Proposal for US Speaker John F. "Jack" McGuire, Interim

UNCLAS WELLINGTON 000741 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR IIP/G/EA - TVOSE; RFHOLDEN; EAP/PD - AEGRIMES, JBOOKBINDER, RHOLDEN, TSKIPPER; EAP/ANP E.O. 12958:N/A TAGS: OIIP NZ SUBJECT: Proposal for US Speaker John F. "Jack" McGuire, Interim President and CEO of the American Red Cross ¶1. Post requests John F. "Jack" McGuire, interim President and CEO of the American Red Cross, to come to New Zealand to be the keynote speaker at the 75th anniversary conference of the New Zealand Red Cross in Christchurch, November 18-19, 2006. ¶2. Post requests Mr. McGuire in support of MPP Goal 07-01, Mutual Understanding. Allowing for a rest day and Embassy briefings in Wellington, Post would like McGuire to arrive in Wellington no later than Thursday, November 16, and depart Christchurch on Sunday, November 19. This would allow for a maximum of three official program days and a rest day. ¶3. Justification and Objective: For 75 years the New Zealand Red Cross has responded to all in times of crisis. Formed in 1931 following the Napier earthquake, the New Zealand Red Cross has not stopped its work since then. Through war, flood, and fire volunteers have responded willingly and risen to the task with a renowned passion and commitment. Their reputation is richly deserved, embodying the universal spirit of Red Cross. The New Zealand Red Cross is one of 183 national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies worldwide that make up the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. As part of the world's largest humanitarian organization, the Kiwi Red Cross has no political, religious, or cultural affiliation and is independent of government. While Democratic Senator for Illinois, John McGuire received the "Legislator of the Year" award from the Red Cross in 1991. Post believes that the events in the United States in the past eighteen months have shown how agencies such as the American Red Cross have risen to great challenges in times of crisis, such as Hurricane Katrina. We believe that Mr. McGuire is ideally placed to discuss disaster preparedness with a number of organizations in New Zealand. A speaker with the experience of such an event as Katrina would be of real interest to conference attendees, as well as to members of local government here. Post would welcome the opportunity to have a dialog with its contacts regarding emergency preparedness, which is important for all citizens, especially older people and those with disabilities; disaster relief; and training in local communities. We request three days of programming, to include consultations in Wellington on Friday, November 17, before departing for the national conference in Christchurch November 18-19. McGuire has been strongly recommended to Post by the National President of the New Zealand Red Cross, who has met him at conferences overseas and says he is a very competent public speaker. She believes that New Zealanders could learn from his experiences. We are also of the opinion that he is eminently suitable to come to New Zealand as a keynote speaker for the national conference. Of Note for Australia: McGuire and the Australian Blood Service (NZ does not have such an organization) have registered a mutual interest in visiting Australia while he is in the region to share his expertise in improving the safety and availability of the blood supply. His experience, which includes time as president and CEO of Hemasure, Inc., a company that developed products to increase the safety of donated blood and improve certain blood transfusion and collection procedures, is of serious interest to the Australians. Under McGuire's leadership the commercialization of Hemasure products was streamlined, and commercial partnerships were developed. In 2000 McGuire received the Distinguished Service Award from the AABB, an award that recognized his commitment to the Association and its work to improve patient access to new blood-banking technologies. Please see the Australian Blood Service website: http://www.arcbs.redcross.org.au/. ¶4. Activity Date, Fiscal Year and Quarter: Requested date is November 17-19; 1st quarter, FY2007. ¶5. Audience and Types of Events: McGuire's experience both in the US and overseas makes him especially suited to a program of lectures, seminars, roundtables, and media interviews in Wellington and Christchurch. We expect that the audience for the New Zealand visit will include politicians, members of local government, policy makers, academics, and the media. ¶6. Post plans to discuss the exact subject of the roundtables and presentations with McGuire once the proposal is accepted. ¶7. McGuire's contact details: John McGuire, Interim President and CEO American Red Cross National Headquarters 2025 E Street NW Washington, DC 20006 www.redcross.org Email: macguireJ@usa.redcross.org President and CEO of the American Red Cross Ph: 202-303-4498 ¶8. Post Project Officer: Control Officer: Christine Vivian Office Phone: 644-462-6112; Fax: 644-499-0490 Email: cvivian@actrix.gen.nz or vivianc@state.gov ¶9. Funding: This visit is contingent on availability of FY07 funding. Please advise soonest. Many thanks. MCCORMICK