Secretary Remarks

Interview John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC January 10, 2017 QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, this journey, this part of your life, is coming to an end. You’ve traveled more than any other secretary of state. You have spent considerable time and hours on a lot of issues, from China to Russia to – from Asia to Latin America. But principally, you spent a lot of time on Israel and Palestine and you spent a lot of time on the Iran nuclear deal and you’ve spent a lot of time on Syria and...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Afghanistan, China, Egypt , Indonesia , Iran , Iraq , Israel , Russia , Syria , Turkey , United Kingdom , United States , Vietnam , West Bank

Topics: Climate and Environment, Combating Drugs and Crime, Countering Terrorism, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Cabinet Exit Memo Washington, DC January 5, 2017     Introduction When President Obama took office in 2009, the United States was engaged in two costly wars, faced the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and had a diminished standing with many of our allies and partners around the world. The starting point for this Presidency was one of the toughest I have ever seen in my decades of public service. Over the past eight years, President Ob...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Afghanistan, Antarctica, Argentina, Canada , Chad , Chile, China, Cuba , France , India , Iran , Iraq , Israel , Italy , Korea, North , Libya , Nigeria , Russia , Saudi Arabia , Somalia , Sudan , Syria , Thailand , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States , Western Hemisphere, Yemen

Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs, Treaties and International Agreements

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC September 15, 2016 As a committed advocate for the preservation of our marine environment, I applaud President Obama’s decision to designate the first marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean. And having represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate for almost 30 years, I am pleased that he has done so in a manner that respects and supports the unique environment and industry of Massachusetts and New England. The Northeast Canyons a...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Energy, Global Health, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, and Indian Minister of Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan Building New Dehli, India August 30, 2016 MINISTER SWARAJ: Secretary of State Mr. John Kerry, Secretary of Commerce Ms. Penny Pritzker, my colleague Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, co-chairs of India-U.S. CEO Forum Mr. Cyrus Mistry and Mr. Dave Cote, distinguished (inaudible). I’m delighted to welcome ...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Afghanistan, China, India , Japan , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Manila, Philippines July 27, 2016 MS OPOSA: According to the Secretary John Kerry, the ocean is sort of in his DNA. He grew up with an affinity for the sea, first as a young boy in Massachusetts fishing and clamming, and then as an officer in the U.S. Navy. This passion for the blue world was evident when he was a U.S. senator. As chairman of the Senate Oceans and Fisheries Subcommittee, he oversaw the rewriting of fishery laws, the creation of the Stellwagen Bank S...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Chile, Indonesia , Norway , Philippines , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Energy, Global Health, Global Women's Issues

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC July 10, 2016 On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas on the 43rd anniversary of your independence. The Bahamas has shown remarkable leadership on many of today’s challenges. Your Vision 2040 National Development Plan will create a brighter and more inclusive future for all Bahamians. Your expansion of Marine Protected Areas will help ensure that our o...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: United States

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State UN General Assembly Hall New York City June 2, 2016 SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. Thank you very, very much. I accept the nomination. (Laughter and applause.) What an absolutely extraordinary place to have a graduation, any graduation, but especially this one. Director Camblin, thank you for your very generous introduction. I’m glad you gave the short version. (Laughter.) And thank you, Mr. Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson, an old friend and a terrific figh...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: China, Dominican Republic , Iran , Nepal , United Kingdom , United States , Vietnam

Topics: Climate and Environment, Energy, Global Health, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Paris, France December 12, 2015 SECRETARY KERRY: Well, first of all, thank you all for tremendous patience over a complicated week with a lot of obviously private meetings, and we’re very appreciative for your steady reporting on this. For a long time we have known that climate change is real, that it’s happening now, and that unless we come together as global community – because no one country can solve the problem – we’re not going to...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: China, France , Indonesia , Iran , Philippines , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Energy, Global Health, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Westin Paris, France December 8, 2015 SECRETARY KERRY: (Applause.) Well, Tim, thank you. Thank you very much. Bonjour , all of you. Welcome to yet another spectacularly organized and important event from the UN Foundation. And Ted, thank you for this masterful idea that has produced so much in such a short period of time, although Tim may not think 15 year at the helm is a short period of time. But I thank you, Tim, for your tremendous leadership through the years a...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Antarctica, Chile, China, France , Norway , Philippines , South Africa , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Energy, Global Health, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Treaty Room Washington, DC October 20, 2015 SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon, everybody. I’m sorry to keep you waiting, but (inaudible) special for me to be able to welcome Foreign Minister Borge Brende from Norway here to Washington, and to underscore that there really is no country that I can think of that does as much on so many issues as Norway. They are a NATO ally and partner of ours, but they are front and center on all of the critical issues of peace in...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Afghanistan, Iraq , Israel , Norway , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Global Health, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Treaties and International Agreements

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Paris, France October 18, 2015 DIRECTOR-GENERAL BOKOVA : (In French.) As the fabric of human society seems increasingly under attack by forces that deny the existence of a shared heritage, forces that strike at the heart of our sense of community, I am convinced world heritage holds out a contrary and positive vision of human society and our human nature. So it is not just world heritage; UNESCO itself holds out a positive vision of human society against violent ext...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Chile, China, France , Germany , Iran , Italy , Syria , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Milan, Italy October 17, 2015 SECRETARY KERRY: (Applause.) Foreign Minister Gentiloni, thank you very much. Mr. Prime Minister, Commissioner Sala, distinguished guests all: Vorrei cominciare congratulandomi il ministro degli esteri – (applause) – il governo italiano e gli italiani tutti per aver accolto una stupenda Expo a Milano. Grazie. (Applause.) L' Expo avvicina il mondo al fine, di volgere lo sguardo, sui temi quali la sicurezza alimentare e la...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Italy , New Zealand , Syria , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Energy, Global Health, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Charles Hotel Cambridge, Massachusetts October 13, 2015 MR ALLISON: So thank you very much. Apologies for a short delay, but it’s a great honor to welcome to Harvard tonight our Secretary of State, and I’m Graham Allison, the Director of the Belfer Center. I would say we have not seen the Secretary of State exhibit such energy and determination in bringing home an agreement like the Iranian nuclear agreement. So the real purpose for me tonight is to, wit...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Afghanistan, China, Denmark , Egypt , Ethiopia , Iran , Iraq , Israel , Jordan , Korea, North , Lebanon , Libya , Oman , Peru , Russia , Sudan , Syria , Turkey , Uganda , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States , Venezuela , Vietnam

Topics: Climate and Environment, Combating Drugs and Crime, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs, Treaties and International Agreements

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC October 8, 2015 ASSISTANT SECRETARY RYAN: Thank you. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the State Department today in honor of Our Cities, Our Climate – an initiative between the State Department and Bloomberg Philanthropies. We are here to recognize and honor global city leadership on a topic of great importance – climate change. At the State Department, this is at the top of our agenda, and we are thrilled to partner with Mi...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Argentina, China, United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Treaties and International Agreements

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC October 8, 2015 On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, it is my pleasure to extend our warmest congratulations to the people of Fiji as you celebrate the 45 th anniversary of your nation’s independence this October 10. The United States commends Fiji for its continued work to strengthen its institutions and create an open, democratic, and prosperous society. We recognize Fiji’s tireless efforts to contrib...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Fiji , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Global Health

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Valparaiso, Chile October 5, 2015 SECRETARY KERRY: (In Spanish.) Thank you very much. PARTICIPANT: (Via interpreter) Thank you. (Inaudible.) SECRETARY KERRY: Buenos dias , everybody. How are you? Good. All right. I’m testing your English – better than my Spanish. What a pleasure for me to be here. Can you all see? Here, you want me to stand up? Is that better? There. I’ll stand up. It’s a real pleasure for me to be here. Mr. President, Senato...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Antarctica, Chile, China, Italy , Russia , Turkey , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Valparaiso, Chile October 5, 2015 Thank you very much and good morning to all of you, and let me begin by thanking our very, very generous hosts.  President Michelle Bachelet, thank you very much, and my colleague and friend, Heraldo Munoz, the minister – foreign minister of Chile, who exhibited extraordinary leadership when he stood up in Washington and said, “We are going to do the next conference,” and here we are with a really beautiful se...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Chile, New Zealand , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Combating Drugs and Crime, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs, Treaties and International Agreements

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Valparaiso, Chile October 5, 2015 SECRETARY KERRY: Well, thank you, Madam Secretary-General. Thank you for your very personal and generous introduction. And Heraldo, thank you for making it so crystal clear not only how you personally are deeply committed to this effort, but also your country. And I again just want to say profoundly thank you for a very, very serious and comprehensive approach to the challenges that we face here. I’m going to pick up where Her...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Canada , Chile, Cuba , Norway , United States

Topics: Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC October 5, 2015 SECRETARY KERRY: A warm welcome and hello to all of you participating in Concordia’s fifth annual summit. I’m very sorry that I wasn’t able to be with you in person today, but I very much want to thank Concordia and our terrific team at the State Department’s Office of Global Partnerships for their leadership in this effort. It’s obvious to all of you that we are gathering at a time and in a world that is ...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: China, Iran , Nigeria , United Kingdom

Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health

Interview John Kerry Secretary of State Palace Hotel New York City October 2, 2015 QUESTION: Gracias for this interview. Thank you. SECRETARY KERRY: My pleasure. QUESTION: There was a solo handshake with the Pope at the Capitol. How would you characterize your relationship, and how much should Pope Francis be credited with the opening of relations with Cuba? SECRETARY KERRY: Well, obviously, I was very, very moved and very personally touched by the gesture of the Holy Father, and it’s hard not to ...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Bolivia , Chile, China, Cuba , Germany , Iran , Korea, North , United Kingdom , United States , Venezuela

Topics: Climate and Environment, Energy, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Photos from the trip» Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to Paris, France, on December 7 to attend the 21st UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP21) . While in Paris, the Secretary participated in numerous events surrounding COP21 where he underscored the importance of ambitious, global action to address climate change and its devastating impacts around the world. Secretary Kerry traveled to Rome, Italy, on December 13 where he co-chaired with Italian Foreign Min...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: France , Italy , Libya , Syria , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Energy, Global Health

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Ronald Reagan Building Washington, DC September 19, 2014 SECRETARY KERRY: (Applause.) Thank you very much. Eliot, thank you very, very much. I accept the nomination. (Laughter.) It’s wonderful to be here. I give you a lot of credit, Eliot. As someone who represents New York’s 16th District, as someone from the Bronx, thank you very much for not mentioning that the Boston Red Sox are 26 games out of first place. (Laughter.) As I had the privilege of servi...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Ethiopia , Iraq , Solomon Islands , Sudan , Syria , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Global Women's Issues, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Treaties and International Agreements

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State East-West Center Honolulu, Hawaii August 13, 2014 MR. MORRISON: Well, thank you. Aloha. I want to welcome everyone. And for our online audience, and also for the Secretary, I’d like to describe who is here in our audience. We have the mayor of Honolulu, Mayor Caldwell. We have our senator, Mazie Hirono. We have our former governor, George Ariyoshi, and our other former governor, John Waihee. We have many members of the business and intellectual and public affa...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Afghanistan, Australia , Burma , China, Hong Kong , Indonesia , Iran , Japan , Kiribati , Korea, North , Philippines , Solomon Islands , United Kingdom , United States , Vietnam

Topics: Climate and Environment, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs, Treaties and International Agreements

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Vice Premier Wang Yang Diaoyutai State Guest House Beijing, China July 9, 2014 STATE COUNCILOR YANG: (Via translator) Secretary of State Kerry, Secretary of the Treasury Lew, dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, I am glad that you join me in today's special session for climate change. Climate change is a common and grave challenge to the mankind. It has (inaudible) impact, and its impact (inaudible) across all sectors of the economy and society. Facing this gl...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: China, United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Energy, Global Health

Remarks John Kerry    Secretary of State Catherine A. Novelli    Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment  Loy Henderson Conference Room Washington, DC June 17, 2014 Moderator: Under Secretary Catherine Novelli Guest Speakers: Kenred Dorsett, Minister of Environment and Housing, The Bahamas Ted Waitt, Founder and Board Chairman, The Waitt Foundation Elizabeth Wright-Koteka, Chief of Staff to Prime Minister, Cook Islands Mark Spalding, President, Ocea...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: British Indian Ocean, Chile, Cook Islands , France , Georgia , Norway , Palau , Peru , United Kingdom , United States , Vietnam

Topics: Climate and Environment, Energy, Global Health, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs

Remarks John Kerry    Secretary of State Catherine A. Novelli    Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment  Loy Henderson Conference Room Washington, DC June 17, 2014 Moderator:  Under Secretary Catherine Novelli Guest Speakers:  Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr., President, Republic of Palau Heraldo Munoz, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chile Borge Brende, Foreign Minister, Norway Robert Dussey, Foreign Minister, Togo Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Managing D...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Benin , Chile, France , Indonesia , Norway , Palau , Russia , Togo , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Leonardo DiCaprio Loy Henderson Conference Room Washington, DC June 17, 2014 SECRETARY KERRY: Well, welcome back, everybody. Good morning to you all. And thank you, Mr. President, for that announcement. And I think many of you saw the sneak preview in the newspaper this morning, in The Washington Post, about a major announcement that John Podesta will share at lunchtime on behalf of the President. But obviously we intend to put meaning behind our words with actions,...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Antarctica, Australia , Kiribati , United Kingdom

Topics: Climate and Environment, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, The Ocean and Polar Affairs

Remarks John Kerry    Secretary of State Catherine A. Novelli    Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment  Loy Henderson Conference Room Washington, DC June 16, 2014 ANNOUNCER: "Our Ocean" Conference hosted by the U.S. Department of State. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Secretary of State of the United States of America, the President of the Republic of Kiribati and the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environm...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Guinea , Iraq , Kiribati , Nauru , Palau , Spain , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs, Treaties and International Agreements

Op-Ed Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State Foreign Policy Magazine October 11, 2011 The future of politics will be decided in Asia, not Afghanistan or Iraq, and the United States will be right at the center of the action. As the war in Iraq winds down and America begins to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, the United States stands at a pivot point. Over the last 10 years, we have allocated immense resources to those two theaters. In the next 10 years, we need to be smart and systematic about wh...

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Afghanistan, Australia , China, Haiti , Hong Kong , India , Indonesia , Iran , Iraq , Japan , Korea, North , Korea, South , Philippines , Thailand , United Kingdom , United States , Vietnam , Western Hemisphere

Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs, Treaties and International Agreements