Looking Back on My White House Internship:

Ed. note: Applications are now being accepted for the Summer 2015 White House Internship Program. This blog post introduces readers to Larry Hailsham, a former intern who worked in the Office of Presidential Correspondence in the summer of 2014. When asked about his internship experience, here's what Larry wrote.


I remember starting my application to apply for the White House Internship Program and the hesitations that I had. I wondered if I should even apply. But the moment I hit submit, there was no going back. A few short weeks later, I was interviewed and accepted into the program, something I would have never expected.

Summer Burglass is the Staff Assistant for the White House Internship Program.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

President Obama Signs Michigan Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Michigan and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms and flooding during the period of August 11-13, 2014.

The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding also is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding in the counties of Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. 

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Dolph A. Diemont as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. 

FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

FEMA said that residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice. 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

Remarks by President Obama Before Bilateral Meeting with President el-SiSi of Egypt

United Nations Building
New York City, New York

12:30 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, I want to welcome President el-SiSi to New York and to the United States.  And I’m very much looking forward to this opportunity to share ideas. Obviously, the U.S.-Egyptian relationship has been an important cornerstone of our security policy and our policy in the Middle East for a very long time.  This is our first opportunity face-to-face to discuss a wide range of issues -- everything from the Palestinian-Israeli situation in Gaza, to Libya, to the issues of ISIL, Iraq and Syria. 

And so I want to welcome the President here and his delegation, and I look forward to a constructive, productive conversation.

Thank you, everybody.

END            
12:32 P.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

Remarks by President Obama at U.N. Meeting on Ebola

United Nations Building
New York City, New York

11:15 A.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Mr. Secretary-General, thank you for bringing us together today to address an urgent threat to the people of West Africa, but also a potential threat to the world.  Dr. Chan, heads of state and government, especially our African partners, ladies and gentlemen:  As we gather here today, the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone and Guinea are in crisis.  As Secretary-General Ban and Dr. Chan have already indicated, the Ebola virus is spreading at alarming speed.  Thousands of men, women and children have died.  Thousands more are infected.  If unchecked, this epidemic could kill hundreds of thousands of people in the coming months.  Hundreds of thousands.  

Ebola is a horrific disease.  It’s wiping out entire families.  It has turned simple acts of love and comfort and kindness -- like holding a sick friend’s hand, or embracing a dying child -- into potentially fatal acts.  If ever there were a public health emergency deserving an urgent, strong and coordinated international response, this is it. 

But this is also more than a health crisis.  This is a growing threat to regional and global security.  In Liberia, in Guinea, in Sierra Leone, public health systems have collapsed.  Economic growth is slowing dramatically.  If this epidemic is not stopped, this disease could cause a humanitarian catastrophe across the region.  And in an era where regional crises can quickly become global threats, stopping Ebola is in the interest of all of us.

The courageous men and women fighting on the front lines of this disease have told us what they need.  They need more beds, they need more supplies, they need more health workers, and they need all of this as fast as possible.  Right now, patients are being left to die in the streets because there’s nowhere to put them and there’s nobody to help them.  One health worker in Sierra Leone compared fighting this outbreak to “fighting a forest fire with spray bottles.”  But with our help, they can put out the blaze.

Last week, I visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is mounting the largest international response in its history.  I said that the world could count on America to lead, and that we will provide the capabilities that only we have, and mobilize the world the way we have done in the past in crises of similar magnitude.  And I announced that, in addition to the civilian response, the United States would establish a military command in Liberia to support civilian efforts across the region. 

Today, that command is up and it is running.  Our commander is on the ground in Monrovia, and our teams are working as fast as they can to move in personnel, equipment and supplies.  We’re working with Senegal to stand up an air bridge to get health workers and medical supplies into West Africa faster.  We’re setting up a field hospital, which will be staffed by personnel from the U.S. Public Health Service, and a training facility, where we’re getting ready to train thousands of health workers from around the world.  We’re distributing supplies and information kits to hundreds of thousands of families so they can better protect themselves.  And together with our partners, we’ll quickly build new treatment units across Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, where thousands will be able to receive care.

Meanwhile, in just the past week, more countries and organizations have stepped up their efforts -- and so has the United Nations.  Mr. Secretary-General, the new UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response that you announced last week will bring all of the U.N.’s resources to bear in fighting the epidemic.  We thank you for your leadership.

So this is all progress, and it is encouraging.  But I want us to be clear:  We are not moving fast enough.  We are not doing enough.  Right now, everybody has the best of intentions, but people are not putting in the kinds of resources that are necessary to put a stop to this epidemic.  There is still a significant gap between where we are and where we need to be.  We know from experience that the response to an outbreak of this magnitude has to be fast and it has to be sustained.  It’s a marathon, but you have to run it like a sprint.  And that’s only possible if everybody chips in, if every nation and every organization takes this seriously.  Everybody here has to do more. 

International organizations have to move faster, and cut through red tape and mobilize partners on the ground as only they can.  More nations need to contribute critical assets and capabilities -- whether it is air transport, or medical evacuation, or health care workers, or equipment, or treatment.  More foundations can tap into the networks of support that they have, to raise funds and awareness.  More businesses, especially those who already have a presence in the region, can quickly provide their own expertise and resources, from access to critical supply chains to telecommunications.  And more citizens -- of all nations -- can educate themselves on this crisis, contribute to relief efforts, and call on their leaders to act.  So everybody can do something.  That’s why we’re here today.

And even as we meet the urgent threat of Ebola, it’s clear that our nations have to do more to prevent, detect and respond to future biological threats -- before they erupt into full-blown crises.  Tomorrow, in Washington, I’ll host 44 nations to advance our Global Health Security Agenda, and we are interested in working with any country that shares this commitment.

Just to emphasize this issue of speed again.  When I was down at the CDC -- and perhaps this has already been discussed, but I want to emphasize this -- the outbreak is such where at this point more people will die.  But the slope of the curve, how fast we can arrest the spread of this disease, how quickly we can contain it is within our control.  And if we move fast, even if imperfectly, then that could mean the difference between 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 deaths versus hundreds of thousands or even a million deaths.  So this is not one where there should be a lot of wrangling and people waiting to see who else is doing what.  Everybody has got to move fast in order for us to make a difference.  And if we do, we'll save hundreds of thousands of lives.

Stopping Ebola is a priority for the United States.  I've said that this is as important a national security priority for my team as anything else that's out there.  We'll do our part.  We will continue to lead, but this has to be a priority for everybody else.  We cannot do this alone.  We don't have the capacity to do all of this by ourselves.  We don't have enough health workers by ourselves.  We can build the infrastructure and the architecture to get help in, but we're going to need others to contribute.

To my fellow leaders from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, to the people of West Africa, to the heroic health workers who are on the ground as we speak, in some cases, putting themselves at risk -- I want you to know that you are not alone.  We’re working urgently to get you the help you need.  And we will not stop, we will not relent until we halt this epidemic once and for all.  

So I want to thank all of you for the efforts that are made. But I hope that I'm properly communicating a sense of urgency here.  Do not stand by, thinking that somehow, because of what we've done, that it's taken care of.  It's not.  And if we don't take care of this now we are going to see fallout effects and secondary effects from this that will have ramifications for a long time, above and beyond the lives that will have been lost.

I urge all of you, particularly those who have direct access to your heads of state, to make sure that they are making this a top priority in the next several weeks and months.

Thank you very much.  (Applause.) 

END
11:25 A.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Desalegn of Ethiopia Before Bilateral Meeting

United Nations Building
New York City, New York

9:57 A.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, I want to extend a warm welcome to Prime Minister Desalegn and his delegation.  When I spoke previously at the Africa Summit about some of the bright spots and progress that we’re seeing in Africa, I think there’s no better example than what has been happening in Ethiopia -- one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. 

We have seen enormous progress in a country that once had great difficulty feeding itself.  It’s now not only leading the pack in terms of agricultural production in the region, but will soon be an exporter potentially not just of agriculture, but also power because of the development that’s been taking place there.

We’re strong trading partners.  And most recently, Boeing has done a deal with Ethiopia, which will result in jobs here in the United States.  And in discussions with Ban Ki-moon yesterday, we discussed how critical it is for us to improve our effectiveness when it comes to peacekeeping and conflict resolution.  And it turns out that Ethiopia may be one of the best in the world -- one of the largest contributors of peacekeeping; one of the most effective fighting forces when it comes to being placed in some very difficult situations and helping to resolve conflicts.

So Ethiopia has been not only a leader economically in the continent, but also when it comes to security and trying to resolve some of the longstanding conflicts there.  We are very appreciative of those efforts, and we look forward to partnering with them.  This will give us an opportunity to talk about how we can enhance our strategic dialogue around a whole range of issues, from health, the economy, agriculture, but also some hotspot areas like South Sudan, where Ethiopia has been working very hard trying to bring the parties together, but recognizes that this is a challenge that we’re all going to have to work together on as part of an international community. 

So I want to extend my thanks to the Prime Minister for his good work.  And we look forward to not only an excellent discussion, but a very productive relationship going forward.

Mr. Prime Minister.

PRIME MINISTER DESALEGN:  Thank you very much, Mr. President.  First of all, I would like to thank you very much for receiving us during this very busy time.  We value very much the relationship between the United States and Ethiopia.  And as you mentioned, my country is moving, transforming the economy of the nation.  But needless to say that the support of the United States in our endeavor to move forward has been remarkable.

I think the most important thing is to have the human capability to develop ourselves.  And the United States has supported us in the various programs that helped us move forward in having healthy human beings that can produce.  And as you mentioned, agriculture is the main source of our economic growth, and that has been the case because we do have our farmers which are devoid of malaria, which is the main debilitating disease while producing.  So I think that has helped us a lot. 

And we value also the support the United States has offered to us in terms of engaging the private sector, especially your initiative of the Power Africa program, which is taking shape.  I think it's remarkable and a modern kind of approach.  And in that sense, we are obliged to thank you very much for this program and to deepen this Power Africa initiative.

Beyond that, you know that through your initiative and the leaders of the United States, we have the Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, which is the most important program, where the private-public partnership is the initiative.  We have a number of U.S. investors now engaged in agricultural production, helping the smallholder farmers, which is the basis for our agricultural growth that's taking place now in Ethiopia. 

Besides, peace and security is very essential for any kind of development to take place.  In that sense, our cooperation in peace and security and pacifying the region, the continent, as well as our Horn of Africa -- I think this has helped us a lot to bring peace and tranquility in the region.  And we've feel that we have strong cooperation.  We have to deepen it.  We have to extend now our efforts to pacify the region and the continent.  Of course, also, we have to cooperate globally, not only in Africa, and that relationship has to continue.

So, Mr. President, thank you very much for receiving us.  We value this relationship, which is excellent, and we want to deepen it and continue.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Two last points I want to make.  Obviously we've been talking a lot about terrorism and the focus has been on ISIL, but in Somalia, we've seen al-Shabaab, an affiliate of al Qaeda, wreak havoc throughout that country.  That's an area where the cooperation and leadership on the part of Ethiopia is making a difference as we speak.  And we want to thank them for that.

So our counterterrorism cooperation and the partnerships that we have formed with countries like Ethiopia are going to be critical to our overall efforts to defeat terrorism. 

And also, the Prime Minister and the government is going to be organizing elections in Ethiopia this year.  I know something about that.  We've got some midterms coming up.  And so we'll have an opportunity to talk about civil society and governance and how we can make sure that Ethiopia’s progress and example can extend to civil society as well, and making sure that throughout the continent of Africa we continue to widen and broaden our efforts at democracy, all of which isn't just good for politics but ends up being good for economics as well -- as we discussed at the Africa Summit.

So, thank you very much, everybody.

END
10:04 A.M. EDT

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

Presidential Proclamation --- Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Expansion

 

PACIFIC REMOTE ISLANDS MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT EXPANSION

- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Through Proclamation 8336 of January 6, 2009, the President established the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument ("Monument") to protect and preserve the marine environment around Wake, Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands, Johnston and Palmyra Atolls, and Kingman Reef for the care and management of the historic and scientific objects therein. The Monument is an important part of the most widespread collection of marine- and terrestrial-life protected areas on the planet, sustaining many endemic species including corals, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, seabirds, water birds, land birds, insects, and vegetation not found elsewhere. The Monument includes the lands, waters, and submerged and emergent lands of the seven Pacific Remote Islands to lines of latitude and longitude that lie approximately 50 nautical miles from the mean low water lines of those seven Pacific Remote Islands. The islands of Jarvis, Howland, and Baker were also the location of notable bravery and sacrifice by a small number of voluntary Hawaiian colonists, known as Hui Panalāʽau, who occupied the islands from 1935 to 1942 to help secure the U.S. territorial claim over the islands.

The area around the Monument includes the waters and submerged lands to the extent of the seaward limit of the United States Exclusive Economic Zone ("U.S. EEZ") up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea of these seven Pacific Remote Islands is measured. The U.S. EEZ areas adjacent to Wake and Jarvis Islands and Johnston Atoll ("adjacent areas") contain significant objects of scientific interest that are part of this highly pristine deep sea and open ocean ecosystem with unique biodiversity. These adjacent areas hold a large number of undersea mountains ("seamounts") that may provide habitat for colonies of deepwater corals many thousands of years old. These adjacent areas' pelagic environment provides habitat and forage for tunas, turtles, manta rays, sharks, cetaceans, and seabirds that have evolved with a foraging technique that depends on large marine predators.

A significant geological feature of the adjacent areas is the undersea mountains. A seamount is a mountain rising from the seabed that does not reach the sea surface. Most often seamounts occur in chains or clusters. Nearly all of the seamounts in the adjacent areas are volcanoes: some are still erupting actively, and others stopped erupting long ago. The

Monument includes 33 seamounts; the adjacent areas include approximately 132 more. The additional seamounts provide important opportunities for scientific exploration and study. Estimates are that 15 to 44 percent of the species on a seamount or seamount group are found nowhere else on Earth. Roughly 5 to 10 percent of invertebrates found on each survey of a seamount are new to science. Some seamounts have pools of undiscovered species. The approximately 132 seamounts in the adjacent areas provide the opportunity for identification and discovery of many species not yet known to humans, with possibilities for research, medicines, and other important uses.

The adjacent areas also provide an important ecosystem for scientific study and research. The pristine waters provide a baseline comparison for important scientific research that monitors and evaluates impacts of global climate change, including benchmarking coral bleaching and ocean acidification. The scale of the adjacent areas significantly enhances opportunities for such scientific research beyond the Monument boundaries established in Proclamation 8336.

The available scientific information indicates that the adjacent areas include important deep-coral species. For example, sampling from the U.S. Line Islands has identified deep-sea coral species not previously recorded from the central Pacific. Tropical coral reefs and associated marine ecosystems are among the most vulnerable areas to the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification. Protection of the ecosystem in the adjacent areas will provide the scientific opportunity to identify and further study the important deep sea corals.

The adjacent areas provide significant habitat and range for species identified in Proclamation 8336. They include waters used by five species of protected turtles. In addition to the Green and Hawksbill turtles that use the near-shore waters of the Monument, the adjacent areas include waters used by the endangered leatherback, loggerhead, and Olive Ridley turtles. All five species use the adjacent areas for their migratory paths and feeding grounds.

The adjacent areas provide the foraging habitat for several of the world's largest remaining colonies of Sooty Terns, Lesser Frigatebirds, Red-footed Boobies, Red-tailed Tropicbirds, and other seabird species. Many of these wide-ranging species make foraging trips of 300 miles or more from their colonies on the Monument's islands, atolls, and reefs. For example, since the Monument was established, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists have documented the return of seabird populations once absent at Johnston Atoll, including Great Frigatebirds, Sooty Terns, Red-tailed Tropicbirds, and other species that are known to feed as much as 300 to 600 miles offshore. Jarvis Island alone has nearly three million nesting pairs of Sooty Terns, which forage more than 300 miles from shore even when rearing chicks on the island. These seabirds forage, in part, by seeking schools of tuna and other large marine predators that drive prey fish to the surface. Black-footed and Laysan Albatross, species that forage across the entire North Pacific, recently recolonized Wake Atoll, making it one of the few northern albatross colonies outside of the Hawaiian archipelago. At Jarvis Island, the Monument and its adjacent area provide an important undisturbed ecosystem that supports many rare seabird species, including the endangered White-throated Storm-petrel.

Manta rays are abundant around the Monument's reefs. Since the Monument was established, scientific research on manta ray movement has shown that manta rays frequently travel over 600 nautical miles away from the coastal environment, and well outside of the Monument boundaries established in Proclamation 8336. Scientific study of the multi-species ecological cycle at the Monument illustrates a very diverse and balanced habitat used by manta rays, many of which are found in the adjacent areas.

The ecosystem of the Monument and adjacent areas also is part of the larger Pacific ecosystem. The Monument land and atoll groups and the adjacent areas share geographic isolation, as well as climate, bathymetric, geologic, and wildlife characteristics that define them as individual biogeographic regions. However, the Pacific Remote Islands area, including the adjacent areas, is tied together by regional oceanographic currents that drive marine species larval transport and adult migrations that shape the broader Pacific ecosystem.

WHEREAS the waters and submerged lands surrounding Jarvis and Wake Islands and Johnston Atoll from the lines of latitude and longitude depicted on the maps accompanying Proclamation 8336 to the seaward limit of the U.S. EEZ of the three Pacific Remote Islands contain objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States;

WHEREAS section 2 of the Act of June 8, 1906 (34 Stat. 225, 16 U.S.C. 431) (the "Antiquities Act"), authorizes the President, in his discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States to be national monuments, and to reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the limits of which in all cases shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected;

WHEREAS it is in the public interest to preserve the marine environment, including the waters and submerged lands, in the U.S. EEZ adjacent to the Monument at Jarvis and Wake Islands and Johnston Atoll for the care and management of the historic and scientific objects therein;

WHEREAS the security of the United States, the prosperity of its citizens, and the protection of the ocean environment are complementary and reinforcing priorities; and the United States continues to act with due regard for the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea enjoyed by other nations under the law of the sea in managing the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument and adjacent areas, and does not compromise the readiness, training, and global mobility of U.S. Armed Forces when establishing marine protected areas:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by section 2 of the Antiquities Act, do hereby proclaim the objects identified above that are situated upon lands and interests in lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States to be part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Expansion ("Monument Expansion") and, for the purpose of protecting those objects, reserve as a part thereof all lands and interests in lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States within the boundaries described on the accompanying maps entitled "Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Expansion" attached hereto, which form a part of this proclamation. The Monument Expansion includes the waters and submerged lands of Jarvis and Wake Islands and Johnston Atoll that lie from the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument boundary established in Proclamation 8336 to the seaward limit of the U.S. EEZ (as established in Proclamation 5030 of March 10, 1983) of Jarvis and Wake Islands and Johnston Atoll. The Federal lands and interests in lands reserved consist of approximately 308,316 square nautical miles, which is the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected.

All Federal lands and interests in lands within the boundaries of the Monument Expansion are hereby appropriated and withdrawn from all forms of entry, location, selection, sale, leasing, or other disposition under the public land laws to the extent that those laws apply. Lands and interests in lands within the Monument Expansion not owned or controlled by the United States shall be reserved as a part of the Monument Expansion upon acquisition of title or control by the United States.

Management of the Marine National Monument

Nothing in this proclamation shall change the management of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument as specified in Proclamation 8336. The Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, shall have primary responsibility for management of the Monument Expansion pursuant to applicable legal authorities. The Secretary of Commerce, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, shall within the Monument Expansion have primary responsibility with respect to fishery-related activities regulated pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and any other applicable legal authorities. The Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce shall not allow or permit any appropriation, injury, destruction, or removal of any object of the Monument Expansion except as provided for by this proclamation and shall prohibit commercial fishing within the boundaries of the Monument Expansion.

The Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce shall take appropriate action pursuant to their respective authorities under the Antiquities Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and such other authorities as may be available to implement this proclamation, to regulate fisheries, and to ensure proper care and management of the Monument Expansion.

The United States shall continue to preserve the freedom of the seas (i.e., all of the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law enjoyed by all nations, including the conduct of military activities, exercises, and surveys in or over the exclusive economic zone), and to protect the training, readiness, and global mobility of U.S. Armed Forces as U.S. national interests that are essential to the peace and prosperity of civilized nations.

The Secretary of Defense shall continue to manage Wake Island and Johnston Atoll as specified in Proclamation 8336.

Regulation of Scientific Exploration and Research

Subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary of the Interior or Commerce, as appropriate, deems necessary for the care and management of the objects of the Monument and Monument Expansion, the Secretaries may permit scientific exploration and research within the Monument Expansion, including incidental appropriation, injury, destruction, or removal of features of the Monument Expansion for scientific study, and the Secretary of Commerce may permit fishing within the Monument Expansion for scientific exploration and research purposes to the extent authorized by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The prohibitions required by this proclamation shall not restrict scientific exploration or research activities by or for the Secretaries of the Interior or Commerce, and nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to require a permit or other authorization from the other Secretary for their respective scientific activities.

Regulation of Fishing and Management of Fishery Resources

The Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce may permit noncommercial fishing upon request, at specific locations in accordance with this proclamation and Proclamation 8336. The Secretaries shall provide a process to ensure that recreational fishing continues to be managed as a sustainable activity in the Monument and Monument Expansion, in accordance with this proclamation, Proclamation 8336, and consistent with Executive Order 12962 of June 7, 1995, as amended, and other applicable law.

Monument Management Planning

The Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce shall, within 2 years of the date of this proclamation, prepare management plans, using their respective authorities, for the Monument and Monument Expansion and promulgate implementing regulations that address any further specific actions necessary for the proper care and management of the objects and areas identified in this proclamation and those in Proclamation 8336. The Secretaries shall revise and update the management plans as necessary. In developing and implementing any management plans and any management rules and regulations, the Secretaries shall consult and designate and involve as cooperating agencies the agencies with jurisdiction or special expertise, including the Department of Defense and Department of State, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and its implementing regulations.

This proclamation shall be applied in accordance with international law. The management plans and their implementing regulations shall impose no restrictions on innocent passage in the territorial sea or otherwise restrict navigation and overflight and other internationally recognized lawful uses of the sea in the Monument and Monument Expansion and shall incorporate the provisions of this proclamation regarding Armed Forces actions and compliance with international law. No restrictions shall apply to or be enforced against a person who is not a citizen, national, or resident alien of the United States (including foreign flag vessels) unless in accordance with international law. Also, in accordance with international law, no restrictions shall apply to foreign warships, naval auxiliaries, and other vessels owned or operated by a state and used, for the time being, only on Government non-commercial service, in order to fully respect the sovereign immunity of such vessels under international law.

Emergencies, National Security, and Law Enforcement Activities

1.     The prohibitions required by this proclamation shall not apply to activities necessary to respond to emergencies threatening life, property, or the environment, or to activities necessary for national security or law enforcement purposes.

2.     Nothing in this proclamation shall limit agency actions to respond to emergencies posing an unacceptable threat to human health or safety or to the marine environment and admitting of no other feasible solution.

Armed Forces Actions

1.     The prohibitions required by this proclamation shall not apply to activities and exercises of the Armed Forces (including those carried out by the United States Coast Guard).

2.     The Armed Forces shall ensure, by the adoption of appropriate measures not impairing operations or operational capabilities, that its vessels and aircraft act in a manner consistent, so far as is reasonable and practicable, with this proclamation.

3.     In the event of threatened or actual destruction of, loss of, or injury to a Monument Expansion resource or quality resulting from an incident, including but not limited to spills and groundings, caused by a component of the Department of Defense or the United States Coast Guard, the cognizant component shall promptly coordinate with the Secretary of the Interior or Commerce, as appropriate, for the purpose of taking appropriate actions to respond to and mitigate any actual harm and, if possible, restore or replace the Monument Expansion resource or quality.

4.     Nothing in this proclamation or any regulation implementing it shall limit or otherwise affect the Armed Forces' discretion to use, maintain, improve, manage, or control any property under the administrative control of a Military Department or otherwise limit the availability of such property for military mission purposes, including, but not limited to, defensive areas and airspace reservations.

The establishment of this Monument Expansion is subject to valid existing rights.

This proclamation is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to revoke any existing withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation; however, the Monument Expansion shall be the dominant reservation.

Warning is hereby given to all unauthorized persons not to appropriate, excavate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature of this Monument Expansion and not to locate or settle upon any lands thereof.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-ninth.

BARACK OBAMA

 

President Obama Closes the U.N. Security Council Summit

September 24, 2014 | 3:40 | Public Domain

On September 24, 2014, President Obama delivered closing remarks at the U.N. Security Council Summit on Foreign Terrorist Fighters.

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Remarks by the President at U.N. Security Council Summit on Foreign Terrorist Fighters

United Nations
New York, New York

3:11 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you, His Excellency, the Secretary-General, for his statement.  I'll now make a statement in my capacity as President of the United States.

Mr. Secretary-General, heads of state and government distinguished representatives, thank you for being here today. 

In the nearly 70 years of the United Nations, this is only the sixth time that the Security Council has met at a level like this.  We convene such sessions to address the most urgent threats to peace and security.  And I called this meeting because we must come together -- as nations and an international community -- to confront the real and growing threat of foreign terrorist fighters.   

As I said earlier today, the tactic of terrorism is not new. So many nations represented here today, including my own, have seen our citizens killed by terrorists who target innocents.  And today, the people of the world have been horrified by another brutal murder, of Herve Gourdel, by terrorists in Algeria.  President Hollande, we stand with you and the French people not only as you grieve this terrible loss, but as you show resolve against terror and in defense of liberty.

What brings us together today, what is new is the unprecedented flow of fighters in recent years to and from conflict zones, including Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa, Yemen, Libya, and most recently, Syria and Iraq.

Our intelligence agencies estimate that more than 15,000 foreign fighters from more than 80 nations have traveled to Syria in recent years.  Many have joined terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda’s affiliate, the Nusrah Front, and ISIL, which now threatens people across Syria and Iraq.  And I want to acknowledge and thank Prime Minister Abadi of Iraq for being here today. 

In the Middle East and elsewhere, these terrorists exacerbate conflicts; they pose an immediate threat to people in these regions; and as we’ve already seen in several cases, they may try to return to their home countries to carry out deadly attacks.  In the face of this threat, many of our nations -- working together and through the United Nations -- have increased our cooperation.  Around the world, foreign terrorist fighters have been arrested, plots have been disrupted and lives have been saved. 

Earlier this year at West Point, I called for a new Partnership to help nations build their capacity to meet the evolving threat of terrorism, including foreign terrorist fighters.  And preventing these individuals from reaching Syria and then slipping back across our borders is a critical element of our strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL.

The historic resolution that we just adopted enshrines our commitment to meet this challenge.  It is legally binding.  It establishes new obligations that nations must meet.  Specifically, nations are required to “prevent and suppress the recruiting, organizing, transporting or equipping” of foreign terrorist fighters, as well as the financing of their travel or activities.  Nations must “prevent the movement of terrorists or terrorist groups” through their territory, and ensure that their domestic laws allow for the prosecution of those who attempt to do so.

The resolution we passed today calls on nations to help build the capacity of states on the front lines of this fight -- including with the best practices that many of our nations approved yesterday, and which the United States will work to advance through our Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund.  This resolution will strengthen cooperation between nations, including sharing more information about the travel and activities of foreign terrorist fighters.  And it makes clear that respecting human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law is not optional -- it is an essential part of successful counterterrorism efforts.  Indeed, history teaches us that the failure to uphold these rights and freedoms can actually fuel violent extremism.

Finally, this resolution recognizes that there is no military solution to the problem of misguided individuals seeking to join terrorist organizations, and it, therefore, calls on nations to work together to counter the violent extremism that can radicalize, recruit, and mobilize individuals to engage in terrorism.  Potential recruits must hear the words of former terrorist fighters who have seen the truth -- that groups like ISIL betray Islam by killing innocent men, women and children, the majority of whom are Muslim. 

Often it is local communities -- family, friends, neighbors, and faith leaders -- that are best able to identify and help disillusioned individuals before they succumb to extremist ideologies and engage in violence.  That’s why the United States government is committed to working with communities in America and around the world to build partnerships of trust, respect and cooperation. 

Likewise, even as we are unrelenting against terrorists who threaten our people, we must redouble our work to address the conditions -- the repression, the lack of opportunity, too often the hopelessness that can make some individuals more susceptible to appeals to extremism and violence.  And this includes continuing to pursue a political solution in Syria that allows all Syrians to live in security, dignity, and peace. 

This is the work that we must do as nations.  These are the partnerships we must forge as an international community.  And these are the standards that we now must meet.  Yet even as we’re guided by the commitments that we make here today, let me close by stating the obvious.  Resolutions alone will not be enough.  Promises on paper cannot keep us safe.  Lofty rhetoric and good intentions will not stop a single terrorist attack.

The words spoken here today must be matched and translated into action, into deeds -- concrete action, within nations and between them, not just in the days ahead, but for years to come. For if there was ever a challenge in our interconnected world that cannot be met by any one nation alone, it is this:  terrorists crossing borders and threatening to unleash unspeakable violence.  These terrorists believe our countries will be unable to stop them.  The safety of our citizens demand that we do.  And I’m here today to say that all of you who are committed to this urgent work will find a strong and steady partner in the United States of America. 

I now would like to resume my function as President of the Council.  And I will now give the floor to the other members of the Security Council.

END
3:19 P.M. EDT

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President Obama Speaks at the Open Government Partnership Meeting

September 24, 2014 | 11:12 | Public Domain

On September 24, 2014, President Obama addressed the Open Government Partnership meeting at the U.N. and highlighted new anti-global corruption efforts.

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Celebrating Open Government Around the Globe

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The Open Government Partnership (OGP) began three years ago with eight countries committing to be more transparent and to fight corruption alongside civil society. Today, the OGP has grown into a partnership that includes 64 nations and hundreds of civil society organizations, who together have made more than 2,000 commitments to advance open government for more than 2 billion people around the world.

To mark the OGP’s third anniversary today, President Obama joined with heads of state from other participating countries to celebrate these steps to improve the ability of citizens to engage with their governments and better harness the power of transparency to drive growth:

  • Governments in Mexico and Bulgaria are putting more and better quality information online, allowing citizens to hold them accountable for how they spend taxpayer dollars.
  • Civil society organizations in Brazil, Paraguay, Ireland, and Sierra Leone are working with government reformers to draft and reform freedom of information laws that governments are enacting.
  • The nations of Indonesia, Albania, and Macedonia are developing new tools to report on corruption and promote transparency. 
  • Governmental leaders in Mexico, Georgia, and Ghana are establishing new systems to ensure civil society participation in the public policymaking process.
  • Peru launched a package of anti-corruption measures that resulted in 212 convictions of public officials in 2013.

Here in the United States, we are accelerating our efforts to open up government data to fuel entrepreneurship and economic growth, modernize our Freedom of Information Act with input from experts, and harness American ingenuity to solve important problems.

Our Open Government National Action Plan is an evolving, living document — and today President Obama announced that in addition to the commitments outlined in our current National Action Plan, the United States will take additional steps to make our government more open, transparent, and accessible for all Americans. We will:

  • Improve transparency in government spending, making it easier to understand how and where the federal government spends and invests;
  • Expand our efforts to build better government digital services, including building them in the open;
  • Ensure that we protect personal privacy while harnessing the power of big data to improve health care, fight discrimination, and support law enforcement; and
  • Promote open educational resources, to help teachers and students everywhere.  

The United States remains a global leader on open government, but there is still progress to be made domestically and around the globe. All OGP member countries must face the challenge of corruption head-on and ensure that governments, financial institutions, and legal systems are transparent and are working effectively to prevent corruption and money-laundering and bring wrongdoers to justice. The United States will continue to take action to prevent the U.S. legal and financial systems from being exploited by those who engage in corruption. And we must actively seek out participation of civil society — an equal partner in OGP.

The United States will continue to lead open government efforts as a member of the OGP steering committee, working with our government and civil society partners in continuing to transform the way that governments serve their citizens in the 21st century.

Gayle Smith is Special Assistant to the President and NSC Senior Director for Development and Democracy. Nick Sinai is the U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer.


Watch the President's remarks at today's Open Government Partnership meeting at the United Nations:

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President Obama Opens the U.N. Security Council Summit

September 24, 2014 | 17:02 | Public Domain

On September 24, 2014, President Obama delivered opening remarks at the U.N. Security Council Summit on Foreign Terrorist Fighters.

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Remarks by the President at U.N. Security Council Summit on Foreign Terrorist Fighters

United Nations
New York, New York

3:11 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you, His Excellency, the Secretary-General, for his statement.  I'll now make a statement in my capacity as President of the United States.

Mr. Secretary-General, heads of state and government distinguished representatives, thank you for being here today. 

In the nearly 70 years of the United Nations, this is only the sixth time that the Security Council has met at a level like this.  We convene such sessions to address the most urgent threats to peace and security.  And I called this meeting because we must come together -- as nations and an international community -- to confront the real and growing threat of foreign terrorist fighters.   

As I said earlier today, the tactic of terrorism is not new. So many nations represented here today, including my own, have seen our citizens killed by terrorists who target innocents.  And today, the people of the world have been horrified by another brutal murder, of Herve Gourdel, by terrorists in Algeria.  President Hollande, we stand with you and the French people not only as you grieve this terrible loss, but as you show resolve against terror and in defense of liberty.

What brings us together today, what is new is the unprecedented flow of fighters in recent years to and from conflict zones, including Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa, Yemen, Libya, and most recently, Syria and Iraq.

Our intelligence agencies estimate that more than 15,000 foreign fighters from more than 80 nations have traveled to Syria in recent years.  Many have joined terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda’s affiliate, the Nusrah Front, and ISIL, which now threatens people across Syria and Iraq.  And I want to acknowledge and thank Prime Minister Abadi of Iraq for being here today. 

In the Middle East and elsewhere, these terrorists exacerbate conflicts; they pose an immediate threat to people in these regions; and as we’ve already seen in several cases, they may try to return to their home countries to carry out deadly attacks.  In the face of this threat, many of our nations -- working together and through the United Nations -- have increased our cooperation.  Around the world, foreign terrorist fighters have been arrested, plots have been disrupted and lives have been saved. 

Earlier this year at West Point, I called for a new Partnership to help nations build their capacity to meet the evolving threat of terrorism, including foreign terrorist fighters.  And preventing these individuals from reaching Syria and then slipping back across our borders is a critical element of our strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL.

The historic resolution that we just adopted enshrines our commitment to meet this challenge.  It is legally binding.  It establishes new obligations that nations must meet.  Specifically, nations are required to “prevent and suppress the recruiting, organizing, transporting or equipping” of foreign terrorist fighters, as well as the financing of their travel or activities.  Nations must “prevent the movement of terrorists or terrorist groups” through their territory, and ensure that their domestic laws allow for the prosecution of those who attempt to do so.

The resolution we passed today calls on nations to help build the capacity of states on the front lines of this fight -- including with the best practices that many of our nations approved yesterday, and which the United States will work to advance through our Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund.  This resolution will strengthen cooperation between nations, including sharing more information about the travel and activities of foreign terrorist fighters.  And it makes clear that respecting human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law is not optional -- it is an essential part of successful counterterrorism efforts.  Indeed, history teaches us that the failure to uphold these rights and freedoms can actually fuel violent extremism.

Finally, this resolution recognizes that there is no military solution to the problem of misguided individuals seeking to join terrorist organizations, and it, therefore, calls on nations to work together to counter the violent extremism that can radicalize, recruit, and mobilize individuals to engage in terrorism.  Potential recruits must hear the words of former terrorist fighters who have seen the truth -- that groups like ISIL betray Islam by killing innocent men, women and children, the majority of whom are Muslim. 

Often it is local communities -- family, friends, neighbors, and faith leaders -- that are best able to identify and help disillusioned individuals before they succumb to extremist ideologies and engage in violence.  That’s why the United States government is committed to working with communities in America and around the world to build partnerships of trust, respect and cooperation. 

Likewise, even as we are unrelenting against terrorists who threaten our people, we must redouble our work to address the conditions -- the repression, the lack of opportunity, too often the hopelessness that can make some individuals more susceptible to appeals to extremism and violence.  And this includes continuing to pursue a political solution in Syria that allows all Syrians to live in security, dignity, and peace. 

This is the work that we must do as nations.  These are the partnerships we must forge as an international community.  And these are the standards that we now must meet.  Yet even as we’re guided by the commitments that we make here today, let me close by stating the obvious.  Resolutions alone will not be enough.  Promises on paper cannot keep us safe.  Lofty rhetoric and good intentions will not stop a single terrorist attack.

The words spoken here today must be matched and translated into action, into deeds -- concrete action, within nations and between them, not just in the days ahead, but for years to come. For if there was ever a challenge in our interconnected world that cannot be met by any one nation alone, it is this:  terrorists crossing borders and threatening to unleash unspeakable violence.  These terrorists believe our countries will be unable to stop them.  The safety of our citizens demand that we do.  And I’m here today to say that all of you who are committed to this urgent work will find a strong and steady partner in the United States of America. 

I now would like to resume my function as President of the Council.  And I will now give the floor to the other members of the Security Council.

END
3:19 P.M. EDT

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

FACT SHEET: President Obama to Designate Largest Marine Monument in the World Off-Limits to Development

Designated Area in the South-Central Pacific Ocean is Home to Pristine and Biodiverse Marine Ecosystems That Are Vulnerable to the Impacts of Climate Change

WASHINGTON, DC — As part of this Year of Action, President Obama will sign a proclamation tomorrow to designate the largest marine reserve in the world that is completely off limits to commercial resource extraction including commercial fishing. The proclamation expands the existing Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, one of the most pristine tropical marine environments in the world, to six times its current size, resulting in 370,000 square nautical miles (490,000 square miles) of protected area around these tropical islands and atolls in the south-central Pacific Ocean. Expanding the Monument will more fully protect the deep coral reefs, seamounts, and marine ecosystems unique to this part of the world, which are also among the most vulnerable areas to the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification. 

The recently released National Climate Assessment confirms that climate change is causing sea levels and ocean temperatures to rise. Changing temperatures can harm coral reefs and force certain species to migrate. In addition, carbon pollution is being absorbed by the oceans, causing them to acidify, which can damage coastal shellfish beds and reefs, altering entire marine ecosystems. To date, the acidity of our ocean is changing 50 times faster than any known change in millions of years.

In response to this growing threat, the President announced in June his commitment to use his authority to protect some of our most precious marine landscape just like he has for our mountains, rivers, and forests. The Administration identified expanding the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument as an area of particular interest because science has shown that large marine protected areas can help rebuild biodiversity, support fish populations, and improve overall ecosystem resilience.

To meet the President’s commitment, the Administration examined how to expand protections near the Monument and considered the input of fishermen, scientists, conservation experts, elected officials, and other stakeholders, including through a town hall meeting and over 170,000 comments submitted electronically.  

The expanded Monument will include over 130 newly protected sea mounts, which are hotspots of biodiversity that harbor uncounted numbers of new and unique marine species. The expansion will better protect the habitat of animals with large migration and foraging ranges that stretch throughout the area, including sea turtles, marine mammals, and manta rays.  The Monument is also home to millions of seabirds that forage over hundreds of miles and bring food back to their rookeries on the islands and atolls.  These birds serve as a conveyor belt of energy bringing nutrients caught at sea back into the near shore environment where they help sustain the ecosystems. 

Commercial fishing and other resource extraction activities, such as deep sea mining, are banned in the Monument.  In recognition of the importance of encouraging and supporting access to federally managed areas, recreational and traditional fishing that is consistent with the conservation goals of the Monument will continue to be allowed in the expanded Monument.

This proclamation builds on the Administration’s efforts to protect both our lands and our oceans.  Early in his first term, President Obama launched the National Ocean Policy to harmonize the implementation of more than 100 laws that govern our oceans and create a coordinated, science-based approach to managing the many resources and uses of our coasts and oceans. In June, President Obama launched a series of executive actions to increase protections for the ocean, including combating black market fishing, establishing a pathway to new marine sanctuaries, and understanding the impacts of ocean acidification. The President has also designated eleven other national monuments across the United States to permanently protect sites that are significant to our nation’s rich history and natural heritage.

The expanded monument will continue to be managed by the Departments of the Interior and Commerce through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration respectively.  The Agencies will develop management plans pursuant to their respective authorities under the Antiquities Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery and Conservation Management Act, and other relevant authorities to ensure proper care and management of the Monument.

First exercised by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 to designate Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, the authority of the Antiquities Act has been used by 16 presidents since 1906 to protect unique natural and historic features in America, such as the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Colorado's Canyons of the Ancients.