VZCZCXRO6215
PP RUEHCD RUEHGA RUEHGD RUEHHA RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHQU RUEHTM RUEHVC
DE RUEHBU #0533/01 1142042
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 232042Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0866
INFO RUCNMRC/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BUENOS AIRES 000533 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR RM (SABA), WHA/BSC (DRUCKER), WHA/PDA (BARNES), AND R 
SANTIAGO, BRAZILIA, MONTEVIDEO, ASUNCION, PLEASE PASS TO 
AMBASSADORS. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO KSUM AR
SUBJECT: NGO FAIR AT AMBASSADOR WAYNE4S RESIDENCE 
 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: AMBASSADOR WAYNE HOSTED A VERY SUCCESSFUL NGO FAIR AT 
HIS RESIDENCE ON APRIL 8. MORE THAN 60 NGOS FROM ACROSS ARGENTINA 
GATHERED AT THE AMBASSADOR'S HOME IN BUENOS AIRES, WHERE THEY HAD 
THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM EMBASSIES, 
INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC COMPANIES, FOUNDATIONS, AND PUBLIC AND 
PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS FROM BUENOS AIRES AND THE INTERIOR WITH THE 
COMMON GOAL OF FORMING TIES THAT WOULD LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF 
SOCIALLY BENEFICIAL PROJECTS. ALSO PRESENT AT THE EVENT WAS 
ARGENTINA'S LABOR MINISTER CARLOS TOMADA, WHO WELCOMED THIS 
INITIATIVE. THE EVENT WAS WIDELY AND POSITIVELY COVERED BY LOCAL 
MEDIA AND RECEIVED VERY POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM U.S. AND LOCAL NGOS. 
END SUMMARY. 
¶2. AMBASSADOR WAYNE HOSTED AN ALL-DAY NGO FAIR AT HIS RESIDENCE IN 
BUENOS AIRES ON APRIL 8. THE FAIR WAS CONCEIVED AS A FOLLOW-UP TO 
THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON THE AMERICAS, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN JULY 
¶2007. UPON THEIR RETURN FROM WASHINGTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS OF 9 OF 
THE 11 NGOS WHO ATTENDED THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE MET WITH 
AMBASSADOR WAYNE AT HIS INVITATION TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE FOLLOW-UP 
ACTIVITIES; OUT OF THAT DISCUSSION CAME THE IDEA THAT THE EMBASSY 
BRING A GROUP OF NGOS AND FUNDING SOURCES TOGETHER TO STRENGTHEN THE 
OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN ARGENTINA. THE 
AMBASSADOR STRONGLY ENDORSED THE IDEA AND, AS A FIRST STEP, HOSTED A 
MEETING IN SEPTEMBER FOR REPRESENTATIVES FROM 11 EMBASSIES TO 
DISCUSS HOW THEY SUPPORT THE WORK OF ARGENTINE NGOS AND TO SOLICIT 
THEIR INPUT ON HOW BEST TO STRUCTURE A FAIR. FROM THIS MEETING CAME 
A WORKING GROUP OF EIGHT EMBASSIES, AMONG THEM THE UK, SPAIN, CANADA 
AND GERMANY WHO, ALONG WITH THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS, 
BECAME OUR PARTNERS IN THIS ENDEAVOR. THE EMBASSY ALSO REACHED OUT 
TO THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE'S CORPORATE SOCIAL 
RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) COMMITTEE TO ENGAGE THEM IN THE EVENT.  AS A 
RESULT, 16 OF THE 18 AMCHAM CSR MEMBERS HOSTED BOOTHS AT THE FAIR. 
AMONG THE US MULTINATIONALS PRESENT WERE FORD, KIMBERLY CLARK, 
APACHE, CITIBANK, AND ORACLE. THE 11 NGOS WHO ATTENDED THE WHITE 
HOUSE CONFERENCE ON THE AMERICAS SELECTED MOST OF THE NGO INVITEES, 
ALL OF WHOM HAD SOLID TRACK RECORDS AND COULD BENEFIT FROM 
INTERACTION WITH MORE ESTABLISHED ARGENTINE NGOS, U.S. FOUNDATIONS, 
AND FUNDING SOURCES IN BOTH THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS. EUROPEAN 
COMPANIES ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE FAIR. 
¶3.  THE DAY BEGAN WITH WELCOME REMARKS BY THE AMBASSADOR, FOLLOWED 
BY A PANEL DISCUSSION ON "TAKING YOUR NGO TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF 
EFFECTIVENESS: BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND NGO PERSPECTIVES." THE 
PANELISTS WERE AMBASSADOR LARRY PALMER, PRESIDENT OF THE USG'S 
INTER-AMERICAN FOUNDATION; GUILLERMO CORREA, DIRECTOR OF THE 
ARGENTINE NETWORK FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION (RACI); AND GUSTAVO 
AVERBUJ, CEO OF KETCHUM, A U.S. PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING 
COMPANY.  EACH SHARED HIS EXPERIENCE, AT BOTH THE PERSONAL AND 
INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL, AND ANSWERED NUMEROUS QUESTIONS FROM AN 
AUDIENCE EAGER TO ENGAGE THE PRESENTERS. THE MAIN SUBJECT OF THE 
LIVELY DISCUSSION THAT ENSUED WAS THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE PUBLIC 
AND PRIVATE SECTORS. 
¶4. FOLLOWING THE PANEL DISCUSSION, THE INVITEES FROM THE NGO 
COMMUNITY WERE ENCOURAGED TO VISIT THE TABLES MANNED BY 
REPRESENTATIVES FROM OUR NGO AND EMBASSY PARTNERS, U.S. AND 
INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES, AND FOUNDATIONS. DURING A FAST-PACED HOUR 
AND A HALF, THE VISITORS AND THEIR HOSTS EXCHANGED BUSINESS CARDS, 
PAMPHLETS, AND INFORMATION, WITH AN EYE TOWARD FINDING POTENTIAL 
PARTNERS, EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITIES FOR JOINT INITIATIVES, AND 
BUILDING NETWORKS. 
¶5. KEYNOTE SPEAKER PETER SHIRAS, EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE 
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FOUNDATION, THEN TOOK THE FLOOR TO SPEAK ON THE 
TOPIC: "WHAT FOUNDATIONS LOOK FOR IN AN NGO." SHIRAS, WITH VAST 
EXPERIENCE IN THE REGION AND IN NGO AFFAIRS, GAVE AN AUTHORITATIVE 
PRESENTATION FOCUSED ON HIS 10 PRINCIPLES FOR MOVING "FROM GOOD TO 
EXCELLENT" IN NGO MANAGEMENT, WHICH WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED BY THE 
MORE THAN 100 MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE. FOLLOWING HIS ADDRESS, SHIRAS 
WAS INTERVIEWED BY SEVERAL LOCAL TV STATIONS, DURING WHICH HE 
PRAISED THE NGO FAIR AS A FORUM THAT CONNECTS PEOPLE AND RAISES 
IMPORTANT ISSUES FOR DIALOGUE AND AS A MODEL FOR OTHER EMBASSIES 
WORLDWIDE. TV AND RADIO CORRESPONDENTS ALSO INTERVIEWED THE 
AMBASSADOR AND OTHER FAIR PARTICIPANTS DURING THE DAY. 
¶6.  THE NGO FAIR CONCLUDED WITH A TOAST HOSTED BY THE AMBASSADOR FOR 
THE HEADS OF THE NGOS, COMPANIES, FOUNDATIONS AND EMBASSIES WHO 
PARTICIPATED AS CO-HOSTS OF THE FAIR, FOLLOWED BY A LUNCH-RECEPTION 
FOR ALL FAIR PARTICIPANTS. IN HIS REMARKS AT THE TOAST, THE 
AMBASSADOR UNDERSCORED THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC-PRIVATE 
PARTNERSHIPS. HE WAS JOINED BY LABOR MINISTER CARLOS TOMADA, WHO 
HIMSELF HAS STRONG TIES TO THE NGO COMMUNITY. TOMADA THANKED THE 
AMBASSADOR FOR CARING ABOUT THE ARGENTINE PEOPLE AND ENCOURAGED THE 
EMBASSY TO HOST MORE EVENTS OF THIS KIND.  IN AN IMPROMPTU SPEECH, 
WHICH BROUGHT A HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE FROM THE AUDIENCE, THE 
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ONE OF OUR PARTNER NGOS THANKED AMBASSADOR 
WAYNE FOR HIS SUPPORT OF THE NGO COMMUNITY AND EXPRESSED HIS HOPE 
THAT THE EMBASSY WOULD HOST A FAIR AGAIN NEXT YEAR. 
¶7.  THE NGO FAIR GENERATED SUBSTANTIAL POSITIVE PRESS COVERAGE FOR 
THE EMBASSY.  IT WAS COVERED BY ARGENTINA'S LEADING NEWSPAPER, RADIO 
STATION AND NEWS WEBSITE.  THE DAILY CLARIN, WHICH SELLS 400,000 
NEWSPAPERS DAILY, CARRIED A STORY ON THE FAIR ON ITS GENERAL NEWS 
PAGES THE NEXT DAY.  AMBASSADOR WAYNE WAS INTERVIEWED LIVE FROM THE 
FAIR BY RADIO 10, WHICH HAS AN AUDIENCE OF OVER 1.5 MILLION.  THE 
 
BUENOS AIR 00000533  002 OF 002 
 
 
COUNTRY'S LEADING NEWS WEBSITE, INFOBAE.COM, WITH OVER THREE MILLION 
VISITS A DAY, POSTED A STORY ON THE EVENT.  OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS WITH 
SMALLER BUT TARGETED AUDIENCES ALSO CARRIED THE NEWS, INCLUDING ONE 
OF THE CITY'S FIVE BROADCAST TV CHANNELS, AMERICA TV, THE 24 HOUR TV 
NEWS CHANNEL C5N, AND THE STATE-RUN NEWS AGENCY, TELAM, WHICH 
REACHES HUNDREDS OF PUBLICATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 
¶8.  COMMENT: BY ALL ACCOUNTS, THE NGO FAIR WAS A SUCCESS. THE 
EVALUATIONS FILLED OUT BY THE PARTICIPANTS WERE EXCEPTIONALLY 
POSITIVE AND REFLECTED THE DESIRE OF BOTH NGOS AND FUNDING SOURCES 
TO MAKE THE FAIR AN ANNUAL EVENT.  HILTON HOTEL REPRESENTATIVES HAVE 
ALREADY APPROACHED THE EMBASSY ABOUT PARTNERING WITH US ON AN EVENT 
NEXT YEAR AT THEIR HOTEL, WHICH WOULD PROVIDE A LARGER SPACE TO 
ACCOMMODATE MORE PARTICIPANTS.  U.S. AND LOCAL NGO LEADERS 
REPEATEDLY EXPRESSED THEIR APPRECIATION FOR THE EVENT. THE POSITIVE 
COVERAGE OF THE FAIR BY THE PRESS HAS HELPED SOLIDIFY OUR REPUTATION 
AS AN EMBASSY THAT HAS AN ACTIVE SOCIAL AGENDA AND CARES ABOUT 
ARGENTINA AND ITS PEOPLE. 
¶9. TO SEE MORE BUENOS AIRES REPORTING, VISIT OUR CLASSIFIED WEBSITE 
AT: 
HTTP://WWW.STATE.SQOV.GOV/P/WHA/BUENOSAIRES 
 
WAYNE