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In Key Reports, we have gathered a selection
of the main
reports released by the U.S. Government
Administration. These reports cover issues of global importance
to U.S. and international audiences.
The featured reports are the latest versions
available with hyperlinks to the full text. Whenever a specific
chapter for Belgium exists, the link to its contents is
provided, with translations into Dutch and French when
available.
Should you encounter problems when trying to access one of the
items selected, please contact us via
email.
The 2007 International Religious Freedom
Report |
Introduction
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Executive Summary | Chapter on
Belgium.
Source: U.S. Department
of State, Sep. 14, 2007.
The International Religious Freedom report is submitted
to Congress annually by the Department of State in compliance
with Section 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA)
of 1998. This report supplements the most recent Human Rights
Reports by providing additional detailed information with
respect to matters involving international religious freedom. It
includes individual country chapters on the status of religious
freedom worldwide.
Trafficking in Persons Report
Source: The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in
Persons, U.S. Department of State. June 12, 2007 Introduction
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Country Narrative: Belgium.
"U.S. efforts to raise awareness of trafficking in
persons are paying off, and now millions more people know about
the global problem, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In
introducing the State Department’s seventh annual Trafficking in
Persons Report, Rice says the United States is helping to lead a
global movement “not just to confront this crime, but to abolish
it. More and more countries are coming to see human trafficking
for what it is -- a modern-day form of slavery that devastates
families and communities around the world.” --
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
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Attorney General's Annual Report to Congress on US Gov't
Activities to Combat Trafficking..FY2006
2007 Military Power of the
People's Republic of China - DoD Annual Report to Congress
Source: U.S. Department of Defense, May 23, 2007
China’s rapid rise as a regional political and economic power
with global aspirations is an important element
of today’s strategic environment – one that has signifi cant
implications for the region and the world. The
United States welcomes the rise of a peaceful and prosperous
China, and it encourages China to participate as a responsible
international stakeholder by taking on a greater share of
responsibility for the health and success of the global system.
However, much uncertainty surrounds the future course China’s
leaders will set for their country, including in the area of
China’s expanding military power and how that power might be
used.
Country
Background Notes on Belgium. U.S. Department
of State, April 2007.
Background Notes are factual publications that include facts
about the land, people, history, government, political
conditions, economy, and foreign relations of
independent states, some dependencies, and areas of special
sovereignty. The Notes are updated/revised by the Office of
Electronic Information and Publications of the Bureau of Public
Affairs as they are received from the Department's regional
bureaus and are added to the database of the Department of State
website you are now using.
Country Reports on Terrorism 2006
Source: The Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism,
U.S. Department of State, April 30, 2007. |
Chapter 2. Country Reports: Europe and Eurasia Overview (Belgium
included)
U.S. law requires the Secretary of State to provide Congress, by
April 30 of each year, a full and complete report on terrorism
with regard to those countries and groups meeting criteria set
forth in the legislation. This annual report is entitled Country
Reports on Terrorism. Beginning with the report for 2004, it
replaced the previously published Patterns of Global Terrorism.
 Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2006.
Source: Department of State, April 5, 2007.
The "Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2005 -
2006" report is submitted to the Congress by the Department of
State in compliance with Section 665 of P.L. 107-228, the FY 03
Foreign Relations Authorization Act, which requires the
Department to report on actions taken by the U.S. Government to
encourage respect for human rights. This fourth annual
submission complements the longstanding Country Reports on Human
Rights Practices for 2005, and takes the next step, moving from
highlighting abuses to publicizing the actions and programs the
United States has employed to end those abuses.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
2007 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign
Trade Barriers
Source: USTR, April 2, 2007
The 2007 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade
Barriers (NTE) is the twenty-first in an annual series that
surveys significant foreign barriers to U.S. exports. The report
provides, where feasible, quantitative estimates of the impact
of these foreign practices on the value of U.S. exports.
Information is also included on actions taken to eliminate
barriers.
2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.
Introduction
| Chapter on
Belgium, US Department of State, March
6, 2007.
These reports describe the performance of governments in
putting into practice their international commitments on human
rights. These fundamental rights, reflected in the United
Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, constitute what
President Bush calls the "non-negotiable demands of human
dignity." As Secretary Rice has said, the full promise of the UN
Universal Declaration cannot be realized overnight, but it is
urgent work that cannot be delayed.
The United States takes its human rights commitments seriously.
We recognize that we are writing this report at a time when our
own record, and actions we have taken to respond to the
terrorist attacks against us, have been questioned. The United
States will continue to respond forthrightly to the good faith
concerns of others, including by means of the reports we submit
periodically in accordance with our obligations under various
human rights treaties to which we are a party. We are also
committed to continual improvement. US laws, policies, and
practices governing the detention, treatment, and trial of
terrorist suspects have evolved considerably over the last five
years. Our democratic system of government is not infallible,
but it is accountable--our robust civil society, our vibrant
free media, our independent branches of government, and a well
established rule of law work as correctives.
 Why
Population Aging Matters: A Global Perspective - National
Institute on Aging
Source: National Institute on Aging, March 2007
While global aging represents a triumph of medical, social,
and economic advances over disease, it also presents tremendous
challenges. Population aging strains social insurance and
pension systems and challenges existing models of social
support. It affects economic growth, trade, migration, disease
patterns and prevalence, and fundamental assumptions about
growing older. Using data from the United Nations, U.S. Census
Bureau, and Statistical Office of the European Communities as
well as regional surveys and scientific journals, the U.S.
National Institute on Aging (NIA), with input from demographers,
economists, and experts on aging, identified nine emerging
trends in global aging. Together, these trends present a
snapshot of challenges and opportunities that clearly show why
population aging matters. |
Growing Older in America: The Health & Retirement Study
 The
National Counterintelligence Strategy of the USA
Source: National Counterintelligence Executive, March 2007.
This National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United
States of America elaborates the fundamental responsibility for
US intelligence to warn of and help prevent terrorist attacks
against the homeland, engage other asymmetric threats, and
provide reliable intelligence on traditional and enduring
strategic issues. It also describes a way forward by which the
counterintelligence organizations of the US government will
engage elements in the public and private sectors to address the
threat posed by the intelligence activities of foreign powers
and groups and protect our nation’s secrets and the means by
which we obtain those secrets. The Strategy has been produced by
the National Counterintelligence Executive, coordinated across
the counterintelligence elements of the US government, and
endorsed by the National Counterintelligence Policy Board.
Approved by the President as required by Section 402a of Title
50 of the United States Code, the Strategy provides guidance for
the conduct of the counterintelligence programs and activities
of the US government.
 2007
International Narcotics Control Strategy Report
Source: U.S. Department of State, March 1, 2007.
Europe and Central Asia (Belgium included)
The 2007 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR)
is an annual report by the Department of State to Congress
prepared in accordance with the Foreign Assistance Act. It
describes the efforts of key countries to attack all aspects of
the international drug trade in Calendar Year 2006.
Volume I
covers drug and chemical control activities.
Volume II covers
money laundering and financial crimes.
 Annual Energy Outlook 2007 with Projections to 2030
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, February 2007.
The Annual Energy Outlook 2007 presents a projection and analysis
of US energy supply, demand, and prices through 2030. The
projections are based on results from the Energy Information
Administration's National Energy Modeling System. The AEO2007
includes the reference case, additional cases examining energy
markets, and complete documentation.
 2007 Economic Report of the President
Source: White
House, Feb, 12, 2007.
The U.S. economy continues to exhibit robust growth, with a strong
labor market and moderate inflation (see Chapter 1). These
accomplishments are supported by rapid productivity growth that
makes our economy one of the most dynamic and resilient in the
world. Productivity growth is a common thread that ties nearly
all positive economic news together and plays a central role in
our international competitiveness. Much of this Report explores
the role of productivity and productivity related issues in the
continuing expansion of the U.S. economy. Policymakers face a
challenge: productivity growth is important for economic growth
and many of the underlying issues that they are trying to solve,
but there is no single cause of productivity and no single
policy to spur its growth (see Chapter 2). Tax policy can be
structured to encourage productivity growth (see Chapter 3).
Entitlement programs, on the other hand, may indirectly weigh on
productivity growth if not reformed (see Chapter 4). Open
commerce and financial markets allow productivity to flourish
(see Chapters 7-9). Economists discuss productivity growth using
macroeconomic data, but its result is most importantly seen in
increases in individual Americans’ standards of living.
 Prospects for Iraq's Stability: A Challenging Road Ahead -
National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Office of the Director of National Intelligence, January
2007.
National Intelligence Estimates (NIEs) are the Intelligence
Community’s (IC) most authoritative written judgments on
national security issues and designed to help US civilian and
military leaders develop policies to protect US national
security interests. NIEs usually provide information on the
current state of play but are primarily “estimative”—that is,
they make judgments about the likely course of future events and
identify the implications for US policy.|
Highlights of the Iraq Strategy Review - National Security
Council, January 2007
2007
Statistical Abstract of the United States
Source: U.S.
Census Bureau, 2007
The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published since
1878, is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of
statistics on the social, political, and economic organization
of the United States.
The 2006 International Religious Freedom
Report |
Chapter on
Belgium.
Source: U.S. Department of State, Sep. 15, 2006.
The International Religious Freedom report is submitted
to Congress annually by the Department of State in compliance
with Section 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA)
of 1998. This report supplements the most recent Human Rights
Reports by providing additional detailed information with
respect to matters involving international religious freedom. It
includes individual country chapters on the status of religious
freedom worldwide.
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