U. S. Department of State

S/ES is responsible for coordinating searches for FOIA requests for records held by the Office of the Secretary. When a FOIA request of that nature is received by the Department, the Office of Information Programs and Services (IPS) within the Bureau of Administration notifies S/ES. S/ES reports its findings to IPS, which then communicates with the FOIA requester. OIG's past and current work demonstrates that Department leadership has not played a meaningful role in overseeing or reviewing the quality of FOIA responses. The searches performed by S/ES do not consistently meet statutory and regulatory requirements for completeness and rarely meet requirements for timeliness. S/ES currently searches Department email accounts only if a FOIA request mentions emails or asks for "all records," or if S/ES is requested to do so during the course of litigation. However, FOIA and Department guidance require searching email accounts when relevant records are likely maintained in these accounts. In addition, although FOIA requires agencies to respond to requests within 20 working days, some requests involving the Office of the Secretary have taken more than 500 days to process. These delays are due, in part, to the Department's insufficient provision of personnel to IPS to handle its caseload. These problems are compounded by the fact that S/ES FOIA responses are sometimes inaccurate. Officials in IPS and attorneys for the Department identified instances in which S/ES reported that records did not exist, even though it was later revealed that such records did exist. Procedural weaknesses in S/ES FOIA processes appear to be contributing to these deficiencies. For example, S/ES management is not monitoring search results for accuracy, and IPS has limited ability to conduct oversight. S/ES also lacks written policies and procedures for responding to FOIA requests. Finally, staff in S/ES and other components in the Office of the Secretary have not taken training offered by IPS to better understand their FOIA responsibilities.

Climate change is a long-term problem, decades in the making, that cannot be solved overnight. A real solution must be durable, science-based, and economically sustainable. In particular, we seek an environmentally sound approach that will not harm the U. S. economy, which remains a critically important engine of global prosperity. We believe that economic development is key to protecting the global environment. In the real world, no one will forego meeting basic family needs to protect the global com- mons. Environmental protection is neither achievable nor sustainable without opportunities for continued development and greater prosperity. Our objective is to ensure a long-term solution that is environmentally effective, economically efficient and sustainable, and appropriate in terms of addressing the urgent problems of today while enhancing our ability to deal with future problems. Protecting the global environment is too important a responsibility for anything less. In this U. S. Climate Action Report, we provide our third formal national communication under the Framework Convention, as envisioned under Articles 4 and 12 of the Convention. We describe our national circumstances, identify existing and planned policies and measures, indicate future trends in greenhouse gas emissions, outline expected impacts and adaptation measures, and provide information on financial resources, technology transfer, research, and systematic observations.

At the invitation of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, representatives of 26 governments and four international organizations met in Washington, D. C. on December 12-14, 2011 to discuss the implementation of United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution (UNHRC) 16/18 on "Combating Intolerance, Negative Stereotyping and Stigmatization of, and Discrimination, Incitement to Violence and Violence Against, Persons Based on Religion or Belief." In her closing remarks, Secretary Clinton stressed, The United States is hosting this conference because religious freedom and freedom of expression are among our highest values. They are enshrined in our Constitution. For people everywhere, faith and religious practice is a central source of our identity. It provides our lives with meaning and context. It is fundamental to who we are. The implementation meeting focused on two elements of the steps set forth in Resolution 16/18: 1) prohibiting discrimination based on religion or belief and 2) training government officials, including on how to implement effective outreach to religious communities. Participants agreed that their task was to keep the discussion focused on implementing the specific steps called for in Resolution 16/18, rather than broadening the dialogue to other possible measures not included in the resolution. Presenters and participants in the interactive sessions were law enforcement and anti-discrimination experts. Presenters included experts from invited countries and international organizations, as well as personnel from the United States Departments of Homeland Security and Justice. Discussions were held under Chatham House Rule in order to promote a free and candid exchange of views. Accordingly, while this report reflects accurately the points made and best practices described by all participants, approval was sought before attributing specific remarks to particular participants. The sessions produced a rich exchange of best practices, which are set forth in the body of this report. Key conclusions for policy makers include the following:

The U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing $5.2 million to build public and private institutional capacity to improve forest and environmental governance, support efforts to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), identify and plan for climate change vulnerabilities, and strengthen climate change risk assessment in Peru. In addition, activities will support the preservation of Peru's highly biodiverse and threatened Amazon region, providing climate change benefits by protecting forests that serve as sinks for greenhouse gases. As the government of Peru develops its Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS), program activities will be aligned with the policy and technical priorities defined in that strategy.

The U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is investing $4.9 million in the Vietnam Forests and Delta Program to help the Government of Vietnam (GVN) build capacity for climate change adaptation and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). Sustainable land use activities under the program may include analyzing the drivers of deforestation, monitoring forest carbon stocks, safeguarding biodiversity, and engaging with stakeholders. Adaptation activities will focus on building capacity to mainstream climate information into decision-making. For instance, the program will help provinces to respond to local climate change impacts, such as rising sea levels, salinization, and increased flooding from changing precipitation patterns.