2008 ESTH CONFERENCE, CAIRO

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SUBJECT: 2008 ESTH CONFERENCE, CAIRO

Summary


1. From October 7-9, OES hosted a conference for
Environment, Science and Technology, and Health (ESTH)
officers and local hires from the Near East Affairs (NEA) and
South and Central Asia (SCA) regions to discuss ways to
advance U.S. foreign policy on such key issues as climate
change, renewable energy, Muslim world outreach, water
management, environmental security, green buildings, avian
influenza, and natural resource conservation. The ESTOC
served to strengthen relationships between ESTH officers, Hub
Officers and Washington; explain and clarify USG positions on
OES priorities; develop concrete actions to address common
challenges; and highlight possibilities for funding. We
thank Embassy Cairo for going above and beyond the call of
duty in organizing the conference. End summary.

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NEA and SCA ESTOC: Developing Regional Ties
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1. The October 7-9, NEA and SCA ESTH Officers Conference
(ESTHOC) in Cairo, Egypt brought together representatives
from a number of U.S. embassies in the Middle East and South
and Central Asia as well as officials from the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID),the Department of
State (DOS),the Department of Interior (DOI),and the
Department of Agriculture (USDA). Regional non-governmental
organization (NGO) representatives and academics also
attended.


3. DCM Matthew Tueller welcomed participants to Cairo, and
OES Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS) Ambassador
Reno Harnish kicked off the ESTHOC, stressing that ESTH is at
the forefront of U.S. foreign policy. He noted OES,s seven
priority policy areas of focus: climate change, which is also
at the top of the Secretary's agenda; China's impact on the
world as it seeks access to natural resources; Free Trade
Agreements (FTAs) and environmental standards; conservation;
polar regions; water resources; and S&T agreements. The
Regional Environmental Hub officers (Manu Bhalla in Amman,
Bruce Hudspeth in Astana and John Adams in Kathmandu)
outlined the major concerns of their respective regions,
noting that water management and allocation is key across
both regions as a potential source of conflict. They also
identified wildlife trafficking, climate change, uranium
tailings, and capacity building as priority issues.
Subsequent breakout sessions allowed each region to focus in
greater detail on possible follow-on actions in each area.


4. Each ESTH Officer briefed the group on the most important
and germane ESTH issues for the country in which he/she is
posted. This feedback was beneficial not only to the
assembled group in identifying common issues, such as water
and climate change but also in illustrating to the OES bureau
what the posts see as the top ESTH priorities in each
country. The Hub Officers highlighted the role they serve as
an information source for ESTH officers and OES offices on
trans-boundary issues.

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Issues, Initiatives and Opportunities
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5. Topics and initiatives highlighted included:

(a) Science and Technology Cooperation and Muslim World
Outreach -- OES Office of Science and Technology Cooperation
(STC) William Lawrence noted that Science and Technology
(S&T) cooperation has proven to be a successful diplomatic
tool in NEA, noting the successes of the recently signed
Libya S&T agreement and technical exchanges which have
already taken place under the agreement. There are 40
umbrella S&T agreements world-wide and 9 in the NEA and SCE

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regions that help facilitate scientific exchange, conferences
and workshops. He encouraged attendees to work closely with
Public Affairs Officers (PAOs) on science exchanges and to
take advantage of the Science Fellow Program that will place
scientists in embassies for a short period.

(b) Avian Influenza -- DOS Avian Influenza Action Group
(AIAG) Kathleen Reddy-Smith noted that H5N1 avian influenza
has not yet become the pandemic that the health community has
feared (i.e. spread worldwide) but is spreading rapidly and
in more than 62 countries, with the situation in Indonesia,
Egypt, and Nigeria reaching the endemic stage (e.g.,
constantly present). She suggested that Posts continue to be
proactive through their AI action groups and liaise with host
governments on emergency preparedness measures.

(c) Health -- OES Office of International Health and
Biodefense (IHB) Jehan Jones explained the global
community,s efforts to eradicate polio, which is endemic in
four countries, three of which are in the SCA region (India,
Pakistan and Afghanistan). Tuberculosis (TB) is still the
leading cause of death in the world, with six million dying
of TB each year. President Bush renewed the 2003 President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) this past July, which
represents the largest commitment by any nation to combat a
single disease in human history. (A list of participating
countries can be found on PEPFAR,s website.) The new
legislation authorizes up to 48 billion USD to combat global
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. She urged attendees to
continue to report on health conditions.

(d) Environmental Security -- OES Office of Policy
Coordination and Initiatives (PCI) Patrick Hudak and Office
of Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary (STAS)
Alex Dehgan discussed future trends, in particular the
increasingly important issue of environmental security.
Projected global population growth, coupled with competition
for resources and resource degradation will lead to winners
and losers and create the potential for instability and
conflict. Alex explained practical steps taken by USG and
others to address environmental concerns and foster peace and
stability in Afghanistan. They urged attendees to work with
the U.S. military, use ESTH issues to foster cooperation, and
to provide more reporting, particularly on how ESTH issues
can spark a conflict, fuel it once it is underway, and/or
prevent a sustainable peace.

(e) Renewable Energy -- Ambassador Harnish pointed out that
governments are putting more money into research in solar,
wind, and geothermal energy, with more than 100 billion USD
having been invested globally. Whereas the International
Energy Agency (IEA) believed previously that renewable energy
would contribute only up to 7 percent of the global energy
supply, it now estimates that up to 21 percent of the world's
energy supply will be from renewable resources by 2050. In
order to bring about a 50 percent reduction in green house
gases by 2020, economies will need to employ more renewable
energy and clean coal technology, increase efficiency, and
consider the use of nuclear power as well. China and India
are two major emitters of green house gases, and the U.S.
goal is to bring clean energy technology to them. Ambassador
Harnish noted the success of the USG-hosted Washington
International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) in March
2008 and suggested that officers encourage their host
countries to fulfill their WIREC pledges on renewable energy
commitments.

(f) Biotechnology -- DOS Bureau of Economic, Energy, and
Business Affairs (EEB) Division Chief of the Bureau of
Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Textile Affairs (TTP) Gary
Clements pointed out that biotech and biofuels provide
excellent outreach opportunities for the U.S. TTP has
outreach funds available for speaker programs, conferences,
and workshops and sends out a cable each year (around the
beginning of December) requesting input from posts on how TTP
should spend its biotechnology outreach funds. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) can also provide U.S.-based
training programs for policy makers, journalists, and

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scientists. He urged attendees to work towards boosting
agricultural productivity, improve seed technology, keep
markets open for U.S. exports, and ensure that international
regulations of biotech products are science-based.

(g) Green Buildings -- Manu Bhalla explained the Leadership
in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) system of building
environmentally "green" buildings that conserve energy and
water, reduce waste, have lower operational cost, and are
healthy for the occupants. The federal government owns
nearly 500000 building and has any opportunity to improve its
energy and environmental footprint. The Federal Energy
Independence act from December 2007 mandates a 30 percent
improvement in energy efficiency in federal buildings by

2015. He urged attendees to launch a green initiative at
their embassies and support a Green Building movement in
their host countries.

(h) Water and Air Pollution -- OES Office of Environmental
Policy (ENV) Bob Sorenson highlighted work to deal with water
and air pollution through multilateral cooperation. ENV is
also the office responsible for environmental financing
through the UN Environment Programme and the related Global
Environmental Facility, where we work to ensure that funds go
to effective environmental programs and that there is
accountability for results. ENV also has responsibility for
implementing Environmental Cooperation Agreements related to
Free Trade Agreement environmental chapters. He requested
more reporting on water issues, as well as local government
positions and approaches on other possible pollutants, such
as mercury.
(i) Climate Change -- Dr. Harlan Watson, Senior Climate
Negotiator and OES Special Envoy to the U.N. Framework
Convention on Climate Change, gave a detailed presentation of
the current state of climate change negotiations. He urged
attendees to focus on the negotiations underway for a
post-2012 climate change regime to replace the current Kyoto
Protocol. Technology development and financial aid are
integral to the negotiations, with private sector investment
taking the lead over aid programs. He noted that energy
demand and CO2 emissions will continue to increase and
emphasized the need for new technological developments that
can bring about an overall global reduction in emissions.

(j) USG Agencies -- U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Christopher
Soriano noted that USFS works internationally in 35
countries, assists in disasters, and has considerable
expertise on natural resource policies, trade, and
conservation. USFS is able to match DOS funding for a number
of projects in these areas.

Department of Interior (DOI) Representative Karen Senhadji
explained that the Forest Service is an excellent resource
for ESTH officers, with onsite training programs in national
forests for selected candidates. DOI is involved also in the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES) and engages in capacity building in park and habitat
management.

(k) Public Diplomacy -- Pubic Diplomacy Officer Matt Cassetta
rounded out the speaker list by stressing that ESTH issues
possess inherent outreach potential, because they involve
soft diplomacy and non-controversial issues. Officers should
work closely with public affairs at posts to set up visits,
grants, and field visits. The OES website has cleared text
and guidance that can be used immediately for any press
release or speaking engagement. He provided advice on
handling climate change policy by suggesting that officers
&be honest and not defensive8 about climate change,
separate myth from fact, refer to the U.S. actions sheet,
stress that the U.S. is seriously committed to the post-2012
Framework negotiation process.

(l) Promoting ESTH -- PDAS Harnish urged attendees to
consider future assignments at OES and noted that ESTH issues
can promote positively U.S. foreign policy interests. He
asked that officers: be &policy entrepreneurs;8 work
closely with AID, Ambassadors, management offices, and public

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affairs; and develop alliances to support progress in these
vital issues that represent the cutting edge diplomacy of the
21st century.

(6) Innovative Local Programs -- Dr. Waheed Emam, professor
of environmental science, stressed that there are more than
400 NGOs in the Egyptian Environmental Federation, which
maintains a comprehensive database, helps raise public
awareness, provides a link between NGOs and government, and
engages in capacity building.

Friends of the Earth (Middle East) Munqeth Mehyer explained
how environmental peace activists have used environmental
issues to engage in numerous peace projects between Israel
and its neighbors. These projects include the Good Neighbor
Water Project on the Jordan River and the Jordan River Peace
Park, which helped to foster cooperation even during the
Palestinian Antifada in 2000.

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Plans for the Future
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7. Led by their respective hub officers, attendees broke
into regional sub-groups to brainstorm concrete ways to
advance USG foreign policy interests in each of the
conference subject areas (S&T cooperation, environmental
security, health, etc.) Suggestions included setting up
conferences on eco-tourism, putting a regional security spin
on reporting, and ideas with other posts, highlighting
successful models, and tapping into IVLP programs, to name a
few.


8. OES Bureau and the NEA and SCA Hubs thank the
participating agencies for their support of this conference
and continued support to the Hub program and individual ESTH
officers in the region. The Amman, Astana and Kathmandu Hubs
stand ready to provide guidance and coordinate with bilateral
ESTHoffs to share ideas, success models and lessons-learned
from the ESTHOC. The Hub team also looks forward to building
upon the entrepreneurial spirit shown at this regional
conference in fulfilling our regional mandate, supporting the
bilateral missions, and advocating for U.S. ESTH foreign
policy.


9. OES also thanks Embassy Cairo, in particular Michael
Guinan, Lydia Ayoub, Nabil Sayegh, Hany Hamroush, and Abeer
Saleh for their help in organizing and supporting the
conference. We greatly appreciate the full range of
administrative support from GSO, Travel and B&F, without
which we would not have been able to hold such a successful
conference.

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