Special Representative of the President and Secretary of State for Global
Humanitarian Demining
On December 18, 1998, Donald K. Steinberg was appointed to the position of
Special Representative of the President and Secretary of State for Global
Humanitarian Demining. In this role, Ambassador Steinberg will advance
President Clinton's "Demining 2010 Initiative," designed to eliminate the threat
of landmines to civilians around the world by the end of the next decade.
He will encourage international efforts to accelerate mines action programs,
promote mine awareness in affected nations, develop new projects to assist
survivors of landmine accidents, deepen the outstanding public-private
partnerships now emerging, and work with the United Nations, non-governmental
organizations, and foreign governments in the fight against these hidden
killers.
Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Steinberg served as U.S. Ambassador
to the Republic of Angola from 1995 to 1998. Before that, he served as Special
Assistant to President Clinton for African Affairs and Senior Director for
African Affairs at the National Security Council. Mr. Steinberg began his
service at the White House in May 1993, when he was named Deputy White House
Press Secretary for National Security Affairs, Special Assistant to the
President, and NSC Senior Director for Public Affairs.
Ambassador Steinberg is a career Senior Foreign Service officer with the
personal rank of Minister-Counselor. From 1990-93, he served as Counselor for
Economic and Commercial Affairs and Officer-in-Charge at the U.S. Embassy in
Pretoria, South Africa. In 1989-90, Mr. Steinberg served as Senior Policy
Advisor for Foreign Affairs and Defense to House of Representatives Majority
Leader Richard A. Gephardt. Prior to this, he served as the first Director
of the House Task Force on Trade and Competitiveness. He also acted as Chief
Textile Negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative from 1988-89.
Mr. Steinberg, 45, has wide-ranging international experience, with Foreign
Service postings in Angola, South Africa, Brazil, Malaysia, Mauritius and the
Central African Republic. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, he
received his Bachelor's degree in economics for Reed College in Portland,
Oregon, and Master's degrees in political economy from the University of
Toronto and journalism from Columbia University in New York City. He is
fluent in Portuguese, French and Malay.
He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Robert C. Frasure
Award for International Peace in 1996, the Presidential Meritorious Honor
Award in 1994, Columbia University's Pulitzer Fellowship and Hough Award for
Excellence in Print in 1984, and three Superior Honor Awards from the U.S.
State Department. He was also recognized by the State Department's Office of
Equal Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights in 1993 for his commitment to
equal opportunity and advancement.
Ambassador Steinberg was also the recipient of fellowships from the
American Political Science Association, the University of Toronto and the State
Department. He has lectured extensively in the United States and abroad on U.S.
trade policy, Africa, and the role of Congress in foreign affairs.
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