The Foreign Service Journal, September 2021

16 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL State Celebrates Pride Month I n honor of Pride Month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken took part in a June 21 webinar co-sponsored by the Atlantic Council and glifaa. Washington Post writer/MSNBC com- mentator Jonathan Capehart moderated the event, which included questions from FSOs in Malabo and Kathmandu, among other participants. Secretary Blinken began by giving a shoutout to glifaa for nearly 30 years of advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ+ employ- ees and their families at State and other foreign affairs agencies. He repeatedly emphasized that LGBTQ+ rights cannot be separated from human rights, and noted that just days after taking office, President Joe Biden had issued a memo- randum instructing State to ensure it incorporates that principle into all its foreign assistance programs. The Secretary confirmed that he has authorized all chiefs of mission to fly the Pride Flag at U.S. embassies. He also announced that Main State would fly the Progress Flag on June 26-28, and reminded the audience that the depart- ment’s Global Equality Fund, a private- public partnership, continues to offer emergency assistance to human rights defenders and human rights program- ming support to grassroots LGBTQ+ organizations. At a ceremony on June 25, Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley and glifaa President Jeff Anderson spoke before the Progress Flag was raised over the State Department. You can view a video of the event or read the transcript at bit.ly/blinken- council. FLO Changes Name to GCLO T he Family Liaison Office has changed its name, after more than 40 years, to the Global Community Liaison Office. GCLO says the new name better reflects and includes diverse individuals and fam- ily types it serves. The State Department created FLO in 1978 to advocate for the needs of Foreign Service families as they cope with the challenges of moving and living overseas. From the beginning, FLO has promoted job opportunities for family members, education counseling, evacuation and personal crisis support, and more. GCLO will continue these services. In considering a name change, FLO held focus groups with members of the Foreign Service community, engaged the worldwide Community Liaison Office corps and interacted with participants from the various foreign affairs agencies. People noted that the use of “Family” in FLO’s name might imply that FLO’s ser- vices are not for all employees, and that “Community” more accurately reflects the mission of the office. Thus, the new name was born. Learn more about GCLO at state.gov/ gclo. Cruz Continues Block on Diplomatic Appointments T he Biden administration has come under criticism in recent months for the slow pace of nominations for critical diplomatic positions. But through July, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) continued to block nearly 60 State Department nomi- nees waiting to be confirmed, accord- ing to Democrats and Republicans who spoke with CNN. Since the end of May, the administra- tion has nominated more individuals for senior positions in the foreign affairs agencies, notably including career FSO John R. Bass as under secretary of State for management. As of the end of July, only one ambassador had been con- firmed in 2021. Cruz has placed holds on the nomi- nations over his opposition to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline being built from Russia to Germany. “I look forward to lifting the holds just as soon as they impose the sanctions on Nord Stream 2 that are required by federal law,” Cruz told CNN. Both the Trump and Biden administra- tions have declined to impose sanctions on the pipeline. CNN said lawmakers from both parties have told Cruz that the holds are pointless, as the Biden administration has made clear it won’t change its policy. Construc- tion of the pipeline is almost finished, and sanctions could antagonize Germany. AFSA’s website features compre- hensive and frequently updated lists of Raising the Progress Flag on June 25 at the State Department. JAMESPANFORDEPARTMENTOFSTATE