Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs

The Bureau of African Affairs' Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (AF/PDPA) is committed to making State Department U.S.-Africa policy experts available to the community. How? By connecting with representatives from high schools, colleges/universities, non-governmental/private organizations (NGO/PVOs) and the media. In keeping with this Administration's commitment to a more peaceful and prosperous future for all the peoples of Africa, AF/ strives to do the following:

• Educate the public about our efforts to advance democratic and economic reform;
• Ensure that the nations of Africa are full partners in the trade and prosperity of the world;
• Seek support for our involvement in helping African peoples overcome the spread of HIV/AIDS; and
• Fight terrorism,security and prosperity across the continent.

Our representatives meet regularly with the community to talk about HIV/AIDS, sovereign credit ratings, the Millennium Challenge Account, Conflict Diamonds, Environment and the Congo River Basin, Liberia, Nigeria and Zimbabwe to name a few topics. Experts from the Offices of Economic Policy, Sudan Special Programs Group, West, Central, Eastern or Southern African Affairs can be made available to your organization, group, school or university. Call the AF/PDPA Pubic Affairs Outreach Coordinator, Ms. Nicole Peacock, at 202-663- 0519 for more information on speakers.

Alongside our work with NGO/PVOs we also work to reach our goals with the private news media. AF/PDPA responds to media inquiries on issues that affect or involve the Bureau of African Affairs. We provide responses to traditional print and electronic media as well as "new media" and internet services. (For media queries on broader U.S. foreign policy issues and concerns, visit the State Department's Press Relations Office website at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/.)

Even where we do not respond directly we play a role in getting the message out. By coordinating the preparation and distribution of press guidance to the Office of the Spokesman and to our constituent posts, we make sure that our Public Affairs Officers overseas are equipped to answer questions quickly and accurately.