ANNOUNCING WHA ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 088937 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV XL XK XM XR ECON TBIO ABUD AFIN SUBJECT: ANNOUNCING WHA ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND HEALTH (ESTH) ISSUES CONFERENCE OCTOBER 13-15, 2009 SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA ¶1. This is an action cable (please see para 8.) ¶2. Summary: OES, in cooperation with Embassy San Jose announces its conference on Environment, Science, Technology and Health (ESTH) issues for WHA. This event is open to Science Counselors, Economic/Political officers, local hire environmental specialists, public diplomacy officers, and other interested officers from U.S. Embassies and USAID Missions. The ESTHOC offers a great opportunity for ESTH officers in the hemisphere to engage with Washington colleagues to learn more about USG policy priorities and initiatives on ESTH issues, particularly those focused on the WHA region. It also represents a good opportunity for those in the field to share with each other and with Washington observations about key ESTH issues and trends affecting USG interests. Local Engaged Staff are welcome and encouraged to participate. Invitees are requested to RSVP their attendance via email to REO in San Jose and OES/PCI action officers (POCs listed in para 8) by NLT September 10, 2009. Some travel funding is available for ESTH officers. Any requests for travel funding support per paragraph 8 must be received by OES NLT September 7. End summary. ¶3. OES and the Regional Environment Hub of San Jose invite a broad range of participants from U.S. Embassies and USAID Missions, including ESTH officers, Public Diplomacy and Economic/Political officers and FSNs, to attend the Oct. 13-15, 2009 ESTH Issues Conference in San Jose. Invited speakers include OES Assistant Secretary Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones, Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change Jonathan Pershing, and a distinguished array of senior officials, experts and advisors from OES, WHA, USAID, posts and missions in the Western Hemisphere, as well as interagency partners and NGO experts. ¶4. At the conference attendees will take an in-depth look at current ESTH priorities in the hemisphere, share experiences, and participate in interactive discussions with speakers, providing an opportunity for officers to exchange ideas on advancing regional cooperation on key ESTH issues. The conference will address region-specific priorities such as climate change, including mitigation and clean energy, adaptation, deforestation and sustainable landscapes, the President,s Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, Science and Technology (S&T) cooperation, environmental cooperation under Free Trade Agreements and pursuant to the Pathways to Prosperity initiative, and conservation of terrestrial and marine natural resources. These sessions will examine the growing prominence of ESTH issues in U.S. foreign policy, their relationship to strategic priorities, challenges and opportunities in the region, and tools for building ESTH cooperation with host countries, including interagency capacity-building efforts, public diplomacy, and public-private partnerships. ¶5. The overarching goal is to better integrate USG ESTH policy objectives into the day-to-day operations of officers in the field by providing them with the substantive and policy knowledge to take on this challenge, and to build a hemisphere-wide team of ESTH officers, State, AID and interagency colleagues. Public diplomacy will be a special topic, as ESTH issues represent an important vehicle for public outreach and engagement. In addition we will highlight opportunities in the Foreign Assistance and Mission Strategic Plan processes to connect ESTH issues to priorities at post. This conference is intended to complement, not duplicate, the annual FSI ESTH Tradecraft course by providing updates on policy positions, providing a region-specific focus and elaborating on issues of interest to attendees. ¶6. The Obama Administration has made clear its intent to make ESTH issues a top priority. In his inaugural speech the President outlined his plan stating, &We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.8 In a recent address to the U.S. National Academies of Sciences he went on to say, &Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment and our quality of life than it has ever been. My administration is ramping up participation in and our commitment to international science and technology cooperation across the many areas where it is clearly in our interest to do so.8 At the Summit of the Americas, President Obama announced the &Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas,8 opening the way to closer U.S. cooperation with the region on these issues. The ESTHOC offers ESTH officers a unique opportunity to strengthen their understanding of USG priorities on ESTH issues, the linkage of these issues to our global political and economic priorities, and to advance USG interests backed by the commitment from the highest levels in our government. STATE 00088937 002 OF 002 ¶7. Embassy San Jos will arrange meeting space to host the conference and facilitate lodging for all participants. We currently anticipate the venue will be Hotel Bougainvilla (see http://www.hb.co.cr/). Hotel costs will be pre-paid for the first 50 confirmed conference registrants, as will lunches and breakfast during the three days of the conference. Participants should plan to arrive in San Jos on or by October 12, 2009 in the evening. ¶8. OES has some limited funds to help posts with airfare needs. We would issue fund cites to post. Travel orders will need to be prepared at post, approved and tickets purchased before 9/30. We will prioritize posts/participants with greatest need; and expect posts for whom we provide air travel funds to support the officers' additional per diem (minus lodging, and lunch and breakfast during conference days),ground transportation and incidental expenses. Any participant seeking consideration for an air ticket stipend must provide OES POCs with a firm cost estimate NLT September ¶6. Other USG agencies with an interest in ESTH issues that have travelers coming to the region at that time are also encouraged to consider attending. We regret that there is no funding from Washington or Embassy San Jos to cover these costs. ¶9. Please contact OES/PCI POC Matthew Gerdin (gerdinmj@state.gov; 202-647-4347),OES/PCI Acting Director Lawrence Sperling(sperlingli@state.gov, 202-647-2061) and San Jose Regional Environmental Officer Tim Lattimer (lattimertp@state.gov). All official visitors must travel with passports, preferably official or diplomatic. Without a valid passport, a visitor lacks official status in the eyes of the Costa Rican Government. However, no visa is necessary. There is a departure tax of US$26.00. Diplomatic Passports may have the departure tax exonerated. ¶10. Action request: As stated above, those who plan to attend are requested to confirm attendance to the POCs identified in Para 9 by September 10, 2009 via email (NLT than September 7 to request OES air ticket funding support) and provide arrival/departure information NLT September 21, ¶2009. Embassy San Jos will provide country clearance for all confirmed participants, as well as additional information regarding on-the-ground logistics. CLINTON