WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ -- The U.S. Department of State, in close collaboration with the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University, will hold a three day conference, Rio+2.0: Bridging Connection Technologies and Sustainable Development, at Stanford, February 2-4, 2012.

WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ -- The U.S. Department of State selected John O'Loughlin Kennedy, an Irish alumnus of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' (ECA) Fulbright Student Program, as February's State Alumni Member of the Month.

WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ -- As the 2012 G8 Chair, the U.S. has assumed the lead for the three nonproliferation groups that report to the G8: the Nonproliferation Directors Group (NPDG); the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (GP), and the Nuclear Safety and Security Group (NSSG).

WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ -- On Wednesday, January 18, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's All-Time Leading Scorer and a New York Times' best-selling author, to discuss his new role as a global Cultural Ambassador. During the meeting, Secretary Clinton reiterated the United States' strong commitment to engaging young people worldwide and to using people-to-people diplomacy as a means to create opportunities for greater understanding.

WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ -- The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs welcomes 63 secondary school teachers from 15 countries to the United States for the International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP) that began on January 9, 2012.

WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ -- On January 18, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented the Secretary of State's 2011 Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) to Sahlman Seafoods, Incorporated, in Nicaragua; Procter & Gamble in Nigeria; and Procter & Gamble in Pakistan.

WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ -- In an important symbol of America's commitment to an enduring friendship with the people of Liberia, as well as the importance of our bilateral relationship with the Liberian Government, the United States dedicated its new embassy in Monrovia today.

WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ -- The U.S. Department of State will present the thirteenth annual Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) on January 18, 2012, during a ceremony in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the Harry S. Truman building, Washington, DC. The ceremony will start at 11:00 a.m. and will be followed by a reception in the Thomas Jefferson Room.

WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ -- Today, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton imposed sanctions on three companies under the Iran Sanctions Act, as amended by the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (CISADA), for conducting business with Iran’s energy sector.

WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ -- The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced today the second international sports exchange with the Democratic Republic of the Congo that includes 20 boys and girls basketball players and coaches.