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RR RUEHAST RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHSL RUEHTM
RUEHTRO
DE RUEHC #8937/01 2381411
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 261355Z AUG 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

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