Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society
May 16- Under the auspices of the State Department’s Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society 2012 Summit, Secretary Clinton hosted a Global Town Hall at the State Department in Washington, with civil society representatives from more than 40 countries.
The NATO Summit in Chicago
Assistant Secretary Gordon: "The reasons for the Alliance’s continued success are clear: NATO has, over the last 63 years, proven to be an adaptable, durable, and cost-effective provider of security."
President Obama Delivers Remarks on Afghanistan
May 1 - President Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan -- to meet with President Hamid Karzai and sign a strategic partnership agreement that will help to guide the future relationship of the two countries.
News from the Consulate
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Talk on the US elections at a high school
Consul for Political and Management Affairs, Darby Parliament, gave a talk on May 9 about the US elections to a group of 100 students (ages 16-18) at Severo Ochoa high school in Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona). He explained the main characteristics of the US political system and highlighted the main differences of the US elections compared to the Spanish electoral system. The students were surprised to see the importance of the Latino voters in the electoral campaign and took the chance to ask him some questions related to the US government and also his job as a consul.
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Consul General attends the Day of Europe commemoration ceremony at the Parliament of Catalonia
On May 7, the Parliament of Catalonia commemorated the Day of Europe with a ceremony with the consular corps accredited in Barcelona. As dean of the consular corps, the U.S. Consul General, Greggory Crouch, highlighted the importance of Barcelona and the fact that there are 92 diplomatic representations in the city. He also spoke about US-EU relations.
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Afghan civil society representatives meet with locals counterparts
On April 25, Sadiq Mohibi, Advisor to the Ministry of Labor on rights for the disabled; Mirwais Rahimzai, Country Director, Center for Human Services/University Research Co. LLC; Razia Arooj, Program Officer of the Education Unit, UNESCO; and Freshta Karimi, Director of Da Qanoon Ghushtonky, an NGO that provides free legal representation for women and other vulnerable sectors of society, participated in an encounter held at Casa Asia with representatives of the local civil society and reporters, members of NGOs, academics and an Afghan national. The two Afghan women highlighted the advancement of women and education in their country giving very significant numbers of female university students (20% are women). The four representatives presented today’s Afghanistan from a different perspective to that depicted in the media, the achievements made in the last ten years – “investments from the international community in 10 years has helped achieve 50 years of progress” was repeated at all venues – and the role of an increasingly strong and proactive civil society.
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“Afghanistan: The Voice of Civil Society” round table at Casa Asia
On April 24, two representatives of the Afghan civil society gave an open lecture at Casa Asia on “Afghanistan: The Voice of Civil Society” where the discussion focused on the improvements made by health care and assistance to the disabled in the country. Sadiq Mohibi, Advisor to the Ministry of Labor on rights for the disabled noted there have been notable improvements for disabled people but stated that they still need support regarding psychological help and support to foster integration of victims in society. Mirwais Rahimzai, Country Director, Center for Human Services, University Research Co. LLC, highlighted that nowadays 80% of the Afghan population has access to health services as an example of the improvements in the health field. He also mentioned the need to convince Pakistan and India that a peaceful Afghanistan is of everyone’s interest.
Messages for U.S. Citizens
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The U.S. Consulate General will
be closed on Monday, May 28, 2012 in observance of the Memorial Day
American holiday -
We encourage U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad to enroll in the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). By enrolling, U.S. citizens make it easier for the U.S. Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.
- 01/24/12 Worldwide Caution
Note
- The Consulate General in Barcelona does NOT issue visas. Visa processing takes place at the Embassy in Madrid. If you wish further information concerning visas, please visit Embassy Madrid's website.
