SEPTEMBER 2006: EUR ENTRY LEVEL CONFERENCE IN

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000667 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR DCMS AND ENTRY LEVEL EMPLOYEES E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AMGT APER OTRA AFSI EZ SUBJECT: SEPTEMBER 2006: EUR ENTRY LEVEL CONFERENCE IN PRAGUE ¶1. (U) Embassy Prague is pleased to announce it will host an Entry Level (EL) Conference September 6-8, 2006. The Conference will focus on transformational diplomacy tradecraft and career development. All EL generalists and specialists from EUR are welcome and encouraged to attend, especially ELs from posts in new EU member states, Eastern Europe, EU accession candidate countries, and the Balkans. Although the focus will be on democracy promotion in the European region, ELs from other bureaus interested in the subject of democracy promotion are invited to attend (subject to availability of spaces). ¶2. (U) The Conference will begin officially the evening of Wednesday, September 6. Ambassador William Cabaniss will host a dinner at his residence to welcome Conference attendees and speakers. The Conference will conclude at 1600 on Friday, September 8 (there will be optional events for those who stay over the weekend). For registration information, please see paragraph 8. ¶3. (U) The Conference will feature speakers on the following substantive topics: best practices in promoting democracy, multilateral diplomacy and NATO, and lessons-learned during the Czech Republic's peaceful transition to democracy. Of particular interest, a panel of experts will focus on democracy promotion using Belarus as a case study. Panelists will include U.S. officials, Czech foreign ministry officials, NGO representatives, and hopefully a Belarusian democratic opposition representative. ¶4. (U) The Conference will also include workshops to help ELs incorporate the concept of transformational diplomacy into their careers. Topics will include: developing leadership skills, the power of public diplomacy, working in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other hardship posts; best practices in consular affairs, and mid-level bidding strategies. ¶5. (U) Confirmed speakers to date include: -- Ambassador Victoria Nuland (NATO) (via DVC) -- Ambassador Maura Harty (CA) (via DVC) -- DAS Mark Pekala (EUR) -- Ambassador Michael Guest (FSI) -- DCM Cameron Munter (Embassy Prague) -- Dean Haas (HR/CDA/EL) ¶6. (U) Cost: Posts will be responsible for the cost of sending their designated attendees to the Conference. In addition to travel and accommodation expenses, posts will be asked to pay a conference fee to cover the cost of conference meals, including the Welcome Dinner, and other conference-related expenses. The Embassy will provide a detailed schedule, the conference fee amount, and other administrative details septel. ¶7. (U) Accommodations: Embassy Prague has reserved a block of rooms within per diem ($217) at an attractive hotel within blocks of the Embassy. The Embassy will reserve rooms in the names of attendees upon their formal registration (see below). ¶8. (U) Pre-registration and Registration: The Embassy requests posts to designate their attendees no later than Monday, July 10. Due to space limitations, the number of attendees is limited to 30. Therefore, to ensure a spot for interested attendees and to facilitate conference planning, posts are urged to pre-register (without obligation) on or before Wednesday, June 21. To pre-register, please email the following information for each potential attendee to Sarah Peck (see contact details below): -- Name -- Title -- Date of Birth -- Security Clearance Level -- Arrival and departure dates -- Telephone, fax, and unclassified email address -- Whether the person will be accompanied by anyone -- Any special needs or requests ¶9. (U) Point of contact is Political Officer Sarah Peck. Her direct telephone number is: 420-257-022-312. Her email is pecksc@state.gov. ¶10. (U) We hope to see you in Prague in September. DODMAN