Washington, DC - President Barack Obama: "Last December, when a political conflict erupted into violence in South Sudan, the hope and optimism the world felt with the founding of the new nation in 2011 was overtaken by images of bloodshed and grief.  Instead of seeing the promise of their struggle for self-determination realized, the people of South Sudan have suffered countless, unimaginable tragedies. 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - On Tuesday, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary of International Affairs Alan Bersin and Malaysia’s Ministry of Finance Deputy Minister Ahmad Maslan signed a trade agreement on behalf of their nations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Washington, DC - On December 10, 2014, Kazakhstani Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov paid an official visit to the United States. During his visit, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Idrissov co-chaired the third meeting of the Strategic Partnership Dialogue.

Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "Delegates from around the world came together 66 years ago amid the rubble of World War II to sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, articulating fundamental civil and political rights of all people, and reminding each of us of our responsibility to respect those rights.

Douma, Syria - Yesterday marked one full year since unknown armed groups abducted and kidnapped Syrian human rights activist Razan Zaitouneh, her husband, Wael Hamada, and her two colleagues, Samira Al-Khalil and Nazem Hamadi, in Douma, Syria. As the founder of the Violations Documentation Center, Razan played a critical role in documenting human rights violations and calling for peace.

Washington, DC - Today, France and the United States have signed an agreement in Washington to establish a compensation fund for those Holocaust victims deported from France who had not been able to gain access to the French compensation program.