Washington, DC - The Department of State is pleased to announce the commencement of operations by the United States Mission to Somalia. The new mission reflects a continuation of U.S. efforts to normalize the U.S.-Somalia bilateral relationship since recognizing the Federal Government of Somalia on January 17, 2013.

Paris, France - Secretary of State John Kerry: "This weekend in Paris, the United States and Switzerland hosted senior officials from 18 developed countries to discuss our collaborative efforts to scale up climate finance for developing nations, and to provide increased transparency on our progress.

Washington, DC - The Secretary called Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov this morning to discuss Syria, including U.S. concerns about reports suggesting an imminent enhanced Russian military build-up there. The Secretary made clear that if such reports were accurate, these actions could further escalate the conflict, lead to greater loss of innocent life, increase refugee flows and risk confrontation with the anti-ISIL Coalition operating in Syria.

Brasilia, Brazil - U.S. and Brazilian officials participated in the first meeting of the U.S.-Brazil Global Human Rights Working Group in Brasilia, Brazil. This dialogue is an opportunity for the two nations to discuss a wide range of important global human rights issues.

Washington, DC - The United States welcomes the August 28 decision of the Central African Republic’s (CAR) transitional constitutional court to uphold the transitional national charter clause that precludes current and former senior transitional government members from running in the upcoming presidential and legislative elections currently scheduled for October and November 2015.

Washington, DC - Fifteen years ago, the spirit of the Arusha Agreement transformed the landscape of Burundi by enshrining the conviction that the government must represent and serve all Burundians. Today Burundi faces a renewed challenge: to end violence and achieve lasting stability by coming together in a dialogue that builds on the spirit of Arusha.