NGO FAIR AT AMBASSADOR WAYNE4S RESIDENCE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BUENOS AIRES 000533 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR RM (SABA),WHA/BSC (DRUCKER),WHA/PDA (BARNES),AND R SANTIAGO, BRAZILIA, MONTEVIDEO, ASUNCION, PLEASE PASS TO AMBASSADORS. E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO KSUM AR SUBJECT: NGO FAIR AT AMBASSADOR WAYNE4S RESIDENCE ¶1. SUMMARY: AMBASSADOR WAYNE HOSTED A VERY SUCCESSFUL NGO FAIR AT HIS RESIDENCE ON APRIL 8. MORE THAN 60 NGOS FROM ACROSS ARGENTINA GATHERED AT THE AMBASSADOR'S HOME IN BUENOS AIRES, WHERE THEY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM EMBASSIES, INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC COMPANIES, FOUNDATIONS, AND PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS FROM BUENOS AIRES AND THE INTERIOR WITH THE COMMON GOAL OF FORMING TIES THAT WOULD LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIALLY BENEFICIAL PROJECTS. ALSO PRESENT AT THE EVENT WAS ARGENTINA'S LABOR MINISTER CARLOS TOMADA, WHO WELCOMED THIS INITIATIVE. THE EVENT WAS WIDELY AND POSITIVELY COVERED BY LOCAL MEDIA AND RECEIVED VERY POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM U.S. AND LOCAL NGOS. END SUMMARY. ¶2. AMBASSADOR WAYNE HOSTED AN ALL-DAY NGO FAIR AT HIS RESIDENCE IN BUENOS AIRES ON APRIL 8. THE FAIR WAS CONCEIVED AS A FOLLOW-UP TO THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON THE AMERICAS, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN JULY ¶2007. UPON THEIR RETURN FROM WASHINGTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS OF 9 OF THE 11 NGOS WHO ATTENDED THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE MET WITH AMBASSADOR WAYNE AT HIS INVITATION TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES; OUT OF THAT DISCUSSION CAME THE IDEA THAT THE EMBASSY BRING A GROUP OF NGOS AND FUNDING SOURCES TOGETHER TO STRENGTHEN THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN ARGENTINA. THE AMBASSADOR STRONGLY ENDORSED THE IDEA AND, AS A FIRST STEP, HOSTED A MEETING IN SEPTEMBER FOR REPRESENTATIVES FROM 11 EMBASSIES TO DISCUSS HOW THEY SUPPORT THE WORK OF ARGENTINE NGOS AND TO SOLICIT THEIR INPUT ON HOW BEST TO STRUCTURE A FAIR. FROM THIS MEETING CAME A WORKING GROUP OF EIGHT EMBASSIES, AMONG THEM THE UK, SPAIN, CANADA AND GERMANY WHO, ALONG WITH THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS, BECAME OUR PARTNERS IN THIS ENDEAVOR. THE EMBASSY ALSO REACHED OUT TO THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE'S CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) COMMITTEE TO ENGAGE THEM IN THE EVENT. AS A RESULT, 16 OF THE 18 AMCHAM CSR MEMBERS HOSTED BOOTHS AT THE FAIR. AMONG THE US MULTINATIONALS PRESENT WERE FORD, KIMBERLY CLARK, APACHE, CITIBANK, AND ORACLE. THE 11 NGOS WHO ATTENDED THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON THE AMERICAS SELECTED MOST OF THE NGO INVITEES, ALL OF WHOM HAD SOLID TRACK RECORDS AND COULD BENEFIT FROM INTERACTION WITH MORE ESTABLISHED ARGENTINE NGOS, U.S. FOUNDATIONS, AND FUNDING SOURCES IN BOTH THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS. EUROPEAN COMPANIES ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE FAIR. ¶3. THE DAY BEGAN WITH WELCOME REMARKS BY THE AMBASSADOR, FOLLOWED BY A PANEL DISCUSSION ON "TAKING YOUR NGO TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF EFFECTIVENESS: BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND NGO PERSPECTIVES." THE PANELISTS WERE AMBASSADOR LARRY PALMER, PRESIDENT OF THE USG'S INTER-AMERICAN FOUNDATION; GUILLERMO CORREA, DIRECTOR OF THE ARGENTINE NETWORK FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION (RACI); AND GUSTAVO AVERBUJ, CEO OF KETCHUM, A U.S. PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING COMPANY. EACH SHARED HIS EXPERIENCE, AT BOTH THE PERSONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL, AND ANSWERED NUMEROUS QUESTIONS FROM AN AUDIENCE EAGER TO ENGAGE THE PRESENTERS. THE MAIN SUBJECT OF THE LIVELY DISCUSSION THAT ENSUED WAS THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS. ¶4. FOLLOWING THE PANEL DISCUSSION, THE INVITEES FROM THE NGO COMMUNITY WERE ENCOURAGED TO VISIT THE TABLES MANNED BY REPRESENTATIVES FROM OUR NGO AND EMBASSY PARTNERS, U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES, AND FOUNDATIONS. DURING A FAST-PACED HOUR AND A HALF, THE VISITORS AND THEIR HOSTS EXCHANGED BUSINESS CARDS, PAMPHLETS, AND INFORMATION, WITH AN EYE TOWARD FINDING POTENTIAL PARTNERS, EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITIES FOR JOINT INITIATIVES, AND BUILDING NETWORKS. ¶5. KEYNOTE SPEAKER PETER SHIRAS, EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FOUNDATION, THEN TOOK THE FLOOR TO SPEAK ON THE TOPIC: "WHAT FOUNDATIONS LOOK FOR IN AN NGO." SHIRAS, WITH VAST EXPERIENCE IN THE REGION AND IN NGO AFFAIRS, GAVE AN AUTHORITATIVE PRESENTATION FOCUSED ON HIS 10 PRINCIPLES FOR MOVING "FROM GOOD TO EXCELLENT" IN NGO MANAGEMENT, WHICH WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED BY THE MORE THAN 100 MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE. FOLLOWING HIS ADDRESS, SHIRAS WAS INTERVIEWED BY SEVERAL LOCAL TV STATIONS, DURING WHICH HE PRAISED THE NGO FAIR AS A FORUM THAT CONNECTS PEOPLE AND RAISES IMPORTANT ISSUES FOR DIALOGUE AND AS A MODEL FOR OTHER EMBASSIES WORLDWIDE. TV AND RADIO CORRESPONDENTS ALSO INTERVIEWED THE AMBASSADOR AND OTHER FAIR PARTICIPANTS DURING THE DAY. ¶6. THE NGO FAIR CONCLUDED WITH A TOAST HOSTED BY THE AMBASSADOR FOR THE HEADS OF THE NGOS, COMPANIES, FOUNDATIONS AND EMBASSIES WHO PARTICIPATED AS CO-HOSTS OF THE FAIR, FOLLOWED BY A LUNCH-RECEPTION FOR ALL FAIR PARTICIPANTS. IN HIS REMARKS AT THE TOAST, THE AMBASSADOR UNDERSCORED THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. HE WAS JOINED BY LABOR MINISTER CARLOS TOMADA, WHO HIMSELF HAS STRONG TIES TO THE NGO COMMUNITY. TOMADA THANKED THE AMBASSADOR FOR CARING ABOUT THE ARGENTINE PEOPLE AND ENCOURAGED THE EMBASSY TO HOST MORE EVENTS OF THIS KIND. IN AN IMPROMPTU SPEECH, WHICH BROUGHT A HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE FROM THE AUDIENCE, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ONE OF OUR PARTNER NGOS THANKED AMBASSADOR WAYNE FOR HIS SUPPORT OF THE NGO COMMUNITY AND EXPRESSED HIS HOPE THAT THE EMBASSY WOULD HOST A FAIR AGAIN NEXT YEAR. ¶7. THE NGO FAIR GENERATED SUBSTANTIAL POSITIVE PRESS COVERAGE FOR THE EMBASSY. IT WAS COVERED BY ARGENTINA'S LEADING NEWSPAPER, RADIO STATION AND NEWS WEBSITE. THE DAILY CLARIN, WHICH SELLS 400,000 NEWSPAPERS DAILY, CARRIED A STORY ON THE FAIR ON ITS GENERAL NEWS PAGES THE NEXT DAY. AMBASSADOR WAYNE WAS INTERVIEWED LIVE FROM THE FAIR BY RADIO 10, WHICH HAS AN AUDIENCE OF OVER 1.5 MILLION. THE BUENOS AIR 00000533 002 OF 002 COUNTRY'S LEADING NEWS WEBSITE, INFOBAE.COM, WITH OVER THREE MILLION VISITS A DAY, POSTED A STORY ON THE EVENT. OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS WITH SMALLER BUT TARGETED AUDIENCES ALSO CARRIED THE NEWS, INCLUDING ONE OF THE CITY'S FIVE BROADCAST TV CHANNELS, AMERICA TV, THE 24 HOUR TV NEWS CHANNEL C5N, AND THE STATE-RUN NEWS AGENCY, TELAM, WHICH REACHES HUNDREDS OF PUBLICATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. ¶8. COMMENT: BY ALL ACCOUNTS, THE NGO FAIR WAS A SUCCESS. THE EVALUATIONS FILLED OUT BY THE PARTICIPANTS WERE EXCEPTIONALLY POSITIVE AND REFLECTED THE DESIRE OF BOTH NGOS AND FUNDING SOURCES TO MAKE THE FAIR AN ANNUAL EVENT. HILTON HOTEL REPRESENTATIVES HAVE ALREADY APPROACHED THE EMBASSY ABOUT PARTNERING WITH US ON AN EVENT NEXT YEAR AT THEIR HOTEL, WHICH WOULD PROVIDE A LARGER SPACE TO ACCOMMODATE MORE PARTICIPANTS. U.S. AND LOCAL NGO LEADERS REPEATEDLY EXPRESSED THEIR APPRECIATION FOR THE EVENT. THE POSITIVE COVERAGE OF THE FAIR BY THE PRESS HAS HELPED SOLIDIFY OUR REPUTATION AS AN EMBASSY THAT HAS AN ACTIVE SOCIAL AGENDA AND CARES ABOUT ARGENTINA AND ITS PEOPLE. ¶9. TO SEE MORE BUENOS AIRES REPORTING, VISIT OUR CLASSIFIED WEBSITE AT: HTTP://WWW.STATE.SQOV.GOV/P/WHA/BUENOSAIRES WAYNE