Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) Tom Malinowski will visit Cambodia July 18-19 to underscore the importance of human rights in the U.S.-Cambodia relationship.
On July 18, Assistant Secretary Malinowski will meet with government officials, opposition party members, local civil society groups, and representatives from international agencies to discuss the importance of free and fair elections in Cambodia. He will also urge Cambodia to uphold international human rights standards and ensure the protection of civil society organizations. The Assistant Secretary will visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum to learn more about the history of the former prison and interrogation center.
On July 19, Assistant Secretary Malinowski will participate in a town hall discussion with Cambodian youth on the topic of U.S. elections. The event will be held at the American Corner located at Pannasastra University-South Campus and the audience will feature members of the U.S. Ambassador’s Youth Council and the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), President Barack Obama’s signature program to strengthen leadership development and networking among youth in Southeast Asia.
Bio:
Tom Malinowski was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor on April 3, 2014. Prior to beginning his current position and since 2001, he was the Washington Director for Human Rights Watch, one of the world’s leading independent international organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. From 1998 to 2001, he served as Senior Director on the National Security Council at the White House, where he oversaw the drafting of President Clinton’s foreign policy speeches and strategic communications efforts around the world. From 1994 to 1998 he was a speechwriter for Secretaries of State Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright, and was a member of the Policy Planning Staff at the Department of State.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Malinowski worked as a research assistant for the Ford Foundation in 1993 and for the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, Austria in 1992. He began his career as a Special Assistant for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan in 1988. Mr. Malinowski received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Masters in Philosophy from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.
