President Obama Nominates New U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia

Photo – Ohio State University

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
May 9, 2012

President Obama Announces Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Deborah Malac of the Department of State as the next U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia. This nomination was announced together with several other posts within his administration.
The President said, “These individuals have demonstrated knowledge and dedication throughout their careers. I am grateful they have chosen to take on these important roles, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.

###

Op-Ed by Mauritian & Zambian Ambassadors to the U.S. – AGOA

The below Op-Ed piece by Mauritius’s ambassador to the United States and Zambia’s ambassador to the United States ran in The Hill newspaper today. It outlines the urgent need to extend the Third Country Fabric Provision of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in order to protect jobs in the United States and Africa. Unless Congress renews it, the Third Country Fabric Provision will expire in September of this year.

Protect Jobs Supported by US-Africa Textile Trade
By Somduth Soborun and Sheila Z. Siwela

Time is running out for Congress to save jobs on both sides of the Atlantic by renewing the third-country fabric provision of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is set to expire in just a few months.

AGOA provides duty-free entry for more than six thousand items from Sub-Saharan African countries to the United States, making it the most comprehensive trade and investment package between Africa and America. In the textiles and apparel sector, it provides essential certainty and predictability for American manufacturers and retailers who depend on African workers to produce high-quality goods for the U.S. market. A majority of these AGOA-supported textile and apparel jobs go to low-income women in Africa, including many who otherwise would not have the opportunity to work and earn a living. Their livelihoods, and the jobs of others in the United States, are already threatened by the September expiration of this vital provision.

The third-country fabric rule, which allows AGOA beneficiaries to use yarns and fabrics from any country, has been a fundamental driver of the success of the apparel industry under AGOA. It accounts for 95 percent of AGOA apparel trade and has enabled African exporters to remain competitive in the American market. In Kenya, for example, exports of textiles and apparel under the third-country fabric provision account for about 70 percent of Kenya’s total exports into the United States.

In Mauritius, the apparel and textile industry is the largest employer in the private sector. It increased its export of apparel and textiles by 25 percent in the year 2010 once its eligibility for the third-country fabric provision was renewed in 2008.

In Lesotho, the textile and apparel industry was almost nonexistent prior to AGOA. Today, it is the No. 1 employer, providing 40,000 jobs. Of those jobs, 34,000 are held by women, and each woman is likely the sole breadwinner for a household of 4 to 8 members.

And in Swaziland, where 98 percent of the textile and apparel exports are covered by the third-country fabric provision, almost 30,000 women are employed in the apparel and textile industry. Furthermore, because families tend to be large in Swaziland with an average of 10 dependents each, the industry supports as many as 300,000 people overall — nearly one-quarter of the country’s entire population.

But today, all of that economic growth and development is at risk. American retailers typically place their textile and apparel orders with African manufacturers up to nine months in advance — with expiration of this provision looming on the horizon, many American retailers have already begun to cancel orders, disrupting the flow of their business and leaving African exporters empty-handed. Fortunately, swift congressional action is available to halt further trade disruptions and reaffirm the positive benefits of AGOA.

When Congress first enacted AGOA at the dawn of this millennium, it was an historic milestone in trade relations between the United States and Africa. Since then, AGOA has helped to reduce poverty and hunger by empowering mothers, sisters and daughters across the continent. This has in turn increased awareness and respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms, and strengthened democratic values in the vast majority of the Sub-Saharan African countries.

For the sake of women, families, workers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, we are appealing directly to Congress to renew the third-country fabric provision, through legislation such as S. 2007 and H.R. 2493. Passing these bills right away will guarantee American manufacturers can continue to obtain high-quality textile and apparel products from Africa at competitive prices. The U.S. Congress and the administration can rest assured of our unflinching support in this effort to sustain our strong, mutually beneficial U.S.-Africa trade ties.

Soborun is Mauritius’s ambassador to the United States, and Siwela is Zambia’s ambassador to the United States.

# # #

President Obama Receives New Liberian Ambassador to the United States

The White House
May 2, 2012

Ambassador Jeremiah Congbeh Sulunteh of Republic of Liberia presented his Letters of Credence to President Obama at the White House. The presentation of credentials is a traditional ceremony that marks the formal beginning of an Ambassador’s service.

###

Secretary Clinton's Remarks On World Press Freedom Day

President Obama Invites 4 African Leaders to Join G-8 Summit at Camp David

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
May 3, 2012

President Obama has invited 4 African Leaders to join Leaders at the G-8 Summit at Camp David on May 19 for a discussion session on accelerating progress towards food security in Africa. The African Leaders who have been invited to participate in the Summit are:

Chairperson of the African Union and President of Benin H.E. Yayi Boni
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi – Ethiopia
President John Mills – Ghana
President Jakaya Kikwete -Tanzania

The Group of Eight (G8) is a forum for the governments of eight of the world’s largest economies. The forum originated with a 1975 summit hosted by France that brought together representatives of six governments: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, thus leading to the name Group of Six or G6. The summit became known as the Group of Seven or G7 the following year with the addition of Canada. In 1997, Russia was added to group which then became known as the G8. The European Union is represented within the G8 but cannot host or chair summits.

The annual G8 leader’s summit is attended by the heads of government. The member country holding the G8 presidency is responsible for organizing and hosting the year’s summit.

Camp David is the country retreat of the President of the United States and his guests. It is located in low wooded hills about 100 kilometers (62 mi) north-northwest of Washington, D.C., on the property of Catoctin Mountain Park in unincorporated Frederick County, Maryland, near Thurmont.

###

Tunisia to Host UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day Conference

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
May 1, 2012

Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Esther Brimmer will travel to Tunis, Tunisia from May 2 to May 6 to represent the United States at UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day conference.

While in Tunis, Assistant Secretary Brimmer will deliver remarks at the opening ceremony of the World Press Freedom Day conference. Assistant Secretary Brimmer will also meet with senior Tunisian government officials, regional journalists, and civil society representatives as part of the Secretary’s Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society, which aims to elevate U.S. government engagement with civil society worldwide and provide a framework for civil society involvement in policymaking.

###

Delegation from Kenya Attend Workshop Hosted by the International Security and Nonproliferation Bureau

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
April 27, 2012

Assistant Secretary of State Thomas M. Countryman welcomes a senior-level Kenyan delegation to Washington, D.C. from April 30 – May 5, 2012 for a Legal-Regulatory Implementation Workshop on Strategic Trade Controls and Border Security. The Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN) will host the Kenyan delegation, which will be led by the Assistant Defense Minister of Kenya; Major General Joseph Nkaisserry (retired). Ambassador Ochieng Adala, Executive Director of the Africa Peace Forum, and other senior Kenyan officials involved in strategic trade control issues will also participate in the workshop.

The training, supported by the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) program, is organized by the Center for International Trade and Security at the University of Georgia. The five-day workshop will cover the spectrum of issues pertaining to the development, implementation, and enforcement of an effective strategic trade control and border management system in Kenya, which will advance the dual goals of improving international security and fostering sustainable economic growth.

This visit provides a unique opportunity to discuss the fundamentals of an effective strategic trade control system with key Kenyan legislators and government officials and to help them incorporate strategic trade controls into future legislation.

##