VZCZCXRO5133
RR RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #2378/01 3132037
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 092037Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 BRASILIA 002378 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT PASS USAID TO LAC/RSD, LAC/SAM, G/ENV, PPC/ENV 
USDA FOR FOREST SERVICE: L MAHEW 
INTERIOR FOR DIR INT AFFAIRS: K WASHBURN 
INTERIOR FOR FWS: M RATCHFORD 
INTERIOR PASS USGS FOR INTERNATIONAL: J WEAVER 
Add National Parks Service here if possible 
JUSTICE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES: J WEBB 
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL: C HILL-MACON 
NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL: H STOLBERG 
 
E.O.: N/A 
TAGS: OTRA XM XL BR
SUBJECT: BRASILIA HUB HOSTS 2006 CONFERENCE OF WESTERN HEMISPHERE 
ESTH OFFICERS AT FOZ DO IGUASSU 
 
Reftel BRASILIA 2048 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  The September 13-16 Western Hemisphere Environment, Science, 
Technology and Health Officers Conference (ESTHOC) in Foz do Iguazu, 
Brazil was by all accounts a great success.  Forty-six people 
representing US embassies in nineteen Latin American countries as 
well as USG entities USGS, EPA, USAID, ONR/DOD, DOJ, DOS/OES, 
DOS/Public Affairs, DOS/NAS, and DOS/INR took part in ESTHOC.  The 
two-and-a-half-day event covered ESTH issues of current concern in 
the Western Hemisphere including: Energy, Climate Change, S&T 
Cooperation, Avian Influenza, General Health Issues, Trade and 
Environment, Wildlife Trafficking, Forests, Biodiversity, Fisheries, 
the White Water to Blue Water partnership, and the impact of the 
Department's Strategic Framework and Foreign Assistance reform 
efforts on the role of ESTH Officers and on future funding for ESTH 
programs.  This was an excellent opportunity to exchange information 
between and among USG agencies, different offices in the Department 
of State, and ESTH officers at posts in the region.  The conference 
generated renewed energy for actively advancing ESTH issues as a key 
contribution to the Secretary's vision of transformational 
diplomacy, new partnerships developed among ESTHOffs, OES and WHA 
officers, other agencies, and a percolationn of new ideas on areas 
for future cooperation.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  During the first two days of the conference, experts on issues 
ranging from national parks to the Methanes to Markets partnership 
made presentations and were able to bring the assembled ESTH 
officers up to speed on these topics.  These experts, from the 
Department of State and other USG agencies, used this time to 
explain the role of each agency and DOS office in handling ESTH 
issues in the region as well as outlining current programs and 
projects and areas for future cooperation.  Of particular utility in 
an atmosphere of shrinking budgets were the presentations made by 
offices, bureaus, and agencies that illustrated ways to leverage 
existing funding, programs, and partnerships to increase our ESTH 
 
BRASILIA 00002378  002 OF 005 
 
 
cooperation with national governments without needing additional 
financial resources. 
 
¶3.  Each ESTH officer also had an opportunity to share with the 
group the most important and germane ESTH issues for the country in 
which they are posted.  This feedback was beneficial not only to the 
assembled group in showing that many of these issues such as 
environmental law enforcement and governance are nearly universal, 
but in also illustrating to the OES bureau what the posts see as the 
top ESTH priorities in each country.  This discussion was then taken 
into break-out groups to look for areas of convergence.  (Note:  Due 
to the nature of the countries represented, we attempted to separate 
them into subgroups based on the likelihood of having issues in 
common with each other and not strictly based on the definition of 
who is or is not part of the CAFTA-DR Free Trade Agreement for 
example.  End Note.)  These break-out groups were:  Andean countries 
(Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, and Bolivia), CAFTA-DR 
countries (Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Dominican Republic, El 
Salvador, Guyana, Jamaica, and Panama), and Southern Cone countries 
(Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia) as well as a final 
group for the Washington perspective. 
 
---------------- 
ANDEAN COUNTRIES 
---------------- 
 
¶3.  This group highlighted the role of Public Affairs as an 
important tool for promoting ESTH issues in the region.  They 
suggested a campaign on genetic piracy (and research), a Voluntary 
Visitors program on forestry/national parks, an 'American corner' 
focused on the environment (drawing on work currently taking place 
in Chile), and a PAS FSN designated for environmental issues.  They 
also agreed on the need to increase coordination with NGOs and learn 
about what other USG agencies are doing in each country.  On 
Indigenous issues, the group suggested a workshop on ecotourism 
(capacity-building) and a regional event on forestry in coordination 
with the USFS.  Other regional/cross-border issues of importance in 
the region are pipelines and environmental safety (with the private 
sector), disaster monitoring, and drugs and the environment.  This 
 
BRASILIA 00002378  003 OF 005 
 
 
group stated that a (topical) list of websites where to get 
grants/funding would be a great tool to help them reach some of 
their goals. 
 
---------- 
CAFTA-DR 
---------- 
 
¶4.  The CAFTA-DR group agreed that energy is currently a main issue 
in the region.  The main focus of energy being on electrical 
generation, the production of ethanol, the need for information on 
what ethanol price structures are (e.g. costs to convert buses for 
biodiesel), and energy conservation programs such as the Green 
Embassies Program and Energy Star.  The group stated that, in the 
region posts need to focus on small projects that work and have 
results.  As for Information Sharing, the group suggests using the 
consular waiting room, DVC programs, and learning more about what 
experts can be either brought to the region or by DVC. 
Interestingly, the group also focused on USAID Cooperation and 
stated that, "We can do better in learning what AID is doing in each 
country and how to leverage their programs." 
 
------------- 
SOUTHERN CONE 
------------- 
 
¶5.  For the Southern Cone group, the use of DOJ's Op-Dat funds to 
run small-scale (regional, national or local) environmental law 
enforcement courses was suggested.  Topics for the Southern Cone 
include: illegal logging, legal reserves, and trafficking in 
animals.  Also, Technical Assistance to National Parks in 
Uruguay/Paraguay was mentioned as a potentially productive area.  As 
Uruguay's National Park System is in its fledgling stages, a group 
IV/VV to bring together the nations various implementing agencies 
would achieve excellent results.  On the topic of TFCA, both 
Paraguay and Uruguay offered viable options for a 
debt-for-nature-swap and could work together to coordinate 
activities toward that end.  The group agreed that Southern Cone 
countries, especially Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay are ripe for 
 
BRASILIA 00002378  004 OF 005 
 
 
regional conferences and speakers due to their close proximity and 
the ease of travel between them.  Again logging, agricultural 
expansion, natural reserves, cross-border watersheds and biofuels 
were topics common to all of the Southern Cone Countries. 
 
¶6.  Biofuels in the Southern Cone was a topic of prolonged 
discussion.  All of the Southern Cone Countries are potential 
epicenters for biofuels (both ethanol - cane or cellulosic - and 
biodiesel).  Two competing interests that need to be guided in this 
process are socio-economic development and agribusiness via the 
production of fuel stocks and conservation of existing biomes at 
risk from monoculture/agricultural encroachment.  A regional 
conference, similar in vein to the recent Sustainable Soy conference 
in Paraguay (BRASILIA 2048) could provide these countries with best 
practices, development models, potential impacts, etc. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶7.  Comment.  The meeting proved to be fruitful and stimulated 
discussion along with immediate actions.  The South America HUB is 
currently working on a new Intranet site, which will integrate 
information from all South America ESTH posts into one central site; 
embassy officials from several countries (i.e. Southern Cone 
countries) discussed working with their Public Affairs sections to 
bring a speaker down from the US National Parks Service to discuss 
concessions inside national parks; several other posts including 
Bolivia resolved to speak with their NAS colleagues to see about 
duplicating the success story on NAS collaboration with wildlife 
trafficking conducted in Brazil with the Science section; and all of 
the participants left energized on these issues and looking for 
other opportunities to collaborate with their host governments on 
ESTH issues. 
 
¶8.  Post thanks the OES Bureau for their support of this conference 
and continued support to the Hub program and individual ESTH 
officers in the region.  With the end of the OES-I program, the need 
for increased coordination and cooperation between and among all USG 
 
BRASILIA 00002378  005 OF 005 
 
 
agencies and OES bureaus involved with ESTH issues will be of 
increasing importance.  The Hub team looks forward to continuing and 
building upon the entrepreneurial spirit shown at this regional 
conference in fulfilling our regional mandate, supporting the 
bilateral missions, and advocating for US ESTH foreign policy. 
 
¶9.  The Brasilia Hub also stands ready to consult with other 
Environmental Hub Offices to share ideas and lessons from the 
organization of this ESTHOC to help ensure the success of similar 
ETHOCs planned for FY 2007 in East Asia and Pacific (February), 
South Central Asia (May) and Africa (September).  End Comment. 
 
 
SOBEL