Diplomatic Events and Honorees

Images from receptions and ceremonies featuring dignitaries engaging in discussions and award presentations, showcasing formal attire and elegant settings.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Secretary Kerry meets with Fulbright Program Alumni, at the Palace Hotel, in New York City, New York on September 20, 2016.

Marine Corps Heritage Foundation reception, hosted by Secretary Condoleezza Rice, in Benjamin Franklin Room. Among other dignitaries at the event, honoring the Department's long standing relationship with the Marine Corps in the realm of diplomatic security, were Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security, Richard Griffin; Under Secretary for Management, Henrietta Fore; Marine Corps Lieutenant General Jan Huly; and Marine Corps Lieutenant General George Christmas.

Office of the Administrator (Lisa P. Jackson) - First Lady Michelle Obama Visiting the EPA , Environmental Protection Agency

Visit of figure skating star Michelle Kwan to State, where she joined Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes in the Treaty Room for the announcement of Kwan's appointment as the first American Public Diplomacy Envoy. In the role, Kwan, a five time World Champion and two time Olympic medalist, will reach out to international young people by visiting their schools and clubs to speak about leadership and to engage them in dialogue on social and educational issues.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry presents the 2016 International Women of Courage Award to Vicky Ntetema of Tanzania, Executive Director of Under the Same Sun, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2016.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Secretary Kerry meets with Fulbright Program Alumni, at the Palace Hotel, in New York City, New York on September 20, 2016.

Visit of figure skating star Michelle Kwan to State, where she joined Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes in the Treaty Room for the announcement of Kwan's appointment as the first American Public Diplomacy Envoy. In the role, Kwan, a five time World Champion and two time Olympic medalist, will reach out to international young people by visiting their schools and clubs to speak about leadership and to engage them in dialogue on social and educational issues.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Toomas Hendrik Ilves President of the Republic of Estonia, and his wife, Mrs. Evelin Ilves, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Ali Ahmed Jama Jangeli, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Transitional Federal Government of the Somali Republic, and his wife, Mrs. Jama, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

Visit of figure skating star Michelle Kwan to State, where she joined Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes in the Treaty Room for the announcement of Kwan's appointment as the first American Public Diplomacy Envoy. In the role, Kwan, a five time World Champion and two time Olympic medalist, will reach out to international young people by visiting their schools and clubs to speak about leadership and to engage them in dialogue on social and educational issues.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets with South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane during a break at the 50th anniversary African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on May 25, 2013.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton shakes hands with Honoree Shukria Asil of Afghanistan at the 2010 International Women of Courage at the U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C. March 10, 2010.

Ambassador-at-Large for Global Womens Issues Melanne Verveer speaks at the 2010 International Women of Courage Awards at the U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C. March 10, 2010.

President Barack Obama meets with American and Indian CEOs in the State Dining Room of the White House during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India's state visit, Nov. 24, 2009.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry presents the 2016 International Women of Courage Award to Fatimata M�baye of Mauritania, Co-founder and President of the Mauritanian Association for Human Rights, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2016.

U.S. exchange program alumnae Maryam Abdullah introduces U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to deliver a speech about countering violent extremism and promoting good governance following a meeting with Sultan Muhammadu Sa�ad Abubakar, Governor of Sokoto Aminu Waziri Tambuwai, and religious leaders at the Sultan�s Palace in Sokoto, Nigeria, on August 23, 2016.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks at the swearing-in ceremony for the new U.S. Ambassador to India,Rich Verma, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on December 19, 2014.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Asha-Rose Mtengeti Migiro, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

Visit of figure skating star Michelle Kwan to State, where she joined Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes in the Treaty Room for the announcement of Kwan's appointment as the first American Public Diplomacy Envoy. In the role, Kwan, a five time World Champion and two time Olympic medalist, will reach out to international young people by visiting their schools and clubs to speak about leadership and to engage them in dialogue on social and educational issues.

Event honoring the Washington National Opera in the Benjamin Franklin Room, with appearances by Secretary Condoleezza Rice and other Department officials

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Blaise Compaore, President of Burkina Faso, and his wife, Mrs. Chantal Compaore, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with T.R.H. Tillman Thomas, Prime Minister of Grenada, and his wife, Mrs. Thomas, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet, His Excellency James Alix Michel, President of the Republic of Seychelles, in the Blue Room during a U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit dinner at the White House, Aug. 5, 2014.

First Lady Michelle Obama meets with Emine Erdoğan, wife of the Prime Minister of Turkey, in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House, Dec. 8, 2009.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet His Excellency Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of the Republic of Namibia and Ms. Penehupifo Pohamba, in the Blue Room during a U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit dinner at the White House, Aug. 5, 2014.

Opal Lee is recognized as President Joe Biden, joined by Vice President Kamala Harris, delivers remarks at the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act Bill Signing on Thursday, June 17, 2021, in the East Room of the White House.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton shakes hands with Honoree Sonia Pierre of the Dominican Republic at the 2010 International Women of Courage at the U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C. March 10, 2010.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Assuncao Afonso dos Anjos, Minister of External Relations of the Republic of Angola, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden speak with former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and former Senator Elizabeth Dole, left, in the Blue Room after a Joining Forces program for military and veteran caregivers in the East Room of the White House, April 11, 2014.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Dr. Demetris Christofias President of the Republic of Cyprus, and Mrs. Christofia, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

President Barack Obama visits with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan in the Blue Room of the White House, prior to Kagan's confirmation reception in the East Room, Aug. 6, 2010.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Dr. Thongloun Sisoulith, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and his daughter, Ms. Moukdavanh Sisoulith, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry holds his 2-year-old granddaughter, Isabelle Hobbs-Digginson, as he stands with French Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy S�gol�ne Royal before he signed the COP21 Climate Change Agreement on Earth Day, April 22, 2016, at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York, N.Y.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Youssouf Bakayoko, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry poses for a photo with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the portrait unveiling ceremony and reception in honor of the former Secretary at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on June 18, 2014.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Carlos Gomes, Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hosts a bilateral meeting with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on May 27, 2010.

Event honoring the Washington National Opera in the Benjamin Franklin Room, with appearances by Secretary Condoleezza Rice and other Department officials

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry swears in Rich Verma as the new U.S. Ambassador to India, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on December 19, 2014.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, and Mrs. Netanyahu, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, First Lady Michelle Obama, Reese Witherspoon, Andrea Jung, and the honorees listen as Ambassador Verveer speaks at the 2010 International Women of Courage Awards at the U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C. March 10, 2010.

First Lady Michelle Obama greets David Hall, one of eight Citizen Co-Chairs for the Inauguration, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Jan. 17, 2013.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with PBS NewsHour host Gwen Ifill in the Monroe Room at the Department of State before the two sat down on May 29, 2014, for an interview focused on an array of foreign policy topics.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Dr. N. Hassan Wirajuda, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, and his wife, Mrs. Wirajuda, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

With South African President Jacob Zuma looking on, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks with a guest at a dinner with African leaders and CEOs in Washington, D.C., on August 4, 2014. Leaders from across the African continent are in the nation's capital for a three-day U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, the largest event any U.S. President has held with African heads of state and government. Also pictured, right, is President Denis Sassou Ngeusso of the Republic of Congo.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet His Excellency Dr. Boni Yayi, President of the Republic of Benin, in the Blue Room during a U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit dinner at the White House, Aug. 5, 2014.

Secretary Antony J. Blinken virtually meets with President of the UN General Assembly Volkan Bozkir, from the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2021.

Standing from left to right, Mrs. Teresa Heinz Kerry, First Lady Michelle Obama, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman pose for a photo with the 2013 International Women of Courage Award Winners, including left to right, Second Lieutenant Malalai Bahaduri of Afghanistan, Dr. Josephine Obiajulu Odumakin of Nigeria, Elena Milashina of Russia, Fartuun Adan of Somalia, and Julieta Castellanos of Honduras, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 8, 2013.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet His Excellency Mohamed Moncef Marzouki, President of the Republic of Tunisia, in the Blue Room during a U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit dinner at the White House, Aug. 5, 2014.

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, First Lady of the United States Melania Trump, and awardee Dr. Beauty Rita Nyampinga of Zimbabwe pose for a photo, at the Department of State on March 4, 2020.

Visit of figure skating star Michelle Kwan to State, where she joined Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes in the Treaty Room for the announcement of Kwan's appointment as the first American Public Diplomacy Envoy. In the role, Kwan, a five time World Champion and two time Olympic medalist, will reach out to international young people by visiting their schools and clubs to speak about leadership and to engage them in dialogue on social and educational issues.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, and H.H. Sheikha Mozah Consort of H.H. The Emir of the State of Qatar, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with His Majesty Mswati III King of the Kingdom Swaziland, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

Office of the Secretary - Secretary Carlos Gutierrez with Vera Hartman

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks with Haitian President Michel Martelly and First Lady Sophia Martelly after their meeting in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on October 6, 2015.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Secretary Kerry meets with Fulbright Program Alumni, alongside Under Secretary of State Richard Stengel, at the Palace Hotel, in New York City, New York on September 20, 2016.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry presents the 2016 International Women of Courage Award to Thelma Aldana of Guatemala, Attorney General, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2016.

President Bush meets with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with Singaporean Foreign Minister Shanmugan in Singapore, November 17, 2012.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Boris Tadic, President of the Republic of Serbia, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry poses with South African Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa, Chairperson of the G-77 Ambassador Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko of South Africa, and Chinese Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua in the Plenary Hall at the COP21 climate change conference on December 12, 2015, before French President Francois Hollande and other leaders addressed the delegates gathered at LeBourget Airport in Paris, France.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry greets 2015 Kennedy Center Honors recipient actress Cicely Tyson at the Kennedy Center Honors Dinner at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on December 5, 2015.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson greets U.S. Embassy staff and their families at the U.S. Embassy in London, United Kingdom, on September 14, 2017.

President Sirleaf bids U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power farewell after their joint press availability at the Liberian Foreign Ministry in Monrovia on October 28, 2014.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry presents the 2016 International Women of Courage Award to Nisha Ayub of Malaysia, Transgender Rights Advocate, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2016.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan and U.S. First Lady Nancy Reagan with American lawyer Roy Cohn during reception for Eureka College Scholarship committee and donors, White House Blue Room, Washington, D.C., USA, President Ronald Reagan White House Photographic Office, June 28, 1982

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. S.M. Krishna, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

Madrid 10-22-03.-meeting of the president of the government Jose Mª Aznar with the secretary general of the United Nations Kofi Annan.-photo Ernesto Acute.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Secretary Kerry meets with Fulbright Program Alumni, at the Palace Hotel, in New York City, New York on September 20, 2016.

With Senator Susan Collins looking on, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry greets Senator Amy Klobuchar during a reception and dinner he hosted for female Senators at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on May 13, 2014.

Secretary Condoleezza Rice receiving visit from Eduardo Montealegre, Nicaragua's former Finance Minister and the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance candidate for President in the November, 2006 national elections

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Mrs. Teresa Heinz Kerry pose for a photo with participants from the first Department of State Tweetup at the 2013 International Women of Courage Award Ceremony at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 8, 2013.

First Lady Melania Trump presents the 2017 International Women of Courage Award to Sister Carolin Tahhan Fachakh of Syria during a ceremony at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2017.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry listens as Central African Republic Transitional President Catherine Samba-Panza addresses reporters during their joint news conference at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 2, 2016.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet His Excellency Denis Sassou N'Guesso, President of the Republic of Congo, in the Blue Room during a U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit dinner at the White House, Aug. 5, 2014.

Visit of figure skating star Michelle Kwan to State, where she joined Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes in the Treaty Room for the announcement of Kwan's appointment as the first American Public Diplomacy Envoy. In the role, Kwan, a five time World Champion and two time Olympic medalist, will reach out to international young people by visiting their schools and clubs to speak about leadership and to engage them in dialogue on social and educational issues.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is greeted by South African Ambassador to the United States Ebrahim Rasool upon her arrival to Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 6, 2012.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets with South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane during a break at the 50th anniversary African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on May 25, 2013.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton shakes hands with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Algiers, Algeria, October 29, 2012.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets with diplomats and staff of the Tri-Mission (US Mission to the EU, US Embassy to Belgium, and US Mission to NATO) in Brussels, Belgium on December 5, 2017.

President Bush meets with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Event hosted by Secretary Condoleezza Rice in the Benjamin Franklin Room, marking the launch of the Ralph Bunche Societies Initiative.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks with U.S. Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski before the U.S. Chairmanship of the Arctic Council reception at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC on May 21, 2015.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Yukio Hatoyama, Prime Minister of Japan, and his wife, Mrs. Miyuki Hatoyama, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

First Lady Michelle Obama speaks with 2014 Secretary of State�s International Women of Courage Awardee Roshika Deo, a Feminist and Political Activist for the Be the Change Campaign in Fiji, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2014.

Vice President Kamala Harris swears-in Linda Thomas-Greenfield as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, in the Vice Presidents Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton honors Raimi Vincent Paraiso of the Republic of Congo, a 2012 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report Hero, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on June 19, 2012.

First Lady Melania Trump presents the 2017 International Women of Courage Award to Cindy Arlette Contreras Bautista of Peru during a ceremony at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2017.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman meets with DRC Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula Alpha during the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York City on September 21, 2021.

Office of the Secretary - Secretary Elaine Chao in San Francisco, California

Office of the Secretary - Condoleezza Rice with Secretary Carlos Gutierrez

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right; and First Lady Michelle Obama, left; pose for a photo with 2012 International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award Winner Samar Badawi of Saudi Arabia, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 8, 2012.

U.S. First Lady Nancy Reagan presenting Presidential Medal of Freedom to American entertainer Pearl Bailey in White House East Room, Washington, D.C., USA, President Ronald Reagan White House Photographic Office, October 17, 1988

Madrid 10-22-03.-meeting of the president of the government Jose Mª Aznar with the secretary general of the United Nations Kofi Annan.-photo Ernesto Acute.

First Lady Melania Trump presents the 2017 International Women of Courage Award to Sharmin Akter of Bangladesh during a ceremony at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2017.

Vice President Joe Biden talks with Dominica's Foreign Minister Francine Baron, as they pose for a group photo at the Caribbean Energy Security Summit, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on January 26, 2015.

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, First Lady of the United States Melania Trump, and awardee Sayragul Sauytbay, an ethnic Kazakh from Xinjiang, pose for a photo, at the Department of State on March 4, 2020.

First Lady Michelle Obama embraces 2014 International Women of Courage Awardee Beatrice Mtetwa, a human rights lawyer in Zimbabwe, at the 2014 Secretary of State�s International Women of Courage Award Ceremony at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2014.

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