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