogatives of the tenured, I would like to propose one approach to the question based on an historical analogy. This follows the suggestion of Thomas Spavins, a valued colleague who has been providing his expert advice on all things related to the Internet.

Economic historians have addressed the question of why over the last five centuries Western Europe has experienced a great increase in wealth. One of the most prominent academicians, Joel Mokyr of Northwestern University, has produced very important insights. Professor Mokyr identifies several relevant factors. One is especially intriguing for present purposes. It involves the freedom of individuals to pursue their ideas as they wished, free from the strictures of authority. To quote Professor Mokyr, it is:
the Enlightenment notion of freedom of expression. In our age, we think of technological change as natural and obvious; indeed, we consider its absence a source of concern. Not so in the past: inventors were seen as disrespectful, rebelling against the existing order, threatening the stability of the regime and the Church, and jeopardizing employment. In the eighteenth century, this notion slowly began to give way to tolerance, to the belief that those with odd notions should be allowed to subject them to a market test. … Words like “heretic” to describe innovators began to disappear.

This insight, it seems to me, provides an entirely plausible basis for the belief that Internet Freedom leads to innovation and economic growth. Or, stated differently, that the absence of Internet Freedom diminishes a society’s economic growth. In any event, scholars would perform a material service to all of us interested in information and communications technologies if they would take up the study of Internet Freedom, either in the manner of Professor Mokyr or otherwise.

There is one more thing to consider. The Enlightenment experience had another feature that is self-evidently relevant to the Age of the Internet and the freedom to spread of its benefits. To quote Professor Mokyr again:

To bring about the progress that they envisioned—to solve pragmatic problems of industry, agriculture, medicine, and navigation—European scientists realized that they needed to accumulate a solid body of knowledge and that this required, above all, reliable communications. They churned out encyclopedias, compendiums, dictionaries, and technical volumes—the search engines of their day—in which useful knowledge was organized, cataloged, classified, and made as available as possible. … The age of Enlightenment was also the age of the “Republic of Science,” a transnational, informal community in which European scientists relied on an epistolary network to read, critique, translate, and sometimes plagiarize one another’s ideas and work. Nationality mattered little, it seemed, compared with the shared goal of human progress.
“The shared goal of human progress” seems like an appropriate place to end my speculations.

There are, then, two pillars on which Internet Freedom rests. Internet Freedom is right and it is useful. In a better world, it would be sufficient that it is right. But until human nature and this world experience improvement, it matters that Internet Freedom is useful.

I don’t have any difficulty accepting Internet Freedom’s value in the generation of wealth. But for purposes of persuading the present and future leaders of Administrations that may be less sure of this, the attention of the academy to this matter would be entirely welcome.
Thank you.

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION INCREASES BY $100 MILLION FUNDING TO COMBAT ALZHEIMER'S

Photo: Kathleen Sebelius

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

HHS Secretary Sebelius outlines research funding, tools for health care providers, awareness campaign and new website

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released an ambitious national plan to fight Alzheimer’s disease. The plan was called for in the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), which President Obama signed into law in January 2011. The National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease sets forth five goals, including the development of effective prevention and treatment approaches for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias by 2025.

In February 2012, the administration announced that it would take immediate action to implement parts of the plan, including making additional funding available in fiscal year 2012 to support research, provider education and public awareness. Today, the Secretary announced additional specific actions, including the funding of two major clinical trials, jumpstarted by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) infusion of additional FY 2012 funds directed at Alzheimer’s disease; the development of new high-quality, up-to-date training and information for our nation’s clinicians; and a new public education campaign and website to help families and caregivers find the services and support they need.

To help accelerate this urgent work, the President’s proposed FY 2013 budget provides a $100 million increase for efforts to combat Alzheimer’s disease. These funds will support additional research ($80 million), improve public awareness of the disease ($4.2 million), support provider education programs ($4.0 million), invest in caregiver support ($10.5 million), and improve data collection ($1.3 million).

“These actions are the cornerstones of an historic effort to fight Alzheimer’s disease,” Secretary Sebelius said. “This is a national plan—not a federal one, because reducing the burden of Alzheimer’s will require the active engagement of both the public and private sectors.”

The plan, presented today at the Alzheimer’s Research Summit 2012: Path to Treatment and Prevention, was developed with input from experts in aging and Alzheimer’s disease issues and calls for a comprehensive, collaborative approach across federal, state, private and non-profit organizations. More than 3,600 people or organizations submitted comments on the draft plan.

As many as 5.1 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and that number is likely to double in the coming years. At the same time, millions of American families struggle with the physical, emotional and financial costs of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.

The initiatives announced today include:

• Research – The funding of new research projects by the NIH will focus on key areas in which emerging technologies and new approaches in clinical testing now allow for a more comprehensive assessment of the disease. This research holds considerable promise for developing new and targeted approaches to prevention and treatment. Specifically, two major clinical trials are being funded. One is a $7.9 million effort to test an insulin nasal spray for treating Alzheimer’s disease. A second study, toward which NIH is contributing $16 million, is the first prevention trial in people at the highest risk for the disease.
• Tools for Clinicians – The Health Resources and Services Administration has awarded $2 million in funding through its geriatric education centers to provide high-quality training for doctors, nurses, and other health care providers on recognizing the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and how to manage the disease.
• Easier access to information to support caregivers–HHS’ new website, www.alzheimers.gov, offers resources and support to those facing Alzheimer’s disease and their friends and family. The site is a gateway to reliable, comprehensive information from federal, state, and private organizations on a range of topics. Visitors to the site will find plain language information and tools to identify local resources that can help with the challenges of daily living, emotional needs, and financial issues related to dementia. Video interviews with real family caregivers explain why information is key to successful caregiving, in their own words.
• Awareness campaign – The first new television advertisement encouraging caregivers to seek information at the new website was debuted. This media campaign will be launched this summer, reaching family members and patients in need of information on Alzheimer’s disease.

Today’s announcement demonstrates the Obama administration’s continued commitment to taking action in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

In 2013, the National Family Caregiver Support Program will continue to provide essential services to family caregivers, including those helping loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease. This program will enable family caregivers to receive essential respite services, providing them a short break from caregiving duties, along with other essential services, such as counseling, education and support groups.

For more information on the national plan to address Alzheimer’s disease, visit: www.alzheimers.gov.

NATO COMMANDER IN AFGHANISTAN POSITIVE ON PAKISTAN RELATIONS

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
ISAF Commander Sees Positive Signs for Relationship with Pakistan
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. , May 16, 2012 - The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan pointed to indications today that Pakistan is preparing to open cross-border NATO supply lines into Afghanistan.

Speaking by video teleconference, Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force, told the sixth annual 2012 Joint Warfighting Conference he would welcome the move as well as improved relations with Pakistan for the stability of the region.

"There have been in the last several days, some very important signals coming out of Islamabad that there is a consideration to re-open the ground lines of communication, and we, frankly, would welcome that, we would applaud that decision," Allen said. "It would, in fact, be helpful to us if the ground lines of communication were opened, not just because of what could flow into Afghanistan but what could flow out of Afghanistan."
Relations between ISAF and Pakistan have been strained since a November 26 engagement near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead. Pakistan closed ISAF ground supply lines into Afghanistan in response. Allen noted the closing of the routes has not affected the ISAF mission.

"I will tell you the effect of the closure of that route on the campaign has not slowed us at all," he said. "The air bridge into Afghanistan and the flow of materiel across the Northern Distribution Network were modulated in a way that continued to support the campaign in every operational respect."

He said there has been a general review by the Pakistani Parliament of relations with the United States and some "very hopeful signs".

Allen also said Pakistan has "paid a great price" in fighting terrorism on its own soil. "I have to take a few minutes to honor the sacrifices of the Pakistani military who have fought across the border from us against their own insurgent elements."

Pakistani casualties in just the last two years, Allen said, far exceed ISAF casualties in the entire 10 years of the Afghan war. "The numbers of their troops that have been wounded by IEDs, the civilians who have been killed by suicide bombers – the price has been very high in Pakistan as well," he said. "And often, that has been overlooked."
There have been occasions when ISAF and Pakistan have conducted "coordinated operations" along the border for a common interest in security, although "there haven't been any for a couple years now," he said.

"So I would say that over the next several months, we may well see, between ISAF and the Afghan national security forces and the Pakistani military, an ability to work very closely to ensure that we can coordinate operations along the border," Allen said, ensuring an avoidance of any new cross-border incidents.

Allen said he believes there could "conceivably" be coordinated operations between ISAF, Afghanistan and Pakistan to ensure "a stable, peaceful and secure Afghanistan."
"My hope is, in the weeks and months ahead, we can leverage all of that opportunity for common ground, both to improve the relationship at a policy level, but certainly to improve the military to military relationship as well," he said.

CAMP DAVID DECLARATION

Photo:  Camp David 1959.  Credit: U.S. Government.
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Camp David Declaration
May 19, 2012
Camp David, Maryland, United States
May 18-19, 2012
Preamble
1. We, the Leaders of the Group of Eight, met at Camp David on May 18 and 19, 2012 to address major global economic and political challenges.

The Global Economy
2. Our imperative is to promote growth and jobs.

3. The global economic recovery shows signs of promise, but significant headwinds persist.

4. Against this background, we commit to take all necessary steps to strengthen and reinvigorate our economies and combat financial stresses, recognizing that the right measures are not the same for each of us.

5. We welcome the ongoing discussion in Europe on how to generate growth, while maintaining a firm commitment to implement fiscal consolidation to be assessed on a structural basis. We agree on the importance of a strong and cohesive Eurozone for global stability and recovery, and we affirm our interest in Greece remaining in the Eurozone while respecting its commitments. We all have an interest in the success of specific measures to strengthen the resilience of the Eurozone and growth in Europe. We support Euro Area Leaders’ resolve to address the strains in the Eurozone in a credible and timely manner and in a manner that fosters confidence, stability and growth.

6. We agree that all of our governments need to take actions to boost confidence and nurture recovery including reforms to raise productivity, growth and demand within a sustainable, credible and non-inflationary macroeconomic framework. We commit to fiscal responsibility and, in this context, we support sound and sustainable fiscal consolidation policies that take into account countries’ evolving economic conditions and underpin confidence and economic recovery.

7. To raise productivity and growth potential in our economies, we support structural reforms, and investments in education and in modern infrastructure, as appropriate. Investment initiatives can be financed using a range of mechanisms, including leveraging the private sector. Sound financial measures, to which we are committed, should build stronger systems over time while not choking off near-term credit growth. We commit to promote investment to underpin demand, including support for small businesses and public-private partnerships.

8. Robust international trade, investment and market integration are key drivers of strong sustainable and balanced growth. We underscore the importance of open markets and a fair, strong, rules-based trading system. We will honor our commitment to refrain from protectionist measures, protect investments and pursue bilateral, plurilateral, and multilateral efforts, consistent with and supportive of the WTO framework, to reduce barriers to trade and investment and maintain open markets. We call on the broader international community to do likewise. Recognizing that unnecessary differences and overly burdensome regulatory standards serve as significant barriers to trade, we support efforts towards regulatory coherence and better alignment of standards to further promote trade and growth.

9. Given the importance of intellectual property rights (IPR) to stimulating job and economic growth, we affirm the significance of high standards for IPR protection and enforcement, including through international legal instruments and mutual assistance agreements, as well as through government procurement processes, private-sector voluntary codes of best practices, and enhanced customs cooperation, while promoting the free flow of information. To protect public health and consumer safety, we also commit to exchange information on rogue internet pharmacy sites in accordance with national law and share best practices on combating counterfeit medical products.

Energy and Climate Change
10. As our economies grow, we recognize the importance of meeting our energy needs from a wide variety of sources ranging from traditional fuels to renewables to other clean technologies. As we each implement our own individual energy strategies, we embrace the pursuit of an appropriate mix from all of the above in an environmentally safe, sustainable, secure, and affordable manner. We also recognize the importance of pursuing and promoting sustainable energy and low carbon policies in order to tackle the global challenge of climate change. To facilitate the trade of energy around the world, we commit to take further steps to remove obstacles to the evolution of global energy infrastructure; to reduce barriers and refrain from discriminatory measures that impede market access; and to pursue universal access to cleaner, safer, and more affordable energy. We remain committed to the principles on global energy security adopted by the G-8 in St. Petersburg.

11. As we pursue energy security, we will do so with renewed focus on safety and sustainability. We are committed to establishing and sharing best practices on energy production, including exploration in frontier areas and the use of technologies such as deep water drilling and hydraulic fracturing, where allowed, to allow for the safe development of energy sources, taking into account environmental concerns over the life of a field. In light of the nuclear accident triggered by the tsunami in Japan, we continue to strongly support initiatives to carry out comprehensive risk and safety assessments of existing nuclear installations and to strengthen the implementation of relevant conventions to aim for high levels of nuclear safety.

12. We recognize that increasing energy efficiency and reliance on renewables and other clean energy technologies can contribute significantly to energy security and savings, while also addressing climate change and promoting sustainable economic growth and innovation. We welcome sustained, cost-effective policies to support reliable renewable energy sources and their market integration. We commit to advance appliance and equipment efficiency, including through comparable and transparent testing procedures, and to promote industrial and building efficiency through energy management systems.

13. We agree to continue our efforts to address climate change and recognize the need for increased mitigation ambition in the period to 2020, with a view to doing our part to limit effectively the increase in global temperature below 2ºC above pre-industrial levels, consistent with science. We strongly support the outcome of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban to implement the Cancun agreements and the launch of the Durban Platform, which we welcome as a significant breakthrough toward the adoption by 2015 of a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force applicable to all Parties, developed and developing countries alike. We agree to continue to work together in the UNFCCC and other fora, including through the Major Economies Forum, toward a positive outcome at Doha.

14. Recognizing the impact of short-lived climate pollutants on near-term climate change, agricultural productivity, and human health, we support, as a means of promoting increased ambition and complementary to other CO2 and GHG emission reduction efforts, comprehensive actions to reduce these pollutants, which, according to UNEP and others, account for over thirty percent of near-term global warming as well as 2 million premature deaths a year. Therefore, we agree to join the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-lived Climate Pollutants.

15. In addition, we strongly support efforts to rationalize and phase-out over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption, and to continue voluntary reporting on progress.

Food Security and Nutrition
16. For over a decade, the G-8 has engaged with African partners to address the challenges and opportunities afforded by Africa’s quest for inclusive and sustainable development. Our progress has been measurable, and together we have changed the lives of hundreds of millions of people. International assistance alone, however, cannot fulfill our shared objectives. As we move forward, and even as we recommit to working together to reduce poverty, we recognize that our task is also to foster the change that can end it, by investing in Africa’s growth, its expanding role in the global economy, and its success. As part of that effort, we commit to fulfill outstanding L’Aquila financial pledges, seek to maintain strong support to address current and future global food security challenges, including through bilateral and multilateral assistance, and agree to take new steps to accelerate progress towards food security and nutrition in Africa and globally, on a complementary basis.

17. Since the L’Aquila Summit, we have seen an increased level of commitment to global food security, realignment of assistance in support of country-led plans, and new investments and greater collaboration in agricultural research. We commend our African partners for the progress made since L’Aquila, consistent with the Maputo Declaration, to increase public investments in agriculture and to adopt the governance and policy reforms necessary to accelerate sustainable agricultural productivity growth, attain greater gains in nutrition, and unlock sustainable and inclusive country-led growth. The leadership of the African Union and the role of its Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) have been essential.

18. Building on this progress, and working with our African and other international partners, today we commit to launch aNew Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition to accelerate the flow of private capital to African agriculture, take to scale new technologies and other innovations that can increase sustainable agricultural productivity, and reduce the risk borne by vulnerable economies and communities. This New Alliance will lift 50 million people out of poverty over the next decade, and be guided by a collective commitment to invest in credible, comprehensive and country-owned plans, develop new tools to mobilize private capital, spur and scale innovation, and manage risk; and engage and leverage the capacity of private sector partners – from women and smallholder farmers, entrepreneurs to domestic and international companies.

19. The G-8 reaffirms its commitment to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, and recognizes the vital role of official development assistance in poverty alleviation and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. As such, we welcome and endorse the Camp David Accountability Report which records the important progress that the G-8 has made on food security consistent with commitments made at the L’Aquila Summit, and in meeting our commitments on global health, including the Muskoka initiative on maternal, newborn and child health. We remain strongly committed to reporting transparently and consistently on the implementation of these commitments. We look forward to a comprehensive report under the UK Presidency in 2013.

Afghanistan’s Economic Transition
20. We reaffirm our commitment to a sovereign, peaceful, and stable Afghanistan, with full ownership of its own security, governance and development and free of terrorism, extremist violence, and illicit drug production and trafficking. We will continue to support the transition process with close coordination of our security, political and economic strategies.

21. With an emphasis on mutual accountability and improved governance, building on the Kabul Process and Bonn Conference outcomes, our countries will take steps to mitigate the economic impact of the transition period and support the development of a sustainable Afghan economy by enhancing Afghan capacity to increase fiscal revenues and improve spending management, as well as mobilizing non-security assistance into the transformation decade.

22. We will support the growth of Afghan civil society and will mobilize private sector support by strengthening the enabling environment and expanding business opportunities in key sectors, as well as promote regional economic cooperation to enhance connectivity.
23. We will also continue to support the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in its efforts to meet its obligation to protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms, including in the rights of women and girls and the freedom to practice religion.

24. We look forward to the upcoming Tokyo Conference in July, as it generates further long-term support for civilian assistance to Afghanistan from G-8 members and other donors into the transformation decade; agrees to a strategy for Afghanistan’s sustainable economic development, with mutual commitments and benchmarks between Afghanistan and the international community; and provides a mechanism for biennial reviews of progress being made against those benchmarks through the transformation decade.

The Transitions in the Middle East and North Africa
25. A year after the historic events across the Middle East and North Africa began to unfold, the aspirations of people of the region for freedom, human rights, democracy, job opportunities, empowerment and dignity are undiminished. We recognize important progress in a number of countries to respond to these aspirations and urge continued progress to implement promised reforms. Strong and inclusive economic growth, with a thriving private sector to provide jobs, is an essential foundation for democratic and participatory government based on the rule of law and respect for basic freedoms, including respect for the rights of women and girls and the right to practice religious faith in safety and security.

26. We renew our commitment to the Deauville Partnership with Arab Countries in Transition, launched at the G-8 Summit last May. We welcome the steps already taken, in partnership with others in the region, to support economic reform, open government, and trade, investment and integration.

27. We note in particular the steps being taken to expand the mandate of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to bring its expertise in transition economies and financing support for private sector growth to this region; the platform established by international financial institutions to enhance coordination and identify opportunities to work together to support the transition country reform efforts; progress in conjunction with regional partners toward establishing a new transition fund to support country-owned policy reforms complementary to existing mechanisms; increased financial commitments to reforming countries from international and regional financial institutions, the G-8 and regional partners; strategies to increase access to capital markets to help boost private investment; and commitments from our countries and others to support small and medium-sized enterprises, provide needed training and technical assistance and facilitate international exchanges and training programs for key constituencies in transition countries.

28. Responding to the call from partner countries, we endorse an asset recovery action plan to promote the return of stolen assets and welcome, and commit to support the action plans developed through the Partnership to promote open government, reduce corruption, strengthen accountability and improve the regulatory environment, particularly for the growth of small- and medium-sized enterprises. These governance reforms will foster the inclusive economic growth, rule of law and job creation needed for the success of democratic transition. We are working with Partnership countries to build deeper trade and investment ties, across the region and with members of the G-8, which are critical to support growth and job creation. In this context, we welcome Partnership countries’ statement on openness to international investment.

29. G-8 members are committed to an enduring and productive partnership that supports the historic transformation underway in the region. We commit to further work during the rest of 2012 to support private sector engagement, asset recovery, closer trade ties and provision of needed expertise as well as assistance, including through a transition fund. We call for a meeting in September of Foreign Ministers to review progress being made under the Partnership.

Political and Security Issues
30. We remain appalled by the loss of life, humanitarian crisis, and serious and widespread human rights abuses in Syria. The Syrian government and all parties must immediately and fully adhere to commitments to implement the six-point plan of UN and Arab League Joint Special Envoy (JSE) Kofi Annan, including immediately ceasing all violence so as to enable a Syrian-led, inclusive political transition leading to a democratic, plural political system. We support the efforts of JSE Annan and look forward to seeing his evaluation, during his forthcoming report to the UN Security Council, of the prospects for beginning this political transition process in the near-term. Use of force endangering the lives of civilians must cease. We call on the Syrian government to grant safe and unhindered access of humanitarian personnel to populations in need of assistance in accordance with international law. We welcome the deployment of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria, and urge all parties, in particular the Syrian government, to fully cooperate with the mission. We strongly condemn recent terrorist attacks in Syria. We remain deeply concerned about the threat to regional peace and security and humanitarian despair caused by the crisis and remain resolved to consider further UN measures as appropriate.

31. We remain united in our grave concern over Iran’s nuclear program. We call on Iran to comply with all of its obligations under relevant UNSC resolutions and requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors. We also call on Iran to continuously comply with its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, including its safeguards obligations. We also call on Iran to address without delay all outstanding issues related to its nuclear program, including questions concerning possible military dimensions. We desire a peaceful and negotiated solution to concerns over Iran’s nuclear program, and therefore remain committed to a dual-track approach. We welcome the resumption of talks between Iran and the E3+3 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union High Representative). We call on Iran to seize the opportunity that began in Istanbul, and sustain this opening in Baghdad by engaging in detailed discussions about near-term, concrete steps that can, through a step-by-step approach based on reciprocity, lead towards a comprehensive negotiated solution which restores international confidence that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful. We urge Iran to also comply with international obligations to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion, and end interference with the media, arbitrary executions, torture, and other restrictions placed on rights and freedoms.

32. We continue to have deep concerns about provocative actions of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) that threaten regional stability. We remain concerned about the DPRK's nuclear program, including its uranium enrichment program. We condemn the April 13, 2012, launch that used ballistic missile technology in direct violation of UNSC resolution. We urge the DPRK to comply with its international obligations and abandon all nuclear and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner. We call on all UN member states to join the G-8 in fully implementing the UNSC resolutions in this regard. We affirm our will to call on the UN Security Council to take action, in response to additional DPRK acts, including ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests. We remain concerned about human rights violations in the DPRK, including the situation of political prisoners and the abductions issue.

33. We recognize that according women full and equal rights and opportunities is crucial for all countries’ political stability, democratic governance, and economic growth. We reaffirm our commitment to advance human rights of and opportunities for women, leading to more development, poverty reduction, conflict prevention and resolution, and improved maternal health and reduced child mortality. We also commit to supporting the right of all people, including women, to freedom of religion in safety and security. We are concerned about the reduction of women’s political participation and the placing at risk of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including in Middle East and North Africa countries emerging from conflict or undergoing political transitions. We condemn and avow to stop violence directed against, including the trafficking of, women and girls. We call upon all states to protect human rights of women and to promote women’s roles in economic development and in strengthening international peace and security.

34. We pay tribute to the remarkable efforts of President Thein Sein, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and many other citizens of Burma/Myanmar to deliver democratic reform in their country over the past year. We recognize the need to secure lasting and irreversible reform, and pledge our support to existing initiatives, particularly those which focus on peace in ethnic area, national reconciliation, and entrenching democracy. We also stress the need to cooperate to further enhance aid coordination among international development partners of Burma/Myanmar and conduct investment in a manner beneficial to the people of Burma/Myanmar.

35. We recognize the particular sacrifices made by the Libyan people in their transition to create a peaceful, democratic, and stable Libya. The international community remains committed to actively support the consolidation of the new Libyan institutions.
36. We condemn transnational organized crime and terrorism in all forms and manifestations. We pledge to enhance our cooperation to combat threats of terrorism and terrorist groups, including al-Qa’ida, its affiliates and adherents, and transnational organized crime, including individuals and groups engaged in illicit drug trafficking and production. We stress that it is critical to strengthen efforts to curb illicit trafficking in arms in the Sahel area, in particular to eliminate the Man-Portable Air Defense Systems proliferated across the region; to counter financing of terrorism, including kidnapping for ransom; and to eliminate support for terrorist organizations and criminal networks. We urge states to develop necessary capacities including in governance, education, and criminal justice systems, to address, reduce and undercut terrorist and criminal threats, including "lone wolf" terrorists and violent extremism, while safeguarding human rights and upholding the rule of law. We underscore the central role of the United Nations and welcome the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) and efforts of the Roma-Lyon Group in countering terrorism. We reaffirm the need to strengthen the implementation of the UN Al-Qaida sanctions regime, and the integrity and implementation of the UN conventions on drug control and transnational organized crime.

37. We reaffirm that nonproliferation and disarmament issues are among our top priorities. We remain committed to fulfill all of our obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and, concerned about the severe proliferation challenges, call on all parties to support and promote global nonproliferation and disarmament efforts.
38. We welcome and fully endorse the G-8 Foreign Ministers Meeting Chair’s Statement with accompanying annex.

Conclusion
39. We look forward to meeting under the presidency of the United Kingdom in 2013.

USS BLUE RIDGE CREW MEMBERS SERVE AS GOODWILL AMBASSADORS

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
Indonesia (May 14, 2012) Sailors assigned to U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) carry tools and supplies at Yayasan Pendidikan Banglin school during a community service event in Jakarta, Indonesia. These port visits represent an opportunity for U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge crewmembers to serve as goodwill ambassadors of the U.S., promoting peace and stability in the region and to demonstrate their commitment to regional partnerships and foster relations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Mel Orr/Released)




Blue Ridge Builds Friendship with Indonesia 
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class James Norman, USS Blue Ridge Public Affairs
JAKARTA, Indonesia (NNS) -- Sailors aboard U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), embarked 7th Fleet staff and Marines assigned to Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Pacific departed Jakarta, Indonesia May 15, after a four-day port visit strengthening bonds between the U.S. and Indonesian navies.

Blue Ridge Sailors participated in a community service event that gave them the opportunity to demonstrate the Navy's dedication to fostering positive relations with countries in the Asian-Pacific region.

They participated in sporting events with Indonesian nationals and interacted with the community through an outreach project involving a children's school. Sailors volunteered their time at the Yayasan Pendidikan Bangun School to help create a soccer field for the children.

"Giving my time to create a soccer field for the children at the school was a very fulfilling and rewarding experience," said Ensign Wanda Colon, Blue Ridge stock control officer. "The work we did at the school was hard labor, but the children made it all worth while. You could tell the children really wanted us there."

For one Sailor, the port visit was much more personal.

"I was glad to have this opportunity to come back to Indonesia after being a part of the relief efforts for the 2004 tsunami," said U.S. 7th Fleet Staff member Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Philip Keehn. "It was enlightening knowing I helped Indonesia get back on its feet when I was assigned to the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) in 2004. I never thought I'd be back to Indonesia to see how the Navy's hard work paid off."

NATO 2012 SUMMIT IN CHICAGO

Photo:  Soldier Field Viewed From McCormick Place, Chicago.  Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Secretary General Kicks Off NATO Summit in Chicago
By Cheryl Pellerin
CHICAGO, May 20, 2012 - NATO's largest-ever summit opened here today to focus on keeping Afghanistan secure, ensuring NATO's capability in the 21st century, and enhancing the alliance's global network of partners, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

Representatives from 60 countries and organizations have gathered in this busy midwestern U.S. city for a meeting that NATO officials characterize as preparation for the alliance's future.

President Barack Obama arrived this morning after hosting a daylong G-8 summit at Camp David in Maryland with leaders of Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is here to participate in discussions and attend North Atlantic Council sessions on 21st-century NATO capabilities, the long-term commitment of nations participating in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and NATO partnerships.

Panetta also will convene a working dinner of his fellow defense ministers, attend a signing ceremony for the purchase by 13 NATO allies of a ground surveillance system for future alliance operations, and join Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki for a visit to a first-of-its-kind joint Defense Department-VA hospital in north Chicago.

During a short preliminary briefing on the first day of the two-day international meeting, Rasmussen said discussions today will focus on security in an age of austerity.

"We will ensure that the alliance has the capabilities to deal with the security challenges of the future, even as we tackle the economic challenges of the present," he told reporters at the summit's media center at McCormick Place on the shore of Lake Michigan.

"We will adopt a concrete package of multinational projects which can provide greater security for all our citizens at lower cost, we will embrace a renewed culture of cooperation which we call 'smart defense,' and I expect we will take the first step to make our missile defense system operational," he added.

Tomorrow, on the second day of the summit, Rasmussen said, "we will meet 13 of our most active partners around the globe, from Europe to Asia and the Middle East, because today's security challenges are global and they need global solutions."

NATO will continue to cooperate with partners from around the world, building on successes "so that we can provide more security for NATO, for our partners, and for the world," he added.

Tomorrow also will be the day that summit participants shape the next stage of NATO's engagement with Afghanistan. "We will complete transition of security responsibility to the Afghans by the end of 2014, but we will continue to support them for the long term," Rasmussen said.

NATO officials and ISAF partners will meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, leaders of many countries in the region and beyond, and key international organizations, the secretary general added.

"This will be a powerful demonstration of the commitment of the whole international community to the future of Afghanistan," he said.

AIR FORCE SHOWS AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE KATRINA

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
NEW ORLEANS – Scanning for signs of survivors, Tech. Sgt. Andrew Canfield keeps a close watch as the sun sets on the flooded city of New Orleans on Sept. 4, 2005. A provision of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act permits the federal government to mobilize Air Force reservists like Canfield if they are needed to respond to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Bill Huntington)

From an HH-60 helicopter, Tech. Sgt. Keith Berry scans the flooded streets of New Orleans searching for survivors on Sept. 4, 2005. A provision of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act permits the secretary of defense to mobilize Air Force reservists like Berry if they are needed to respond to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Bill Huntington)