NGO FAIR AT AMBASSADOR WAYNE4S RESIDENCE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BUENOS AIRES 000533

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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

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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