While there is no clear consensus of who won the War of 1812, one thing is certain: the war was a defining event that helped to create two independent countries who have made extraordinary progress as partners and allies – in war and peace – ever since. [Chicago, May 2012]

Smoked salmon pizzas; maple syrup glazed BBQ short ribs; chocolate and maple macaroons – sounds delicious! South African markets were given a fresh taste of Canadian cuisine thanks to the Canadian High Commission Trade Office in Johannesburg. [South Africa, April 2012]

As part of the recent observation of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, DFAIT employees submitted photographs chronicling the beauty of cultural diversity that enriches the work they do every day.

According to the United Nations, food production will need to increase by 70% to feed the world in 2050. Brazil and Canada are natural partners to help lead and shape the global conversations that will seek to address those challenges. [Brazil, March 2012]

Pakistan is one of the biggest education reform challenges on the planet. Canadian High Commissioned to Pakistan, Mr. Ross Hynes, recently inaugurated one of six newly constructed Government Girls’ Primary Schools in DegerMera village of District Battagram (in KPK province) of Pakistan. [Pakistan, March 2012]

Following their return to Canada after a six-month deployment in Afghanistan, members of the Royal Canadian Air Force were invited to the American Airlines Center arena in Dallas, Texas, for a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Dallas Stars. [Dallas, March 2012]

The “A Child, A Tree” program aims to end negative ethnic attitudes in Kenya as well as create a strong foundation on environmental awareness among school children. [Kenya, March 2012]

The U-15 meetings were the final act in the 40th Anniversary celebrations of the 1971 signing of the bilateral Science and Technology cooperation agreement between Canada and Germany, and were held at the Canadian Embassy in Berlin. [Germany, March 2012]

The Embassy of Canada in the Philippines recently led a successful campaign to promote Canadian agri-food products directly to consumers through a food promotion event at a leading five-star hotel, and a televised cooking show. [Philippines, March 2012]

Mr. Obhrai visited a neighbourhood in Quezon City which had been totally transformed by the work of Telus and Gawad Kalinga, a Philippine-based not-for-profit organization focused on building self-sufficient sustainable community. [Philippines, March 2012]

Modelled on the CTAs in Silicon Valley, our goal is to provide Canadian digital media entrepreneurs with access to unique resources and contacts to accelerate the growth of their start-up on a global scale. [New York, March 2012]

Canadian Ambassador in Algiers, Mrs Geneviève des Rivières, attended the inauguration of the computer center. [Algeria, March 2012]

The Silver Bear was the crowning glory of an exciting year for Canada at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), which saw a Canadian film in the Official Competition for the first time in 13 years. [Germany, February 2012]

Guests invited to a jazz gala in the gardens of the residence of Canada’s Ambassador to Chile, Ms. Sarah Fountain Smith, enjoyed the music of internationally renowned Canadian artists from the Dave Young Quartet, during their recent tour to Chile. [Chile, February 2012]

Maria Aparecida Batista Marinho is the first in her family to overcome illiteracy, as one of one thousand Brazilian women who participated in Mulheres Mil ("Thousand Women"), a program funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. [Brazil, February 2011]

Gilda Zepata lives in the Eastern part of Guatemala, in the “dry corridor”. Canada is cooperating with the World Food Program to provide training to Gilda and many others in this region to help them boost their yields and get a good price for their crops. [Guatemala, February 2012]

In Brazil, mothers are still overwhelmingly responsible for childcare, particularly in the disadvantaged populations. With the Embassy’s investment, a community centre is able to provide childcare for women who need to work to sustain their families. [Brazil, January 2012]

With Chinese students eager to learn about Canadian education and culture, the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai organized a successful “Canada Day” at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou. [China, January 2012]

Canada is helping indigenous Bajaus settle in a new community by providing food and school supplies for children and livelihood skills for women. [Philippines, December 2011]

Comic book artists and cartoonists flocked to Algiers from thirty-seven different countries around the world – including Canada. With a program of exhibitions, panel discussions, workshops, and film screenings, it was a very busy four days. [Algiers, December 2011]

In 1917, when the city of Halifax was devastated by the tragic explosion of a cargo ship loaded with wartime ammunition, the Boston community rallied to aid the Canadian survivors. Each year, the City of Halifax donates a Christmas tree to Boston as a gesture of gratitude. [United States, December 2011]

Standing side-by-side and shoulder-to-shoulder, a group of two hundred soldiers undertook special training known as the Maple Arch exercises, so they can learn to cooperate effectively in the field. [Poland, December 2011]

At a recent symposium, Minnesotans and Canadians engaged in thought-provoking discussion about how the Arctic is of increasing importance to our countries and to the Upper Midwest in particular. [United States, December 2011]

In preparation for the upcoming 2012 elections in Ghana, the High Commission of Canada, in partnership with the Institute of Professional Studies-Students’ Representative Council, organized a forum on the role of youth in elections at the Institute of Professional Studies in East Legon. [Ghana, December 2011]

Corrupt procurement practices have contributed to bringing down two Trinbagonian governments in recent years, so Canadian experts have been eager to assist by sharing best practices and discussing the diverse global views of Anti-Corruption Commissions. [Trinidad and Tobago, December 2011]

In the wake of the catastrophic earthquakes in Japan and Haiti, Canada and the United States are planning against the possibility of a massive disaster hitting the San Francisco Bay area. [United States, November 2011]

The Bangkok International Festival of Music and Dance is Thailand’s largest annual performing arts celebration, and a worldwide attraction for dance and music lovers of all stripes. This year, the festival featured the dancers of MOVE, a Vancouver-based contemporary dance company. [Thailand, November 2011]

The arctic lands of Canada’s North may seem to be a long way from Port of Spain, but art can connect cultures and communities all over the world. Culture on Cloth is a travelling exhibition of tapestry art produced by Inuit women from Nunavut that concluded its Latin American tour with a visit to Port of Spain, in Trinidad and Tobago.

The completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway stands among the greatest engineering feats in history. Rocky Mountain Express retraces the original route aboard the majestic steam engine 2816, transporting the audience back to the age of steam to re-live the nation-building journey.

In 1927, human remains were removed from an abandoned Moravian church mission as part of the Rawson-MacMillan Sub-Arctic Expedition. At the behest of the Labrador Inuit community, the Field Museum of Natural History that had since housed the remains undertook to return them to their native soil.

In an effort to broaden and internationalize their research environments, Canadian universities are stepping-up their efforts to establish new partnerships across the globe – and Taiwan is no exception.

In 1990, the year before the break-up of the Soviet Union, Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to declare independence. More than two decades later, we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the re-establishment of Canada-Lithuania diplomatic relations.

Through the establishment of a computer club in the low income community called La Granja, this project helps vulnerable children to become functional digital citizens, improving their ability to access employment and academic opportunities.

The MIFF is the most important film festival in Northern Mexico and one of the country’s most important cultural events. Each year the festival invites a guest country with an important cinematographic tradition – and this year, that country was Canada.

Three high profile Canadians, including Man in Motion Rick Hansen, visited Australia to participate in continuing dialogue on the challenges, achievements and research into disability and accessibility – and to connect with communities in the arts and sciences.

Four years ago, Irene Nyambura’s husband contracted Tuberculosis. Today, Irene is a community health worker in the low income settlement area of Kawangware who works tirelessly to break down the stigma and teach the community about how to prevent and treat TB.

Putting a creative spin on the classic German story of the Pied Piper, The Magic Recorder is the product of a successful partnership between Canada and Greece, during which children’s choirs came together to perform in an innovative cross-cultural project.

To commemorate the attacks of September 11, the Consulate General of Canada in New York held a week’s worth of events – featuring visits by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence – that reaffirmed Canada as a staunch American ally and underscored the close friendship between the two countries’ citizens. [USA, September 2011]

Starting from humble roots in Montreal, Just for Laughs at the Sydney Opera House attracted 16,000 comedy fans. [Australia, September 2011]

It was a great delight when the red maple leaf popped up all over campus for the celebration of All Canada Day, in which the university highlighted Canadian film, literature, and seminars on exchange to Canada and Canadian research funding.

An innovation that has grown popular in residential and business buildings alike, green roofs are a creative approach to reducing heating and cooling costs, in addition to increasing the amount of growing space available for vegetation. [India, September 2011]

To commemorate the long-standing relationship between Canada and the United States, retired U.S. Army Major Richard Keogh presented the Canadian Consulate General with a panoramic photograph entitled “Vimy Camp No. 1, Canadian Veterans of the Great War”.

The translation of works of literature into different languages is one of many ways we can share knowledge and creativity across borders and promote cross-cultural understanding. The Canadian Embassy in Stockholm recently had the pleasure of hosting two different Canadian authors on their visits to Sweden.

To show their appreciation for the extraordinary and spontaneous hospitality provided by their new friends on 9/11, the Delta Flight 15 passengers and crew members established an endowed college scholarship fund for graduating high school students in Lewisporte, Newfoundland.

The “Living with Giants” conference brought together students, academics, and foreign correspondents in Taipei to talk with foreign scholars about the emerging regional and global issues we all face.

After fifty years of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Canada, the two countries continue to work together to enact positive social change; this time around, Thailand and Canada banded together again in the fight against cancer.

When it comes to ties between Canada and Trinidad and Tobago, there is certainly a lot to celebrate. The High Commission of Canada in Port-of-Spain hosted a celebration in which they tapped into the Trinbagonian diaspora – and brought world-class entertainment home to Trinidad and Tobago.

It’s been more than five years since 16 year old Deka fled Mogadishu. The Galkayo Education Center for Peace and Development started a vocational skills training project to directly benefit displaced girls and equip them with skills that would enable them generate income and sustain their needs.

Large groups of students travelled to Bangkok for La Journée internationale de la francophonie, and were eager to take part in the various activities offered, as well as a petanque tournament and a karaoke contest.

When it comes to making music, Canada and Australia sing in perfect harmony. Tasmania’s celebrated festival, Ten Days on the Island, once again highlighted island life with a lively menu of Canadian artists and performers mainly from Canada’s east coast.

Hoisting the Canadian flag for the first time in front of the new chancery was a proud event for Canadians and Tunisians alike, as the ceremony highlighted the significance of the new chancery’s opening recently following the Jasmine Revolution of January 2011.

To mark the arrival of Canadian beef to Costa Rican markets, Canadian Ambassador Cameron MacKay hosted a culinary celebration at the official residence in San José, featuring the renowned Chef Edgar Alvarez.

Grandmother, baba, nona, yiayia, babcia: how would you describe your grandmother to the world? The Canadian Embassy in Stockholm hosted a photo exhibition entitled Legacies, highlighting Canadian women and diversity.

Canada continues to support the development and preservation of natural and cultural assets in Batanes, a unique province in the Philippines.

The Ambassador and staff of the Canadian Embassy in Budapest spent a day volunteering in the community park of Margit Island.

It is not easy to be outdoors in Manila as this is the peak of the Philippines’ dry summer season. But the searing heat did not deter more than sixty Canadian and local staff of the Embassy in Manila, led by Ambassador Christopher Thornley, when they recently volunteered their time to paint houses at a social housing project

In response to the earthquake that devastated Haiti, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade has implemented a Scholarship Initiative to help address the educational needs of the country’s workforce.

World renowned primatologist and conservationist, Canada's own Dr. Biruté Galdikas, visited Lithuania in early May, where she received a State Honour at the Presidential Palace and spearheaded an initiative to rejuvenate Lithuania's oak forests.

In the space of just over a year, five states in the United States Upper Midwest passed resolutions designating day-long celebrations of their special ties – as friends, partners and allies – with their neighbour to the north.

Ambassador Lambert and his wife highlighted the accomplishments of the hundreds of Canadians working in the International courts and tribunals as well as the OPCW, NATO’s NC3A and other organisations present in The Hague, International City of Peace and Justice.

The Canadian Ambassador to Israel co-hosted a reception to recognize Israeli recipients of this year’s prestigious Canada Gairdner International Awards, which support the world’s leading biomedical scientists.

The Foundation for Human Rights hosted a screening of Consitute!, a documentary celebrating the diverse history of women’s activism in constitution-making.

After a November exploratory visit facilitated by the Embassy of Canada in Kinshasa, the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre returned to give a training session on sexual violence to UN police officers.

Sharing knowledge with management in the public and private sectors of Trinidad and Tobago, Canada co-hosted a successful procurement practices learning event.

Chile-Canada Chamber of Commerce launched its second glowing report on the Corporate Social Responsibility practices of Canadian companies operating in Chile.

Courageous runners participated in Egypt’s second annual Terry Fox Run for cancer research. [Egypt, February 2011]

Kathy Knowles has been recognized for her work building libraries and promoting literacy in Ghana and around Africa. [Ghana, February 2011]

Grammy award winning band Arcade Fire debuts short film in Berlin [Germany, February 2011]

The Consulate General of Canada in Sydney has initiated a program focused on introducing emerging Canadian talent to the vibrant Australian music festival market, and to the opportunities for touring “down under”. [Australia, February 2011]

The Embassy of Canada in Tokyo held an opening ceremony of the exhibition “Inuit Prints: Japanese Inspiration” highlighting the little-known connection between Inuit and Japanese printmaking [Japan, February 2011]

The Embassy of Canada in the Philippines and the University of Manitoba-Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship teamed up to launch Philippine BizCamp to help Philippine Indigenous Peoples build on their business interests and create sustainable economic plans. [Philippines , February 2011]

This year, over 100 Chileans received grants and scholarships to study or conduct research in Canada. The Embassy of Canada in Chile organized a ceremony to celebrate these bilateral education links. [Chile, December 2010]