The Foreign Service Journal, March 2023

16 MARCH 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL TALKING POINTS Bike Ride Honors Fallen FSO O n Nov. 19, 2022, hundreds of peo- ple biked to Capitol Hill to demand from lawmakers safer streets for cyclists and pedestrians across the country. Organized by FSO Dan Langenkamp, the 10.5-mile “Ride for Your Life” rally was held in honor of his wife, Foreign Service Officer Sarah Debbink Langen- kamp, who was killed in August while cycling in her Bethesda, Md., neighbor- hood. (Her obituary can be found on page 85 of the January-February FSJ . ) Speaking to CNN, Dan Langenkamp said that his anger in the wake of his family’s loss has driven him to advocate for changes in bike safety “to reduce the number of crashes that kill moms, col- leagues, and friends like Sarah.” A GoFundMe campaign he created has already raised more than $300,000 to support local and national cycling safety organizations in their call for safer bike routes. U.S. to Invest $55 Billion in Africa A t the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C., in December 2022, President Joe Biden and Vice Presi- dent Kamala Harris announced plans to invest at least $55 billion over the next three years in new initiatives to empower African institutions and citizens. President Biden also announced his intent to name Ambassador Johnnie Car- son, a retired career FSO, for the new role of Special Presidential Representative for U.S.- Africa Leaders Summit Implementation. Ambassador Carsonwas formerly the assistant secretary of State for African affairs and served as U.S. ambassador to Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Learnmore at https://bit.ly/AfricaLeadersSummit. Ambassadors and Others Confirmed at Year’s End A s expected, the Senate processed a large number of ambassadorial nominations prior to the holiday recess in December. AFSA was pleased to see 17 career members of the U.S. Foreign Service confirmed as ambassadors to Armenia, Estonia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Tajikistan, Cyprus, Tunisia, Botswana, Mali, the Democratic Repub- lic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritius and Seychelles, Suriname, El Salvador, and Uruguay. Four political appointees were also confirmed, to Tanzania, the Czech Republic, Brazil, and the Organization of American States. Another political appointee was confirmed for the posi- tion of Ambassador at Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. At the beginning of 2023, the admin- istration announced a slew of additional nominations. Career FSOs were nomi- nated for ambassadorships in Oman, Jordan, Colombia, Ethiopia, Peru, APEC, and in the role of deputy permanent representative to the U.N. On Dec. 13, 2022, world leaders participated in the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit’s Peace and Security Governance Forum in Washington, D.C. From left: President of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi; President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud; President of Niger Mohamed Bazoum; Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer; Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III; Secretary of State Antony Blinken; and USAID Administrator Samantha Power. U.S.STATEDEPARTMENT