We all share a deep belief in the ability of people from different backgrounds and experiences to find common ground if they just have the opportunity to sit together and talk. Simple interactions can have enormous power.

U.S. Under Secretary of State Judith McHale has traveled to Tunisia in a bid to expand America's public diplomacy effort in the North African country, the State Department said in a statement on Friday.

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith A. McHale will travel to Tunis and Sfax, Tunisia through April 17th, 2011. The Under Secretary arrived in Tunis on April 14th.

We couldn’t have picked a more salient topic or a more critical time to talk about new media and their impact on our relationships around the world. Throughout the Middle East, people are shaking off decades of restrictive government controls.

Thank you, Aaron. And thanks to all of the volunteers past and present for answering the call to service. I’m honored to be part of the Peace Corps’s golden anniversary and to celebrate all its contributions to the world.

Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams and Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale will host a reception in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps on Tuesday, March 15 at 4:30 p.m., in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the Department of State.

I am delighted to be here with such a distinguished group of citizen diplomats from communities across the United States to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Council for International Visitors. You are important partners of the Department of State, and the work you do is critical to supporting U.S. public diplomacy and foreign policy.

We believe that, at a time where citizens everywhere are more connected and more informed, governments acting alone cannot solve the problems which confront us or seize the opportunities which surround us. We are working hard to find new and innovative ways to expand and strengthen the relations between the people of the United States and people all over the world.