http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/index/ en U.S. Department of State 2012-02-11T15:54:03+00:00
"So far, I've really enjoyed Rio. I think it's a great city," Abdul-Jabbar said.

In Rio, Abdul-Jabbar started the day meeting with young people at the Rio em Forma Olimpico Project. While there, Abdul-Jabbar shared how education and English-language learning can propel young people to success.

"I had a wonderful time here today. I met a lot of really nice kids. They're very warm and open. I left them with a message and that is that education opens the door for opportunity," Abdul-Jabbar said.

From the Rio em Forma Olimpico Project, Mr. Abdul-Jabbar met with young people in the community of Alemao. With leaders from the NGO "CUFA" -- who work within the favelas to engage youth -- Mr. Abdul-Jabbar discussed his experiences growing up in Harlem and how the choice he made to pursue an education put him on the path to success -- both on and off the basketball court.

Mr. Abdul-Jabbar's service as a Global Cultural Ambassador is rooted in the strategic belief to use people-to-people diplomacy as a means to cultivate greater understanding in cultures and communities worldwide.

"In the twenty-first century in a globalized world diplomacy is no longer going to be run by embassies. It's no longer going to be run by governments. It's going to be about people. It's going to be about societies. It's going to be about connecting all of us. And this means looking for ways, for us a diplomats, to facilitate that process. And that's what we're doing here with this people-to-people diplomacy. We're building a twenty-first century diplomacy," said Ambassador Shannon.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrapped up his inaugural trip as a Global Cultural Ambassador in Rio de Janeiro this week.

Follow along on Twitter for updates and announcements as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar continues his public service as a U.S. Global Cultural Ambassador.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/cultural_ambassador_kaj33_diplomacy_brazil_rio/ 2012-01-27T14:33:48+00:00 Youth Ambassadors Program with Brazil. Since 2002, students chosen from Brazil's public schools for their leadership and community service have visited the United States for a three-week exchange program sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the U.S. Embassy in Brazil. During their meeting, Secretary Clinton recognized the role of youth in serving their communities. She also highlighted the United States' strong commitment to engaging young people worldwide and to using people-to-people diplomacy as a means to create opportunities for youth. You can view photos of the meeting here.

As Secretary Clinton told the Youth Ambassadors, "And because we so greatly value the relationship between the Brazilian people and the American people, we are counting on you to continue to reach out and develop your own skills and your own ambitions to make a contribution to Brazil and also to further relations between our two countries."

The Youth Ambassadors Program underscores the Secretary's priorities of engaging international youth in meaningful dialogue, fostering relationships among youth from all backgrounds, and creating networks of youth leaders. It is also an important element in advancing the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs' social inclusion agenda.

After last week's arrival in the snow -- a first experience for many -- the participants went to work on a community service project. Enthusiastic Youth Ambassadors, local citizens, and staff from partner organization World Learning cleaned a local green space and planted trees in a neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C. In a few short hours, the group's effort transformed the community space into a place all could enjoy. The Youth Ambassadors will return to Brazil with new skills, perspectives, and energy to get involved in service projects in their home communities. The Youth Ambassadors also participated in site meetings, learning activities, leadership training, and home visits with local families across the United States.

This year's Ambassadors used social media to share their experiences in real time. Through videos and photos, the Ambassadors' families, friends, and others in Brazil had the opportunity to experience the United States virtually, gaining a better understanding of American culture and country through the eyes of the Youth Ambassadors.

Since its inception, the program has expanded to 25 countries across the Americas to bring together high school students, ages 15-18, and adult mentors to promote mutual understanding, increase leadership skills, and prepare youth to make a difference in their communities. Exchanges are primarily from Latin America and the Caribbean to the United States, but also include delegations from the United States to select countries.

For additional details on the Youth Ambassadors Program, please visit exchanges.state.gov.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/clinton_youth_ambassador_program/ 2012-01-26T21:40:00+00:00
"I didn't expect to see such a big city here in this part of Brazil. I heard about Rio de Janeiro and I've been to Sao Paulo on my first trip to Brazil. But I didn't know they had big cities out here on the coast. It's quite a place," said Abdul-Jabbar.

Meeting in a community center in the recently pacified favela, Nordeste de Amaralina, Abdul-Jabbar stressed the importance of education as a means of empowerment both within Brazil and beyond.

"It was very rewarding for me today to talk to the young people about their education because a lot of them didn't understand how important it is. So I was happy to remind them that their education will supplement everything that they try to do as athletes and they seemed to be open to it. They asked really interesting questions and had an open mind it seemed to what I was saying," said Abdul-Jabbar.

Throughout Brazil, government officials and local partners are working together to pacify favelas -- or communities -- establishing local police stations to rid these communities of drugs and violence.

Abdul-Jabbar also traveled to Calabar, another favela that has been pacified for the last nine months, the first in Salvador. After discussing the importance of education and the opportunities it provides, Abdul-Jabbar hit the basketball court to shoot hoops with the kids.

"Playing basketball with the young people like this is something that reminds me of when I was a kid. It really reminds me of when I was in grade school and high school and tried to learn the game and all of my ambitions were right out there for everybody to see," Abdul-Jabbar said.

Get updates from the road, and follow along on Twitter as Cultural Ambassador Kareem Abdul-Jabbar travels to Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Related Content: Secretary Clinton Meets With Brazilian Youth Participating in the Youth Ambassadors Program]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/cultural_ambassador_kaj33_education_brazil/ 2012-01-25T20:01:16+00:00
Collecting these data was not a trivial endeavor, especially in the Arctic's ice-covered waters. The 2011 joint mission spanned nearly six weeks in August and September and employed the flagship icebreaker from each country, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy and the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent (LSSL), with each ship performing different functions and one ship breaking ice for the other. The partnership is an important example of the use of science as an effective tool of international diplomacy and both countries obtained more data and saved money by working together.

Each ship is equipped with different tools to accomplish its mission. The Healy is one of the few icebreakers in the world with a sophisticated mapping system called a multibeam echo-sounder that can generate beautiful three-dimensional images of the seafloor. The LSSL collected seismic data that provide a cross-section view of what is beneath the surface of the ocean floor, giving scientists insight into the thickness, geometry, and other characteristics of the geologic layers that make up the floor of the ocean.

Since the start of U.S. ECS work in the Arctic in 2003, the Healy has mapped more than 123,000 square miles of the Arctic seafloor, an area equivalent to the size of Arizona. Since 2006, the LSSL has collected 9,320 miles of seismic data, enough to cross the United States almost three times. As in previous Arctic missions, the scientists and crew were not entirely sure the ice would allow the ships to proceed, especially in the eastern portions where some of the thickest Arctic ice is found. The 2011 mission exceeded expectations.

The continental shelf is an important maritime zone, one that holds many resources and vital habitats for marine life. Each nation has sovereign rights to exploit and manage the resources of its continental shelf. From oil to tin, diamonds to gravel, metals to mussels, the resources of the seabed are enormous. Knowing how far the ECS extends, and what resources it contains, is necessary for national security and effective management of those resources.

The U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Task Force, chaired by the Department of State, will analyze the data collected on this and other cruises to determine the full extent of the U.S. continental shelf. Preliminary studies have indicated that the U.S. ECS likely totals at least one million square kilometers -- an area about twice the size of California or nearly half the Louisiana Purchase -- and a significant portion of that is in the Arctic.

Barbara Moore, a NOAA detailee to the Department of State, was a key participant in this summer's final joint cruise. To view some of Barbara's amazing photos taken during the 2011 Arctic expedition, visit the Facebook page of the Bureau of Oceans, International Environmental and Scientific Affairs or the Department of State's Flickr page.

The U.S. ECS work is not limited to the Arctic and also includes areas in the Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Alaska, and Atlantic Ocean. To learn more about mapping the U.S. continental shelf, please visit the webpage of the U.S Extended Continental Shelf Task Force: www.continentalshelf.gov.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/us_canada_arctic_expedition/ 2012-01-24T15:16:45+00:00
The earthquake left behind a government in rubble, an economy in shambles, and a people living in makeshift camps, coping with enormous loss. Against this backdrop, the possibility of progress lives not just in the resilient spirit of the Haitian people, but also in the simple power of their mobile phones.

In June 2010, USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Haiti Mobile Money Initiative (HMMI). This program leveraged the private sector and the ubiquity of mobile phones to bring financial services to Haitians, 90 percent of whom didn't have access to a bank account before the earthquake destroyed nearly one-third of the country's bank branches, ATMs, and money transfer stations. Put simply, mobile money gives Haitians access to banking without building a single bank.

It worked. In January 2011, one year after the earthquake, HMMI awarded Digicel and its partner bank, Scotiabank, a "First to Market" Award of $2.5 million for "Tcho Tcho Mobile." Five months ago, HMMI awarded mobile operator Voila and their bank partner, Unibank, $1.5 million for "T-Cash." While verification is still underway, data reported by the industry indicate that there are nearly 800,000 registered users. Moreover, there are over 800 agent locations now available to serve clients. In a country where there are fewer than two bank branches per 100,000 people, this represents a near doubling of accessible financial services.

These numbers are significant, but what do they mean for the people of Haiti? Why should we care about the growth of mobile money in Haiti and the rest of the developing world?

First, mobile money accelerates access to financial services for the 1.8 billion people with access to a phone but not a bank. It allows people to safely store and send money to friends and family in need. Today, 15 million Kenyans, or 70 percent of the country's adult population, use Safaricom's mMoney product, M-PESA to manage their money. Five years ago, only six million Kenyans had access to basic financial services. This is a vast improvement when the alternative is sticking money in a mudjar or under a mattress. Payments also become the rails upon which other financial services -- savings, remittances, credit, and insurance --can ride. It allows the poor to reclaim a sense of stability and security in a world often characterized by uncertainty and vulnerability.

Second, it also serves as the lynchpin in government efforts to improve transparency, mitigate corruption, and enable responsive government. Take Afghanistan as an example. When the Afghan government started paying government employees and police officers through mobile phones, the employees thought they had received a nearly 30 percent raise. Instead, they were paid what they were supposed to be paid for the first time but without middlemen taking a percentage as it passed through their hands. These payments can also be quickly disbursed and tracked, which engenders accountability and responsiveness across government.

Third, mobile money helps unlock the private sector to create sustainable fee-for-service models. In Kenya, 700 innovative businesses exist because they integrated with M-PESA to lower transaction costs enough to profitably extend critical services to people in remote areas. In agriculture, UAP Insurance and the Syngenta Foundation partnered to offer farmers index-based insurance using M-PESA to collect small premiums and issue payouts. In health, Changamka Microhealth Ltd. is using M-PESA's bill pay function to help expectant mothers save for maternity health care. In water, Grundfos LIFELINK levered M-PESA to create a fee-for-service model whereby rural communities access safe water and pay for it using M-PESA.

It is no doubt going to take time and effort for Haiti to follow in Kenya's footsteps. And it is certainly true that mobile money cannot transform a country by itself. We still need the bricks. We still need the human ingenuity and resilient spirit evident all across Haiti. But two years after the earthquake, we're making real progress, click by click.

Editor's Note: This entry also appears on the USAID Impact Blog. Learn more about USAID's work in Haiti here.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/mobile_money_haiti_2012/ 2012-01-17T21:14:37+00:00
Today, we are back at work, and we look to the challenges that remain: half of the rubble created by the quake is still there, and more than 500,000 people still live in tents. The commitment of the U.S. government toward Haiti remains strong and, together with our international partners, we support the Haitian government's continued efforts to clear rubble, rebuild neighborhoods, and find long-term shelter for the displaced.

Most of Haiti's woes did not begin with the earthquake, and chief among the long-term problems faced by millions of Haitians is the lack of employment opportunity. About 80 percent of the population is un- or underemployed, and more than three-quarters of the population lives on $2 dollars per day or less. Our foreign assistance can help build a foundation for a better future in Haiti, whether it is increasing electrical output or agricultural productivity, or strengthening the Haitian National Police and Haiti's healthcare system, but foreign assistance, by itself, is not a sustainable solution.

To achieve the transformative change that Haiti needs and provide long-term, sustainable benefits to the Haitian people, Haiti needs private sector investment.

Only investment creates the jobs that Haitians so desperately need and provides the tax revenue that the Haitian state sorely lacks. When people have jobs they have the dignity that comes from being able to provide for their families and the freedom to make their own choices. And when the government has more revenue, it can fund better schools, hospitals, and roads, and more and better-equipped police officers to keep Haiti's streets safe.

There are encouraging developments here. Construction is underway in northern Haiti on the Caracol Industrial Park, which will create more than 20,000 jobs in its initial stages and is anchored by a $78 million investment from Korean apparel manufacturer Sae-A Co., Ltd. In December, international hotel chain Marriott announced that it would operate a new hotel to be built in downtown Haiti. Haitian President Martelly and his cabinet have made job creation a priority for the Haitian government, telling the world that "Haiti is open for business."

These are good things, but Haiti needs to attract more investment to create more jobs. President Martelly recently created a Presidential Advisory Council on Economic Growth and Investment, which brings together the public and private sectors and will keep people focused on the opportunities here. This is good. More importantly, the government needs to make it easier to start a business, obtain construction permits, and secure legal land title. Through these simple steps, this government will be well on its way to succeed in truly opening Haiti for business.

I have been following Haiti for the last 25 years, and I am optimistic about the future. Haitians want to work and work well when they have the opportunity, and the few investors that have started operations in Haiti during this time, whether in telecommunications, commerce, and manufacturing, have created jobs and made money. I welcome the government's efforts to bring investment and jobs to Haiti as soon as possible and I look to it to move swiftly to simplify the processes to allow new business to be formed quickly. Investment can transform this country. The Haitian people cannot afford anything less.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/investment_haiti/ 2012-01-13T14:51:18+00:00
There is so much work still to be done -- by the government and people of Haiti, international partners, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Too often when things begin heading in the right direction, commitments wane and past habits reemerge. We must not let that happen. On the part of the United States, we know in Haiti we have not always measured success by whether the lives of Haitians visibly improved. And, we are continuing to take steps to do better, implementing the principles President Obama set out for effective development in his administration: coordinating with other stakeholders, working closely with the Government of Haiti and following their lead, and holding ourselves accountable through rigorous monitoring of results. We are focused on improving our impact further -- from decreasing the time it takes to contract for critical needs and increasing the number of contracts we award through Haitian entities and local partners, to widening the scope and enhancing the effectiveness of our work to build Haitian capacity, to speeding the time it takes for our investments to get on the ground and have an impact.

In the coming days there will be stories about Haiti that focus on what still must be done -- like speeding the progress of donors' deployment of assistance, finding homes for the 500,000 people who still live in camps, remaining vigilant to dampen the impact of cholera, and creating more jobs, investment and economic growth. We agree. But we also think it is important to recognize the successes that are too seldom discussed or celebrated -- particularly given how great Haiti's needs were even before the earthquake. And Haiti has made progress. So I wanted to take a moment to share some of those successes.

Ten Things You May Not Know About Haiti Today

1. Almost two-thirds of the estimated 1.5 million Haitians living in tent shelters after the January 2010 earthquake have left camps, many returning to houses that have undergone structural improvements or moving into temporary shelters and permanent homes.

The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has completed more than 28,500 temporary shelters, housing approximately 143,000 people. The U.S. government has also funded repairs to more than 6,000 "yellow" structures -- those that were deemed structurally safe if repairs are made. Today, more than 40,000 have returned to those homes.

2. Over half of the estimated 10 million cubic meters of rubble created by the earthquake has been removed -- almost 50 percent of which was removed through efforts of the U.S. government.

3. In 2011, Haitians went to the polls and elected a new President, Michel Martelly, to succeed Rene Preval. This election marked the first democratic transfer of power from one democratically elected government leader to a member of the opposition.

4. For the first time in more than 25 years, Haiti is poised to have all three branches -- executive, legislative and judiciary -- of government in place. President Martelly has appointed three members of the Supreme Court, including the Court's president -- a position that was vacant for six years and is central to the judiciary's oversight body.

5. The Haitian Ministry of Health, supported by the international community including USG through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and USAID, led the international community's response to prevent and treat cholera -- bringing the case mortality rate below the international standard of one percent.

6. According to the UN Special Envoy for Haiti's website, of the 4.5 billion pledged for Haiti for 2010-2011, approximately 2.4 billion had been spent by December 2011. In October, the legislative mandate for the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC) ended. During its tenure, the Commission approved 89 projects across 8 sectors valued at more than 3 billion dollars. Even in the absence of a legislatively mandated coordination mechanism, the 12 largest donors continue to leverage the relationships built through the IHRC to coordinate among themselves and work with the Government of Haiti through resident representatives.

7. The Government of Haiti, with the support of stakeholders, including the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), is providing schooling to 260,000 elementary students for a total of 750,000 elementary students enrolled this school year.

8. The Government of Haiti is overhauling its state-owned electricity company, Electricite D'Haiti (EDH), which provides electricity to just 12 percent of the population and requires more than 100 million a year in government subsidy to operate. The Government of Haiti has appointed new Haitian leadership and an internationally respected turnaround management team funded by the U.S. government. In the first three months, the new management has helped the utility company improve its operations, its transparency and its fiscal efficiency, identifying more than 1.6 million in monthly savings. The new management will not only improve and expand services, but also help reduce the substantial government subsidy for EDH's operations, freeing these resources up for other critical needs.

9. The U.S. government is doing development differently in Haiti, consistent with the principles of the Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development and its focus on catalyzing economic growth:

Caracol Industrial Park: In November, President Martelly, President Clinton, and Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Moreno and more than a 1,000 members of the local community took part in an official ceremony laying the Park's foundation, on track for its March opening. The speed and efficiency of implementation rivals the fast-moving construction schedules of industrial projects across the Americas, Europe and Asia. The 250-hectare Caracol Industrial Park in northern Haiti is a 300 million public-private partnership supported by increased U.S. trade preferences under the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Act and the coordination mechanisms created by the IHRC. The USG helped convene the GOH, the IDB and Korea's largest apparel manufacturer, Sae-A, the Park's anchor tenant. Sae-A has committed to create 20,000 direct jobs and invest 78 million over six years, one of the largest investments in Haiti's modern history. With the arrival of other tenants, the Park has the potential to create 65,000 direct jobs, with additional opportunities expected for vendors, repair shops, farmers and other small businesses. USG investments will provide for electrification, new housing, and port facilities. IDB investments will provide for the construction of the park facilities and roads. The GOH is contributing the land and managing the project top to bottom with a team of Haitian professionals.

Agriculture: Through USG investments in agriculture and food security, more than 9,700 farmers have benefited from improved seeds, fertilizer, technologies, and techniques. This has resulted in a 64 percent increase in rice yields, a 338 percent increase in corn yields, a 97 percent increase in bean crop yields and a 21 percent increase in plantain yields for these farmers. As a result of a full value chain approach, incomes are up over 50 percent for 8,750 small farmers.

10. Haiti is experiencing continued and increasing international investment interest. A multi-day conference on business development opportunities in Haiti drew around 1,000 business leaders from the private sector as well as officials from 29 countries spanning the Americas, Asia and Europe. Marriot and Digicel announced the construction of a new 45 million Marriot hotel in Port-Au-Prince, with the construction by several developers of more than 750 hotel rooms in the pipeline -- representing the largest growth in the industry for the Caribbean region, which includes popular tourist destinations in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

When I first started working in Haiti, someone steeped in working there said to me, "you cannot chase needs in Haiti because Haiti's needs are too great. You must chase opportunities." I urge everyone to continue to chase opportunities in Haiti -- to stay committed. In the days and weeks after the earthquake, more than half of all Americans gave money to help make a difference in Haiti's future. I encourage you to go back to the organization you supported -- you will see the difference you helped make -- and can continue to make. Together we can help Haitians achieve the future they deserve.

Editor's Note: This entry appeared first on the Huffington Post.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/haiti_two_years_post_earthquake/ 2012-01-10T02:24:47+00:00
As part of the USAID ACCESSO initiative that targets 18,000 poor rural households in Honduras, the Diaz family was given assistance in the form of training, fertilizer, seed, and irrigation that allowed them to grow better and more nutritious food for their family. It also allowed them to produce a surplus that can be sold to generate income. Thanks to this, Mr. Diaz did not need to leave his family in search of work in the city, or abroad.

Mario Corea Pineda has gone a step further. He is a small farmer -- a carrot producer -- who, with the support of the ACCESSO program, has been able to improve the quality of his carrots so that they now meet market requirements, and are readily sold.

In my role as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Food and Agriculture agencies in Rome, I went to Honduras accompanied by five journalists from Central and South America to see the work the United States and the UN Food and Agriculture agencies are doing in the field. For me it is an opportunity to hear from U.S. and UN staff on the ground about their challenges and successes and, more importantly, from the people such as Nora and Mario, who benefit from the programs.

For the journalists who accompany me -- in this case all young and eager -- the tours are a precious opportunity to learn hands-on about what the United States is doing to improve food security through USAID and the Feed the Future program, and how its strong financial support of UN agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is improving the lives of poor and hungry rural families in the region.

Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, with 65 percent of Hondurans living in poverty. It is sparsely populated and, as we discovered in just two days driving through the countryside, many rural communities are very isolated. It took us two hours driving on unpaved back-roads through beautiful, mostly uninhabited green hills, and past very primitive isolated homes, to reach the town of Reitoca. There, very much in the middle of nowhere, is a lively town of 1,000 people with a committed mayor and Municipal Grain Bank supported by FAO.

The Grain Bank has changed the lives of the farmers of Reitoca. They now have a communal facility in which to store their maize and beans so they can weather fluctuations of price and times of scarcity. The Bank buys grains at harvest time, when prices are low, and loans grains to needy families when prices rise, contingent on their commitment to use sustainable agricultural practices and evidence of shortages in the household.

In the hills of Reitoca, we also met with a farmer involved in a FAO project that is making a difference in rural mountain communities. Local famer Celso Sierra, dressed for the occasion in a brand-new shirt and shiny silver cowboy hat, explained how the agro-forestry techniques FAO advocates have enabled him to produce more, and in an environmentally sustainable way. "Now I re-harvest my own seed, I have planted trees to prevent soil erosion, and my maize yield has increased to four tons per hectare!" Celso Sierra told me.

WFP is the UN's "first response" organization for emergencies around the globe, providing timely food relief to areas hit by disasters as well as preventing hunger through programs to help communities become more food secure. In Honduras we visited a site that combined both of these roles. In Los Llanitos, a town hit by a flood last October, we observed WFP's School Feeding program in action. WEP's School Feeding program provides meals to school children, ensuring they get at least one nutritious meal a day and serving as an incentive for families to send their children to school.

Of the many promising projects that are making a difference in Honduras, the FAO/WFP organized urban gardens in the capital of Tegucigalpa were particularly striking. On the edges of an already poor city sit the colonias, or slums. In the heart of this slum of wood and tin shacks and mud, where there is no running water, vegetables are growing in the most unexpected places: truck tires, buckets, hanging coke bottles, suspended hammocks of plastic. 347 of these home gardens have been created in five poor city neighborhoods, providing women with vegetables, a sense of pride and accomplishment, and a community group. Twenty-year-old Zullema Ulloa, her best dress and heels contrasting with the shack behind her, told me how this garden made her feel good. "I not only spend less on these foods, and save money, but I am also contributing to the household economy, in addition to taking care of my son," she said.

All the projects we saw are making a difference. Now we must scale them up, so more people can participate and benefit, and ultimately break free of assistance. To do this we must work in partnership with UN agencies, NGOs, and national governments to ensure they invest in agricultural development and in women as well as promote involvement by the private sector. I was encouraged in Honduras by the active participation of the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Jacobo Ragalado, who I thank, along with my fellow U.S. Ambassador Lisa Kubiske for accompanying us enthusiastically on the tour, as well as by the eagerness of the representatives of the U.S. government and the UN agencies to strengthen their work in the future.

And I am happy to know that Nora Diaz, her two children, and her husband will be together this year.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/nutrition_agriculture_honduras/ 2012-01-06T20:06:39+00:00 Cooperativa Agricola Integral Mujeres Quatro Pinos (Integrated Women's Agricultural Cooperative) in the central highlands of Guatemala is a heartening example of what women can accomplish when they set their minds to it, work together and receive the necessary investment support.

I visited Quatro Pinos' vegetable production, processing, and marketing operation last month on a media tour of Guatemala as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations agencies in Rome.

In just six years, the cooperative has grown from a group of 35 women with small vegetable plots to a 350-member cooperative that manages 415 acres of land. Since the fall of 2010, they have quadrupled their production from 450,000 to 2 million pounds of vegetables. They grow snow peas, English peas, string beans, and mini carrots that they then process, package and export -- much to the United States.

What makes Quatro Pinos so succesful? I think the key ingredient is its core group of proud, dynamic, hard-working, and determined women coupled with some strategic assistance from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in the form of access to loans, markets, business training, and cooperation from the private sector -- in this case AGEXPORT, the Guatemalan exporters' association.

It was an uphill climb as these women struggled for the right to work and create their business in a male-dominated society. At the beginning (2004) the local governing council -- without a single woman on its board -- strongly resisted the formation of the coop and initially blocked all efforts to set it up. And later, even after granting permission to establish the coop, only men from the council could decide which women were admitted. But slowly, with determination, the women prevailed.

As I listened to these hardworking women explain the history of their coop, I was excited to hear how this initiative had changed their lives, by giving them an income and helping them achieve an unprecedented level of independence.

Piedad Flores, now the head of projects at Quatro Pinos, farmed just a quarter of an acre of land, but thanks to the co-op she was able to obtain a loan and purchase more land, "Now I am an owner!" she said proudly.

Two other projects we visited in Guatemala that day provide similar support to local communities. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress program in Chimaltenango is supporting 3,291 local farmers with technology (greenhouses, combined irrigation and fertilizer systems, cold storage, and collecting centers), training in farming techniques such as composting, and help in the commercialization of their products. We watched them plant organic gardens, saw where they processed their produce and made jams, and visited a flower workshop where women were shown how to give added value to the flowers they grow by packaging them in appealing ways. The USDA project has benefited from the service of experts from the Borlaug Institute, part of the Texas A&M University system, and funds from USAID. It will be turned over to a local organization, SENDEC, at the end of the year.

We also observed similar projects supported by our UN partners down near the coast in the Rancho Alegre community in San Andres Villa Seca (Retalhuleu province). This is the site of a World Food Programme (WFP) Purchase for Progress (P4P) project working in conjunction with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to support a local small farmers' organization (ASODINA). P4P encourages these farmers to produce a surplus of maize and black beans that the WFP then purchases for its emergency operations in the area, while concurrently helping them find other purchasers. As always in Guatemala, the Rancho Alegre farmers welcomed us enthusiastically, and I was proud to cut the ribbon for the inauguration of their new agro-storage facility there. Nearby, we met farmer Eliot Gonzales and his family of eight, who shyly posed for a photo with me in front of their healthy corn field sown with drought-tolerant seeds provided by the FAO, which also assisted Eliot with techniques to improve his production.

Guatemala undoubtedly faces great challenges in terms of inequality, security, and especially poverty and malnutrition -- largely among its big indigenous population. But as I told the many people I met there, I left Guatemala with a profound sense of hope, a real confidence that given the proper support, local communities already command the essential ingredients for a brighter future. These are proud and determined people who are eager to learn, and eager to improve their lot. The United States and the UN organizations, in concert with the government of Guatemala, must continue to give them an opportunity to reach their true potential.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/guatemala_better_future/ 2012-01-04T16:44:29+00:00