Julie Chappell

Senseless violence

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]

Mark my words

Hi there, it’s Mark in the chair for Jules this week whilst she is taking a break.  Myself, I have just returned from a balmy UK, but am nonetheless content to be enjoying temperatures above 20C.  

Whilst in the UK I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the England versus Belarus football game on 14 October.  You're all aware of the result by now, but I must say that Wembley Stadium is mightily impressive…. and Peter Crouch is so tall! 

The stadium will make a stunning venue for events at the 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games.  I should take this opportunity to add that this weekend marks 1000 days until the opening ceremony, which will take place in London on 27 July 2012.  To mark the occasion the city of London will be lighting up the sky with a spectacular firework display.  You can learn more about the Games' preparations on the London 2012 website.

Here at the Embassy, preparations are gathering pace for our new computer system we hope to be receiving soon.  It's incredible the challenges that crop up during such projects.  We are to receive 6 pallets of equipment, but the logistical nightmare of getting a vehicle with a low enough headroom into our basement car park has tested everyone's negotiating skills.

We have exciting news for any candidates seeking to complete an IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam here in Guatemala.  Denise Long, Head of IELTS operations at the British Council in Mexico City, has visited Guatemala with a view to proposing increasing the number of testing sessions in the country from 2 to 4 per year.  Demand for this highly important exam continues to grow, so I'm sure this is welcome news.

Honduras is never too far off the centre of our radar.  Finally things there look promising & hopefully we shall see an end to the crisis in the coming days.  The Hondurans have much work to do, but the progress that has been made over the last couple of days is encouraging.

Take care & have a great weekend. And drop us a line if you have time!

Posted at 11:14 30 October 2009 by Julie Chappell  |  Comments[0]

The power of young people

Since 70% of Guatemalans are under 30 and key to changes that require long-term commitment, we like to work with them. In the spirit of this, I recently went to speak at San Carlos University on the issue of "women in politics". We talked about the challenges - a UN map shows only 12% of Guatemala's Congress are women (though compared to only 19% in the UK). We discussed the benefits of a more representative system; some of the reasons behind why so few women currently enter politics; and the possibilities for change. One subject was quotas - both the positive and negative effects they can have. I was asked if I planned to have a family as well as my career. I said I felt lucky - the Foreign Office allows career breaks and flexible working for just that reason.

In another area of work for us, we helped launch "Recycling for my country" - the project I mentioned in my last blog. The idea is for schools and universities to make a big effort for a short time (until 30 November) to recycle paper. Money gained from recycling will then go to fund the building of basic housing for some of Guatemala's poorest families - just in time for Christmas. We have had some great support, including from two pop-stars here: Carlos Pena, the winner of Latin American Idol, who spoke passionately about young people helping to tackle Guatemala's problems, and Fabiola who at only 16 is already very popular; from the Municipality and Ministries of Environment and Foreign Affairs; and the French Ambassador. Congratulations to "Jovenes por Guatemala" for this fantastic effort. And a special thank you to Fabiola and Marianela from the Embassy who worked so hard to pull this altogether. If anyone reading this would like to get involved - e.g. companies who would like to help by providing collection points for recycling or schools looking to participate - please contact me.

And finally over the last couple of days, I have hosted a conference for all British Ambassadors in the region. We discussed the final run-up to the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen and how we can work with the region to get the most ambitious deal possible. At a reception, Guatemala's Environment Minister spoke passionately about the changes that are already happening in Central America from rising temperatures on land and at sea. Across the world, we all urgently needed to move to clean energy sources - his Ministry is already working out how Guatemala could do this to reduce deforestation and carbon emissions. This will feed into the important debate about how developing countries can be helped to grow in a low-carbon way.

Spanish text

El poder de la gente joven

Ya que el 70% de los guatemaltecos tienen menos de 30 y son primordiales para los cambios que requieren un compromiso de largo tiempo, nos gusta trabajar con ellos.  Es en este espíritu, que recientemente fue a dar un discurso a la Universidad de San Carlos sobre el asunto de “mujeres en política”.  Platicamos sobre los retos – un mapa de la UN demuestra que solamente el 12% del Congreso de Guatemala con mujeres (comparado con solamente el 19% en el Reino Unido).  Discutimos los beneficios de un sistema más representativo; algunas de las razones por las que tan pocas mujeres entran a la política; y las posibilidades de cambio.  Un tema fueron las cuotas – con sus efectos tanto negativos como positivos.  Me preguntaron si planeaba tener familia y una carrera y les dije que me sentía afortunada – el Foreign Office permite descansos en la carrera y trabajo flexible por esa misma razón.

En otra área de trabajo para nosotros, ayudamos a lanzar “Reciclando por mi País” – el proyecto que mencioné en mi último blog. La idea es que los colegios y universidades hagan un gran esfuerzo por un corto tiempo (hasta el 30 de noviembre) para reciclar papel.  El dinero obtenido del reciclaje irá a un fondo para construir vivienda básica para algunas de las familias más pobres de Guatemala – justo en tiempo para Navidad.  Hemos tenido un gran apoyo, incluyendo de dos celebridades juveniles acá:  Carlos Peña, el ganador de Latin American idol, quien habló apasionadamente acerca de los jóvenes de Guatemala ayudando a combatir algunos problemas del país y Fabiola Rodas quien a sus 16 años ya es muy popular; de la Municipalidad, Ministerios de Ambiente y Relaciones Exteriores y de la Embajadora Francesa.  Felicitaciones a “Jóvenes por Guatemala” por este fantástico esfuerzo.  Y muchas gracias en especial a Fabiola y Marianela de la Embajada quienes trabajaron arduamente para que todo saliera bien.  Si alguien que esté leyendo esto quisiera involucrarse – por ejemplo compañías que quieran ayudar proporcionando puntos de recolección o escuelas que quieran participar – por favor escríbanme.

Y finalmente, durante los últimos días, he sido anfitriona de una conferencia para todos los Embajadores Británicos en la región.  Discutimos cómo estamos trabajando hacia las negociaciones de cambio climático en Copenhague y cómo podemos trabajar juntos en la región para obtener el acuerdo más ambicioso posible.  En una recepción, el Ministro de Medio Ambiente de Guatemala habló apasionadamente sobre los cambios que ya están pasando en Centro América desde subidas de temperatura en tierra y mar.  A través del mundo, todos necesitamos urgentemente movernos hacia fuentes de energía limpia – su Ministerio ya está trabajando en sobre cómo Guatemala podría reducir la deforestación y las emisiones de carbono.  Esto alimentará el importante debate sobre cómo los países en desarrollo pueden ser ayudados a crecer con bajas emisiones de carbono.

 At San Carlos University

 Launching "Recycling for my country" 

Posted at 18:30 09 October 2009 by Julie Chappell  |  Comments[0]

Time flies in Central America

I can’t believe it’s been a week since I last wrote! Honduras continues to keep us busy. Importantly, given the potential volatility of the situation there, we have now changed our travel advice to advise against all but essential travel to Honduras - not a step we take lightly. Our Foreign Office Minister, Chris Bryant, also issued a further statement:

Our Consul Carl on a visit to the British community in Panajachel

Jovenes por Guatemala meet some of the Embassy team

Posted at 18:55 30 September 2009 by Julie Chappell  |  Comments[1]

Football for Peace

We´ve had a great few days in Guatemala. Tuesday was Independence Day. We celebrated with the Guatemalan-British School here in the City who joined us on a parade down one of the main avenues with their school band. I was particularly impressed with the girls who managed to salsa along with them for some 3km! More than anything, it was just lovely to see a country come alive in celebration. Despite all the problems, Guatemala is a wonderful place to be.

And last night was the moment I had been nervously waiting for - a football match organised by "Youth against Violence", bringing together ex-gang members, police, diplomats, politicians, football players, artists and businessmen in a joint voice to say "Ya Basta" - it's a great Spanish phrase to say "Enough's enough". I loved this event because the point of it was to say it is not just about what the Government or the International Community should do to stop violence in Guatemala. But what every Guatemalan needs to do to make such high levels of violence a thing of the past. I admit it's scarily easy to become apathetic, overwhelmed and frankly scared when you hear about the 17 murders day in day out. This match was a fight against all of those negative feelings and was a loud, united shout for change. The atmosphere was brilliant.

Many, many congratulations to Pedro and all the "Jovenes Contra La Violencia" who must be so proud of what they achieved last night. And many congratulations also to Salvador Gandara (Mayor of Villa Neuva) who won "Man of the Match", for which we donated a Liverpool hat and football signed by Ian Rush.

Qué grandiosos días hemos pasado últimamente en Guatemala. El martes fue el Día de la Independencia. Celebramos con estudiantes del Liceo Guatemalteco-Británico, quienes nos acompañaron en un desfile por una de las principales avenidas de la ciudad con su banda de la escuela. ¡Me impresionó especialmente ver a las chicas que bailaron junto a la banda por cerca de 3 kilómetros! Más que nada, era simplemente hermoso ver a un país que cobra vida en tan importante celebración. A pesar de todos los problemas, Guatemala es un lugar maravilloso para estar.
 
Y anoche fue el momento en que había estado esperando con nerviosismo - un partido de fútbol organizado por “Jóvenes contra la violencia”, que reúne a ex miembros de pandillas, policías, diplomáticos, políticos, futbolistas, artistas y empresarios con una voz común para decir  “Ya Basta”- es una frase en español brillante para decir “basta, es suficiente”. Me encantó este evento porque el punto que se intento transmitir fue que no sólo basta el esfuerzo del Gobierno local o la comunidad internacional, sino el de todos los guatemaltecos que deben trabajar juntos para que la violencia sea una cosa del pasado. Tengo que admitir que es aterradoramente fácil llegar a ser apáticos, abrumador y francamente aterrante cuando uno escucha sobre 17 asesinatos al día. Este partido fue una lucha contra todos los sentimientos negativos y un fuerte llamado para el cambio. El ambiente fue genial.

Muchas, muchas felicitaciones a Pedro y todos los "Jóvenes Contra la Violencia", que deben estar muy orgullosos de lo que lograron ayer por la noche. Y muchas felicidades también a Salvador Gándara (Alcalde de Villa Nueva) que obtuvo el título de "Hombre del Partido",  y a quien donamos una gorra del equipo Liverpool y firmada por Ian Rush.

Posted at 13:10 17 September 2009 by Julie Chappell  |  Comments[5]

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]

Supporting Guatemala's future leaders

It was an honour today to meet Maria Villeda and Javier Paz - this year's Chevening Scholars. "Chevening" is a scheme that the Foreign Office (with the British Council) has supported for many years. It aims to help rising stars, who will come back and use their year's study to drive positive change in their country. Maria will study law at Essex and hopes then to advise less privileged groups in Guatemala. Javier aims to use his business studies from Manchester to help Guatemala develop its ecotourism potential.

I'm a big fan of Chevening. It's a long term investment that builds deep relations for the UK. I remember, for example, a meeting in June 2003 with ex-Chevening Scholars in Iraq. They were brilliant people and keen to work with us.  

Our Chevening Scholars with Eduardo from the Embassy team

This week, I have also met the editors of some of the key newspapers here. We look to work very closely with the press as they both influence and inform public opinion. We also share interest in many of the same issues, notably climate change and human rights in the region.

In the busy offices of Prensa Libre with Editor Gonzalo Marroquin 

Posted at 11:51 07 August 2009 by Julie Chappell  |  Comments[4]

Mix & match

What have Honduras, IELTS English language test, an out of date computer system, England World Cup bid, Chevening scholarships & a pub quiz got in common?  Answer: Me!  Hi my name is Mark Day, Third Secretary standing in for Julie this week whilst she takes a well-earned break with her partner Pete.

Since Julie's last blog, we've had a really busy time of it here in Guatemala, covering a variety of activities.  Last Thursday & Friday we finally managed to host April's International English Language Testing System (IELTS) tests, which were postponed due to H1N1 influenza.  That the examiner and invigilator are based at the British Council in Mexico City explains why the original tests had to be placed on hold.  29 nervy candidates sat the tests - the majority of which needed a score of 6.5 out of 9 to be considered for immigration to English speaking countries.  They now await the results, the outcome of which will undoubtedly change lives.

Exam day nerves

Over the weekend I anxiously watched ousted President Zelaya on CNN Español as he approached his country's Las Manos border post from Nicaragua during his symbolic 'March on Tegucigalpa'.  Thankfully the anticipated violent confrontations never materialised as he returned to Nicaragua for further consultation.

Monday morning presented every System Administrator's nightmare - no email or internet!  Hurried resetting of servers, checking of UPS' and calls to the Help Desk had everyone up & running again with minimal inconvenience.  Evidently, power went out in the building for 3 hours over the weekend.  At least our good old IT system lived to tell the tale!  The unsung heroes on our Help Desk deserve a pat on the back!

On Monday & Tuesday I had the pleasure of escorting Lucia Sanchez from the English Football Association (the FA) to various contacts & football related projects.  Lucia was here on a reconnaissance visit ahead of the World Cup 2018/2022 bid presentation later this year.  Most impressive was to hear the FA's approach to leaving a global football legacy should the bid be successful.  Some of the ideas that Lucia came up with certainly opened some eyes.  Learn more about the England World Cup bid at http://www.england2018bid.com/.

Felix showing his support for the England World Cup bid

On Tuesday evening I hosted a traditional British pub quiz for expatriates and locals.  Whilst there is plenty in the way of entertainment available in Guatemala City, these events are incredibly popular.  Once again we had a full house, with people from varying backgrounds enjoying the opportunity to mix.  Whilst Delboy & Rodders running through the streets of London as Batman & Robin gained the biggest laugh of the night, the real stars were those businesses who kindly donated prizes.  Thanks again to all.

Trivial pursuits..

Yesterday I had the pleasure of presenting Manuel Delgado Chavarria, our Salvadoran Chevening scholar for this year with his formal award letter.  Manuel will be studying a MSc in Economics at Sussex University.  Manuel has promised to email me from Brighton the moment he finds pupusas there.  El Salvador is well-known for many things, not least of which is the scrumptious pupusa - a cheese-filled tortilla!

Posted at 10:45 30 July 2009 by Julie Chappell  |  Comments[3]

Speeches in spanish and football passion

A colleague once told me on a training course that whenever I got nervous about public speaking, I should be grateful that at least I was doing the speech in English. That struck a chord and has helped me through a number of events since... but sadly was little use today at my Guatemala welcome reception when I finally had to test my skills in Spanish. To be honest, it was scary! Still, fortunately all went well and I'm now back in the office...very tired. While this kind of event is fun, it's also really hard work. In just a few hours, the embassy team has a really useful chance both to make new contacts and to reinforce good working relations with, for example members of Guatemala's Government, Congress, Military and Civil Society. At one point, I also had the privilege to meet Señor Salguero, who is a member of FIFA's Executive Committee and holds one of the 24 votes that will determine whether England will host the 2018 Football World Cup. We shared some passionate discussion about our favourite English players... David Beckham and Michael Owen (que hablan español) would certainly receive a very warm welcome here in Guatemala!

Señor Salguero and Mark from the Embassy share their passion for football

Posted at 17:30 09 July 2009 by Julie Chappell  |  Comments[6]

Honduras: Expulsion of President Zelaya

This weekend was a busy one for the embassy, monitoring events in Honduras following the expulsion of President Zelaya on Sunday. Fortunately, the situation has remained calm. Tourists in the popular areas such as Roatan have been unaffected, but we are staying in close touch with our contacts on the ground and travel advice will be kept updated on www.fco.gov.uk.

On Sunday, our Foreign Office Minister Chris Bryant called for the restoration of democratic, constitutional government in Honduras. We will continue to urge for the situation to be resolved through political - and not military - means.

Posted at 11:40 29 June 2009 by Julie Chappell  |  Comments[0]

UK Armed Forces Day in Guatemala

Yesterday, we hosted a couple of events. At lunchtime, we celebrated the first ever UK Armed Forces Day by holding a lunch for ex-UK military personnel (including World War II veterans) now living in Guatemala. UK Armed Forces Day is about showing our thanks for the sacrifices and immense commitment that our British Forces make. In the UK, there were also a number of events to raise public awareness of the work that they do. (For more information, check out www.armedforcesday.org.uk) I was really pleased to be able to support this day because I have worked very proudly alongside the British military throughout most of my diplomatic career – in Jordan, Iraq, Washington, NATO HQ and most recently in the Horn of Africa.

 
Then we were back down to Antigua - this time to meet some of the 150+ UK residents who live in this small town. We regularly do this type of consular outreach to stay in touch with the British community and to help with any problems as necessary. This time round, we also asked for some advice from them in designing a leaflet campaign for British tourists in this region. Ideally, all of the 40,000 British travellers to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador would check our travel advice (on www.fco.gov.uk) to know the latest security risks and for practical advice on e.g. what to do in an earthquake. But, then again, I’m sure I remember backpacking in Africa as a student and not always being quite so diligent! So the idea of the campaign is to be proactive in getting helpful information out to travellers once they have arrived in country. To be most effective, we’ll be calling on our British network – as well as contacts in e.g. the ports (air and sea), tourist agencies, Spanish schools and local tourism boards – to help us get leaflets to those who need them.

And finally, I rushed home to check the internet to see how the British teams got on the 2009 Lacrosse World Cup (www.lacrosseworldcup2009.com). This sport remains my favourite, even though not so many people play it here… yet!

Posted at 10:20 26 June 2009 by Julie Chappell  |  Comments[2]

A weekend trip to the jewel of Guatemala

At the weekend, I joined Doug Pilling (Head of the British Community Association here) and his daughter in Lake Atitlan. It’s spectacular - over 1000 feet deep, 11 miles long and surrounded by six volcanoes. As I was swimming, I came across a stretch of water about 10m long that was hotter than a bath. This just didn't seem right so I made a dash for shore. In between smiles, Doug reassured me that volcanic activity was totally normal in the lake. I just can't get used to the ground around us being quite so lively!

Doug and Dyana.

Sadly, as the area around the lake becomes increasingly developed, so it is becoming polluted. However, on the positive side, it is also becoming a high-profile focal point for efforts to encourage protection of the environment across Guatemala, not least because there is a clear economic link between preserving the lake and keeping the tourist money coming in.

Promoting environmental awareness is one of our regional objectives, on which we work closely with the British embassies in Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Santo Domingo and Belize. We focus in particular on promoting the economic opportunities of e.g. providing clean energy sources (hydroelectricity is big out here) and eco-tourism. We’re also meeting again this week with Guatemala’s negotiating team ahead of the Copenhagen climate talks at the end of the year.

Posted at 17:15 22 June 2009 by Julie Chappell  |  Comments[2]