ln the run up to the International Day for the elimination of violence against women (25 November), we have been involved in a number of events to raise the profile of the issue here in Guatemala. I joined the Ambassadors of France, Sweden and Spain in a high-profile political programme to discuss the role of women here - in a society that is fairly well known for machismo. (For spanish speakers, the video can be seen on the archive of (http://www.libreencuentro.com.gt/).
Separately, I attended an event with a number of victims of violence. I listened to personal stories, which moved many of us to tears. A mother who lost her 3 little girls 5 months ago - raped and killed on their way home from school. A girl, 21 years old, maimed by her husband after she dared to ask for a divorce. A child's desperate call and screams to the police as his mother is beaten. The saddest thing is that so much of the violence here against women is done by people close to them - husbands, fathers, in-laws. Another source of violence is the gangs... women have been found mutilated with messages carved into their bodies that aim to stake out the gang's presence and power in that neighbourhood.
On a more positive note, I also held a meeting with the group “Vital Voices”. They are part of an international network (www.vitalvoices.org) to help women become leaders across the board - politics, business, press, civil society. They offer very practical assistance through a mentoring scheme to give up-and-coming stars solidarity and help from women already at the top. The hope is that by having more strong female role models in society here, women will be perceived more often as equals, not victims.
This week has also seen a lot of action on Climate Change, ahead of the Summit in Copenhagen next month. With the French Ambassador, I co-hosted an event for Guatemala's Vice-President and Copenhagen negotiating team, Belize's Deputy Prime Minister and the Environment Ministers of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
The aim was to encourage the region to adopt a strong, united voice at Copenhagen. The Ministers have since agreed a joint position, which highlights Central America’s vulnerability to the effects of climate change (both drought and severe flooding) and calls for Copenhagen to produce concrete targets for the reduction of carbon emissions as well as funding to help developing countries do the same. There will be plenty of work to do post-Copenhagen and in the run-up to the next major climate change conference in Mexico to support the region's own efforts to reduce emissions and deforestation.
Posted at 16:33 21 November 2009 by Julie Chappell | Comments[2]
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The radio is very popular here in Guatemala - particularly for commuters stuck in traffic. So I jumped at an invitation this week to talk on Radio Punto about the work of the Embassy, and to join my colleagues from Mexico, Sweden and Germany at an 0700 show on Radio Infinta to talk about climate change. Armed with some strong coffee, we talked about the importance of the Summit in Copenhagen; the work we are doing to reduce deforestation; and the opportunities for clean energy in the region - from hydro and solar to lively volcanoes and jatropha biodiesel. (Jatropha is a native plant that can grow in dry, salty land. It's one of the possibilities for generating aviation fuel in the future.)
But luckily - at the end of another busy week - I am now handing over to my deputy David (sadly not David Beckham!) as I try catch some holiday. He's kicking off with the following on weapons in Guatemala:
"I was struck by the headline in Prensa Libre that Guatemala has more weapons than any other Central American country. According to statistics there are over a million weapons in circulation here, of which 800,000 are so illegally. The unregulated supply of arms fuels conflict and undermines stability. This is why the UK supports the development of an international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). An ATT would be a legally binding agreement between States that would help to regulate the global arms market and prevent weapons reaching the hands of those who seek to undermine democracy, hinder development and abuse human rights. An ATT will save lives. Let me know what you think."
Spanish text
Diplomacia Radial
La radio es muy importante acá en Guatemala – particularmente para los que están atorados en el tráfico. Así que asistí a una invitación esta semana para hablar en Radio Punto acerca del trabajo de la Embajada, y para que se nos unieran nuestros colegas de México, Suecia y Alemania en un programa de radio a las 07:00 en Radio Infinita para hablar sobre cambio climático. Armada con café fuerte, hablamos sobre la importancia de la Cumbre en Copenhague; el trabajo que estamos haciendo para reducir la deforestación; y sobre las oportunidades para energía limpia en la región – de hidro y solar hasta volcanes activos y biodiesel jatropha (jatropha es una planta nativa que puede crecer en tierras secas y saladas. Es una de las posibilidades para generar combustible para aviación en el futuro).
Pero con suerte – al final de otra semana ocupada- estoy entregando ahora a mi segundo David (tristemente no David Beckham!) para poder tomas unas vacaciones. El va a comenzar con lo siguiente sobre armas en Guatemala:
"Estuve impresionado con el titular en Prensa Libre que Guatemala tiene más armas que cualquier otro país de Centro América. De acuerdo a las estadísticas, hay más de un millón de armas en circulación, de las cuales 800,000 son ilegales. El suministro no regulado de armas alimenta el conflicto y socava la estabilidad. Es por esto que el Reino Unido apoya el desarrollo de un Tratado de Comercio de Armas. El TCA podría ser un acuerdo vinculante entre Estados que podrían ayudar a regular el mercado de armas globales y prevenir que estos lleguen a manos de quienes quieren socavas la democracia, dificultar el desarrollo y abusar derechos humanos. El TCA salvaría vidas. Cuéntenme qué piensan".
At Radio Punto and with the Ambassadors of Sweden, Mexico and Germany at Radio Infinita
Posted at 15:19 23 October 2009 by Julie Chappell | Comments[0]
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I’ve spent the last week in El Salvador. It’s a fascinating country - small with a population of about 5m (another 2m live abroad) and beautiful (though it has lost 85% of its forest since 1960). Its people have a reputation for being hard working and entrepreneurial. Like the UK, El Salvador focuses a lot on the service industry and being a hub for e.g. communications and transport. It has over 150 miles of beach and some of the best surfing in the world - even Aussies come here to catch some waves! And it has a new Government only 100 days old, following a peaceful change from Right to Left via the ballot box. The Government has no easy task. The global financial crisis has hit El Salvador’s economy (which is dollarised and heavily linked to the US) hard. Remittances from those working abroad are down by 10%, which will affect some of the poorest families. The maras (gangs) are strong, increasingly organised and contribute to one of the highest murder rates in the world. El Salvador's population is also pretty divided. Some want big changes to tackle poverty. Others worry about the impact of big changes on the viability for businesses. President Funes has highlighted President Lula in Brazil as a key role model. While the jury is still out in El Salvador, recent approval ratings are over 70% and there is an exciting air of optimism. A key focus for my meetings with Ministers, universities, companies and civil society was climate change. As a vulnerable country, it makes a lot of sense for El Salvador to work with others in the region for a really ambitious agreement in Copenhagen in December. Helpfully, the ruling party’s manifesto is strongly committed to the protection of the Environment – not least because changes in the environment (desertification in some areas, floods and mudslides in others) often hit the poor most. But climate change is not yet widely spoken about in El Salvador. As one small step to tackle this, I did an interview with Prensa Grafica – a key paper that also has good reach via the internet. I tried to highlight the opportunities that there are for El Salvador to develop its clean energy sources as well as "green services" to help groups (like our Embassy) who want to become carbon-neutral. For anyone hoping to travel to El Salvador but wondering how we provide consular services when the embassy is in Guatemala, the answer is we have an excellent Honorary Consul. George is a fellow Brit but based for a long time in El Salvador. He and his assistant (Julissa) are first-rate. In addition, the embassy team visits regularly to maintain contacts at all levels. Spanish text El Salvador – Tiempos emocionantes Estuve la semana pasada en El Salvador. Es un país fascinante –pequeño con una población de alrededor de 5m (otros 2m viven fuera) y bello (a pesar que ha perdido el 85% de sus bosques desde 1960). Su gente tiene una reputación de ser muy trabajadora y emprendedora. Como en el Reino Unido, El Salvador se enfoca mucho en la industria de servicio y por ser el centro por ejemplo de comunicaciones y transporte. Tiene más de 150 millas de playas y unas de las mejores para surfear –aún los Australianos vienen acá a atrapar algunas olas! Y tiene un nuevo gobierno de sólo 100 días, después de un cambio pacífico de derecha a izquierda a través de las elecciones. El gobierno tiene retos por delante. La crisis financiera global ha impactado la economía de El Salvador (la cual es dolarizada y muy ligada a la de USA) duro. Las remesas de aquellos que viven fuera han bajado un 10% lo cual afecta a algunas de las familias más pobres. Las maras con fuertes, sumamente organizadas y contribuyen a una de las tazas más altas del mundo en muertes. La población de El Salvador está también algo dividida. Algunos quieren grandes cambios para combatir la pobreza. Otros se preocupan acerca del impacto que los grandes cambios puedan tener en la viabilidad para los negocios. El Presidente Funes ha mencionado al Presidente Lula de Brasil como un modelo a seguir. Mientras el jurado todavía está fuera en El Salvador, recientes encuestas dan un 70% de aprobación y hay un excitante aire de optimismo. Uno de los enfoques principales para mis reuniones con los Ministros, universidades, compañías y sociedad civil fue el cambió climático. Como un país vulnerable, tiene mucho sentido para El Salvador trabajar con otros de la región para un acuerdo lo más ambicioso posible en Copenhague en Diciembre. Lo bueno, es que el manifiesto del partido gobernante está fuertemente comprometido a la protección del medio ambiente – no de menos porque los cambios en el ambiente (desertificación en algunas áreas, inundaciones, deslaves en otras) regularmente golpean al más pobre. Pero el cambio climático no es ampliamente mencionado en El Salvador. Como un pequeño paso para combatir esto, me entrevisté con Prensa Gráfica – un periódico muy importante que también tiene buen alcance por el internet. He tratado de mencionar las oportunidades que tiene El Salvador de desarrollar sus recursos de energía limpia así como sus “servicios verdes” para ayudar a grupos (como nuestra Embajada) quienes quieren volverse carbono neutrales. Para cualquiera que desee viajar a El Salvador pero con la duda sobre cómo proveemos nuestros servicios consulares cuando nuestra Embajada está en Guatemala, la respuesta es que tenemos un excelente Cónsul Honorario. George es un ciudadano británico pero que ha estado viviendo en El Salvador por mucho tiempo. El y su asistente (Julissa) son de primera clase. Adicionalmente, el equipo de la Embajada visita regularmente para mantener contactos en todos los niveles.
With our high-flying ex-Chevening scholars from El Salvador (Natalia del Cid, who works at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Martha Jania Ibarra who works at the Wold Bank and Ben Jai Quan who is developing GPS for this region). At the British School in El Salvador with Headmaster George Hobson and Head Boy and Girl. Some of El Salvador's scenery. Note the slightly dicey cafe hanging out on the left! The picture of the volcano is taken from a now derelict hotel. This volcano used to spit lava every 15 minutes up until the 1950s. Story has it that the volcano stopped spitting the day the hotel was inaugurated. 
Posted at 12:39 02 September 2009 by Julie Chappell | Comments[4]
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The realities of a global negotiation!
I met today Guatemala's Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, just back from meetings in Bonn that form part of the run-up to the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December. We discussed the incredible challenge that Copenhagen presents. Climate change requires a global response and a global agreement... that is currently in the form of some 200 pages of text! When I think of the negotiations I have seen among EU or NATO members (less than 30 countries each), the idea is mind-boggling! But so I think it will remain all the more important to hold onto the big picture and the urgency with which the world has to react to its changing environment.
(For a helping hand to understand Copenhagen, see the "beginners´ guide" on the left hand side of www.actoncopenhagen.decc.gov.uk - it's very handy.)
On the green theme, a colleague is currently visiting from our embassy in Costa Rica to help us reach our goal of being a carbon neutral embassy by 2011. Here are some of her practical tips that instantly save energy and money!
- Turn off your computer screen when you're not using it. I had no idea that the screen uses 10 times more energy than the computer itself!
- Don't leave your phone on charge overnight. It uses way more energy than the phone needs.
- Don't leave your office coffee machine on all day - put the coffee in a thermos instead. It tastes loads better and doesn't zap energy all day.
- You've heard it stacks of times before but don't your leave your television on standby!!!
We'll get the full list up on our website (www.ukinguatemala.fco.gov.uk) alongside some ideas for a Green Christmas.
Lastly, we have two new faces in the Embassy... David McNaught has now taken over from Karen as Deputy Head of Mission. He arrives with his wife Apsara who is also a member of the Foreign Office. Her job is based in London but she is doing it remotely from here. The wonders of modern technology!
David and Apsara...straight to work!!
Rebeca from our team and Kate from British Embassy Costa Rica compare carbon footprints
Posted at 18:59 18 August 2009 by Julie Chappell | Comments[0]
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