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US Department of State Launches Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society
February 17, 2011
By: Randi Zung | Printer Friendly

On February 16, the United States (US) Department of State announced the launch of the first ever US Strategic Dialogue with Civil Societies.  In a special briefing, Tomicah S. Tillemann, Senior Advisor for Civil Society and Emerging Democracies, stated that the new initiative will help enhance cooperation between the Department and civil society and is estimated to last for the next 18 months. 

The initiative, potentially the first of many, will consist of a series of working groups – composed of civil society members from around the globe and be headed by US senior departmental officials – that will produce “concrete deliverables.”  So far, Clinton has announced three working groups: 1) governance and accountability, which will focus on anti-corruption issues and be chaired by Under Secretary Robert D. Hormats; 2) democracy and human rights, which will be chaired by Assistant Secretary Mike Posner of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; and 3) empowering women, which will be chaired by Ambassador Melanne Verveer.  The working groups are expected to convene regularly in Washington and via internet connection.

Identifying that civil society plays a large role in “world affairs,” Tillemann said that the Department hopes the initiative will “add greater focus, greater cohesion, greater coordination to [US] efforts” to support civil society.  In a keynote address at the 10th Anniversary of the Community of Democracies in July 2010, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton identified civil society as a necessary component of “a vibrant democracy.”

For previous news on the US government partnership with civil society, please see:
Secretary Clinton Addresses CD Emphasizing the Role of Civil Society in Democracy

Sources:
Secretary Clinton’s Launch of Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society