VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMN #0536 2601653
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171653Z SEP 09 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9357
INFO RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 2642
RUCNMER/MESUR COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS MONTEVIDEO 000536 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/BSC MARY DASCHBACH 
 
UNCLASSIFIED 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV UY
SUBJECT:  FIFTY NGOS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS COME 
TOGETHER AT EMBASSY-SPONSORED EVENT 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  Embassy Montevideo held its first ever Civil Society 
Summit on August 28.  The event was a huge success, bringing 
together more than 80 community activists and government 
officials from 50 organizations.  Post used the event to 
explain to eager but inexperienced local NGOs how best to 
pursue funding opportunities, and to highlight the local role 
of the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), an entity without a 
high profile here despite being active since 1974 in 12 of 
Uruguay's 19 departments.   End Summary. 
 
Embassy MontevideoQs First Civil Society Summit a Success 
-------------------------- ------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  Post invited representatives from dozens of local 
organizations to take part in a Civil Society Summit held on 
August 28 in Montevideo.   Post used the NGO Fair that Embassy 
Buenos Aires sponsors each year as a model from which it 
shaped an event appropriate for UruguayQs size and civil 
society needs.   The Uruguayan media was on hand to interview 
the Charge and other key participants.  Press coverage of the 
event was extensive. 
 
The Proceedings 
--------------- 
 
¶3.  Charge Matthewman presided over the opening ceremony, and 
she was followed by a representative of the Uruguayan NGO 
umbrella organization, the National Association of NGOs 
(ANONG), who spoke about the important role of coordinating 
organizations in civil society.  PostQs Information Resource 
Center (IRC) also made a presentation informing participants 
of the services offered through the embassy and how to access 
grant and other information through the IRC. 
 
¶4.  Two panels comprised the remainder of the program.  In the 
first panel, Jeremy Coon, IAF Foundation Representative for 
Uruguay, Tracy Betts, IDB Country Representative for Uruguay, 
and Valeria Bolla, World Bank Public Affairs Coordinator in 
Uruguay, gave presentations on the mechanics of creating a 
fundable project.  They explained concepts and terminology 
that constitute vital parts of the application process, but 
with which many local organizations were unfamiliar.  The 
speakers also utilized the venue to present upcoming projects 
and grant opportunities, and to emphasize the importance of 
developing civil society in Uruguay.  The second panel 
featured four NGOs discussing successful projects that had 
been funded by IAF, IDB or World Bank.  The NGO "A House, A 
Dream" won IAF support to build 30 homes for families who had 
previously lived in shacks.  The Dairy Association of 
Paysand, another grateful IAF grantee, spoke about how their 
sales grew thanks to an IAF grant.  The Support Center for 
Integral Development (CADI), discussed how IDB financing 
helped them build a center for young impoverished children. 
Finally, the National Union of the Blind talked about its 
World Bank-funded Braille-language magazine which enabled it 
to provide blind people with access to current news and other 
topics of interest. 
 
Increased Mutual Understanding 
------------------------------ 
 
¶5.  The event contributed significantly to postQs top mission 
goal of increasing mutual understanding between Uruguay and 
the U.S.   It raised consciousness about U.S. development 
efforts in Uruguay, while giving embassy personnel the 
opportunity to learn about civil society in Uruguay.  The 
event allowed the embassy to lead a dialogue between diverse 
and occasionally competing non-profit groups, and to set a 
tone of cooperation and embassy involvement.  The participants 
had the opportunity to share information, ideas, and projects 
that will potentially create future partnerships.  Post 
received excellent feedback on the conference from both the 
presenters and the participants.  Post is also now included on 
the distribution lists of more local NGOs, giving embassy 
personnel more awareness of civil society activity.  Overall, 
the event was a valuable undertaking, which helped 
organizations to cooperate on joint projects that will benefit 
Uruguayans in need, while at the same time highlighting the 
positive role the United States plays in assisting those who 
most need help. 
 
SCHANDLBAUER