Jordan's Request for Science Fellows

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005907 SIPDIS STATE FOR OES/STC, OES/ENV, AND OES/PCI STATE ALSO FOR OES - PDAS ROCK, DAS MCMURRAY EPA FOR ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR AYRES E.O. 12658: N.A. TAGS: SENV EAID TSPL TPHY TBIO KSCA JO SUBJECT: Jordan's Request for Science Fellows REFS: (A) State 123789 (B) Amman 3794 (C) Amman 3358 ¶1. Summary: Post requests four Embassy Science Fellows (Ref A). One Science Fellow would fill a longstanding commitment to the Government of Jordan under the Joint Environmental Forum (JEF) of the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement to provide an environmental economist. The second fellow would conduct a comprehensive review of science and technology capabilities in Jordan. We expect the first Fellow to come from EPA, the second from the National Science Foundation. Two more fellows from the EPA would be welcome to conduct a landfill site remediation assessment, and to assess an industrial liquid waste facility. Although timing is somewhat flexible, post would best be able to accommodate Science Fellows from September through December, 2005. End summary. EPA Environmental Economist -------------- ¶2. The first U.S.-Jordan Joint Environmental Forum was convened under the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement. The Plan of Action from the JEF signed on September 14, 2004 by OES PDAS Rock and then-Minister of Environment Alia Bouran called for an environmental economist from the United States to visit Jordan and advise the Ministry of Environment (MOE) on establishing economically sustainable ways to support environmental protection in Jordan. Our request is for a Science Fellow (Ref A) from EPA to come to Jordan to meet this longstanding USG obligation. ¶3. Three consecutive Ministers have expressed their interest in this project, and Embassy Amman fully supports it as well (RefS B, C). The Ministry of Environment is very interested in having the environmental economist come to Amman as soon as possible, and it has provided a work strategy paper to the Embassy and to EPA that lays out MOE's plan for employing the economist. ¶4. We expect that the environmental economist would be in Amman for 2-3 months, and that most of that person's time would be spent at the Ministry of Environment itself, interacting with top-level officials there, including the Minister, to design national programs and present options for decisions. ¶5. The current Minister of Environment Khaled Irani is personally interested in hosting an environmental economist at the ministry. The minister also represents a resource for the USG in implementing economically friendly environmental planning and projects. He previously headed the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature that manages eco-tourism facilities in Jordan, linked ecotourism and local development, and uses free-market mechanisms widely to support its work. We need to move quickly to take advantage of Irani's presence in the Minister's suite at MOE. NSF Fellow for Evaluation of S&T in Jordan -------------- ¶6. Our second request for a 2005-2006 Science Fellow (ref A) is for a person from the National Science Foundation to visit Jordan for 2-3 months to make a comprehensive overview of Jordan's S&T capability. This would include on-the- ground assessments of science and technology at Jordan's major universities, governmental institutions and quasi- governmental organizations such as the Higher Council for Science and Technology and the Royal Scientific Society. The President of the 17,000-student Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) and the President of Al-Balqa Applied University have both made personal appeals directly to Embassy officers to expand S&T cooperation between their universities and American institutions. ¶7. An NSF overview of the current strengths and weaknesses in Jordan's S&T sector would be extremely helpful in allowing the USG to target specific areas of S&T that would be most useful to both Jordan and the United States. In addition, Jordan is in a position to be a regional center for S&T. Jordan is home to a large population of foreign students from around the Arab world, and it has taken several concrete steps to assist Iraqi reconstruction specifically in S&T. It is strongly in our own interest to evaluate Jordan's S&T sector, as it will play an important role in regional development. EPA Fellow for Landfill Site Remediation Assessment -------------- -------------- ¶8. Post requests a third, one-month Fellow, most likely from EPA, to visit Jordan to assess the Russeifah municipal solid waste facility and mine tailings which create large amounts of dust. The site is now closed but contaminants may pose a health risk. USAID and other donors are working with Jordanian government agencies to address the problems at this but urgently need an overall assessment from an experienced professional to set the course for action. Experience in analyzing, prioritizing solid waste issues and charting a course of action including possible budget estimates are the skills that this person would need to bring to the table. EPA Fellow to Assess Industrial Liquid Waste Site -------------- -------------- ¶9. Finally, Post and the Government of Jordan are both keenly interested in having an EPA Science Fellow for one month to assess an industrial liquid waste facility that is near the Syrian border. A variety of industrial wastes have been dumped into holding ponds with little or no planning for their remediation. Ideally, the Fellow would assess the situation, outline a plan for remediating the site, and train Ministry of Environment officials on how the assessment and remediation plans are developed. Amman Has Hosted Previous Science Fellows -------------- ¶10. Embassy Amman has previously hosted Embassy Science Fellows from both EPA and from USDA. The work of EPA Science Fellow Rick Baird in April 2004 was a cornerstone in cementing the strategy of the Ministry of Environment, and led directly to the current request for an environmental economist. The Embassy is familiar with the program and its obligations. Arrangements will be made in conjunction with the sending agency for specifics on timing and length of stay, office space, residential space and local travel. General Requirements -------------- ¶11. Although Arabic language skills would of course be welcome, they are not required. Jordan's educational and governmental officials are virtually universally fluent in English. Furthermore, there is strong respect for the United States' S&T institutions, and Fellows would receive top-level support from their Jordanian counterparts. ¶12. Fellows will have a chance to influence policies and programs at the top level in a country critical to U.S. foreign policy interests. The Fellows will also have a great degree of personal autonomy to make recommendations and design their own in-country work plans. These are not cookie-cutter jobs. The Embassy will support Fellows with resources, introductions and ideas but the ultimate work product will be heavily influenced by the Fellow's own ideas and contributions, not by a plan laid out in advance by others. Background on Jordan -------------- ¶13. As of July 24, hardship differential at Embassy Amman was 5% and administrative danger pay was 15%. Many Embassy employees have their families, including schoolchildren, in Amman. Jordan is also the home of several globally recognized cultural and recreational sites such as Petra, Jerash and the Gulf of Aqaba. Jordan's climate is pleasant, sunny and dry, not unlike parts of Arizona and New Mexico. HALE