CISR Publication Recognized by Secretary of State John Kerry
News
On December 8, 2014, staff from James Madison University’s (JMU) Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR) attended a press rollout of To Walk the Earth in Safety with Secretary of State John Kerry at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.
To Walk the Earth in Safety (TWEIS) is the Department of State's annual report documenting the U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction Program, which is managed by the Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA). Since 2009, CISR staff and JMU student employees have been honored to write, edit and design TWEIS on behalf of the Department of State.
During the event, Secretary Kerry posed for a picture with staff from various NGOs including CISR, MAG, The HALO Trust, and Marshall Legacy Institute. Kerry announced the publication of TWEIS, thanking the NGOs who support the work contained therein. CISR staff members were previously honored to attend the December 2011 rollout of TWEIS with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
For more than 20 years, the United States has been the world's single largest financial supporter of efforts to address humanitarian hazards from landmines and unexploded ordnance in post-conflict areas, as well as to reduce the availability of excess, loosely-secured, or otherwise at-risk weapons and ordnance. Since 1993, the United States has invested more than $2.3 billion for the safe disposal of small arms and light weapons, munitions, and the removal of landmines and explosive remnants of war in more than 90 countries. Since its founding in 1996, CISR has worked in close cooperation with PM/WRA to support their mission by disseminating information and research to the global community of practice and providing on-the-ground programming.
CISR’s mission is to help communities affected by conflict and trauma through innovative research, training, information exchange and direct services. CISR works around the world to help communities build peaceful and prosperous futures free from the repercussions of conflict.
CISR attendees at the December 2014 rollout included: Dr. Ken Rutherford (Director); Dr. Suzanne Fiederlein (Associate Director); Heather Holsinger (Communications and Publications Manager); Jennifer Risser (Managing Editor); and Paige Ober (Assistant Project Manager).
CISR attendees at the December 2011 rollout included: Dr. Ken Rutherford (Director); Dr. Suzanne Fiederlein (Associate Director); Lois Carter Crawford (Editor-in-Chief); Heather Holsinger (Communications and Publications Manager); and Eric Wuestewald (Content and Technical Editor).
