EVENT:
Please join us on Monday, December 4, 2018 at 12:30 (GMT) for a telephonic press conference.
 
Kirsten Madison, Assistant Secretary covering drugs and crime at the U.S. Department of State, will preview U.S. participation in the upcoming major international drug treatment/prevention gathering – the International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) Global Workshop – which begins on December 10 in Nairobi.  This will mark the first year that this annual global conference will take place in Africa; the African Union, Kenya, and the United States are organizers of ISSUP.  Assistant Secretary Madison can also answer questions on the non-drug related aspects of her planned travel to Kenya, including meetings related to countering wildlife trafficking in the region, strengthening police professionalization in Kenya, and advancing the U.S.-Kenya Strategic Framework.
 
BACKGROUND:
For over three decades the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) has responded boldly to the global drug abuse challenge with innovative, evidence based drug demand reduction programs. These include substance use prevention and drug treatment services that have had a tremendous impact and save countless lives.
 
December 10-14, the leader of INL, Assistant Secretary Kirsten Madison, will join leading international organizations and a host of other nations at the annual ISSUP Workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, where participants will have the opportunity to share best practices and build cross-border collaboration in the fight against addiction. ISSUP attendees have the opportunity to attend trainings, learn from presentations, and network.

In addition to attending ISSUP, Assistant Secretary Madison will engage with local partners in Kenya who, with support from INL, are working to fight the scourge of wildlife trafficking and counter its devastating impacts on animal populations and on the environment.  She will also meet with leadership of Kenya’s Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA), to build on INL’s partnership with this crucial institution.
 
DETAILS:
Speaker:                              Kirsten D. Madison, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. Department of State  
Date:                                    December 4, 2018
Time:                                    07:30 EST |12:30 GMT
* Please use Time Zone Converter to determine the start time of the event in your time zone.
Language:                           English.  French and Portuguese interpretation will be offered.
Ground rules:                   On the record
Dial-in Info:                       To be provided once you RSVP
RSVP:                                    RSVP via Eventbrite.  Please indicate if you will dial in (specify English/French/Portuguese line), or request that we dial out to you (provide the phone number and language to be used).
Twitter:                                Follow the conversation at #AFHubPress for the call. Follow us on @StateINL and @AfricaMediaHub.
 
LOGISTICS:
Callers should dial-in to the conference call 10-15 minutes early.
When an individual journalist dials-in, the operator will collect the caller’s name, press affiliation, and location.  When an embassy dials in, the operator will ask the embassy’s name and location.
The moderator will facilitate the Q and A among the connected callers.  Journalists on the conference call will be instructed to press the “*” and “1” buttons on their phones in order to enter the question queue.  NOTE:  You can press “*1” at any time during the call to join the question queue, even before the moderator begins the Q and A portion.  We ask that journalists limit themselves to one question and indicate to which speaker the question is directed.  Journalists can also submit questions in English to afmediahub@state.gov  prior to or during the call.
Bio:  

Photo of Kirsten D. MadisonKirsten D. Madison was sworn in as Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) on May 11, 2018. As Assistant Secretary, she is responsible for State Department programs combating illicit drugs and organized crime, as well as support for law enforcement and rule of law.
 
Prior to her appointment, Ms. Madison served in senior leadership positions at the White House, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
 
Ms. Madison’s prior executive branch service includes serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs on the National Security Council, and Director of International Affairs and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commandant of Coast Guard.
 
She also served in the legislative branch, including having served as a Senior Professional Staff Member and Deputy Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, as well as Legislative Director and international affairs advisor for Representative Porter Goss.
 
Outside of her time in government, Ms. Madison served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary General of the Organization of American States. She most recently worked at the American Enterprise Institute as Deputy Director for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies.
 
Ms. Madison holds an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics and a B.A. from Goucher College.