Diplomatic Connections September-October 2011

A Business, Diplomacy & Foreign Policy Publication

November - december 2011 • $7.95

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His unique and ultra-specialized facial plastic surgery practice is focused nearly exclusively on aesthetic nasal surgery (rhinoplasty) as well as minimally invasive facial injections using Botox and fillers. He is a national clinical instructor for Allergan (makers of Botox and Juvederm) and Medicis (makers of Dysport, Restylane & Perlane), teaching other physicians minimally invasive cosmetic injections. Dr. Naderi is also an examiner for the American Board of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery.

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“Perfection is unrealistic,” he says, “but everyone can have a better nose that is perfect for their face.” Successful rhinoplasty can improve appearance and self-confidence; bad rhinoplasty can adversely affect not only appearance, but also breathing. “I often see patients who have had multiple previous unsuccessful surgeries,” says Dr. Naderi. “Some of these patients have gone overseas to save money, while others have spent a small fortune closer to home just to end up with a worse nose than the one they had.”

Beyond his skill, artistry and knowledge of the face and nose, Dr. Naderi is a caring physician who often takes the time to talk patients out of unnecessary cosmetic surgery. Dr. Naderi’s priorities are safety and risk control, while achieving beautiful and natural looking results with the least downtime and discomfort. His staff reflects the same dedication to excellence with their warm, caring personalities and their commitment to privacy and concierge service.

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March 13

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SAVE THE DATE Diplomatic Connections is Hosting Another

eception D iplomatA ppreciation R On March 13, 2012 at the Hay Adams Across the Street from the White HOuse in Washington, D.C.

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DIPLOMATIC CONNECTIONS COVER STORY PAGE 36 Admiral Leasing 5 Amtrak 7 Apartments, Corporate Housing 1 Ashton Judiciary Square and Crescent Falls Church 1 British Embassy – Range Rover Evoque 44 British School of Washington 47 Chile, Embassy of – Interview with MG Oviedo 72 DC Livery 4 Dewberry – Architects, Engineers & Consultants 19 Diplomatic Connections Reception, March 13th, 2012, at The Hay-Adams 8 Diplomatic Connections Reception, April 18th, 2012, at The Madison Hotel 13 Double Tree Hotel by Hilton Hotel Bethesda – Washington, DC 76 Elysian Hotel in Chicago 95 [The] Fairfax at Embassy Row 6, 54 & 92 Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts * INSIDE BACK COVER [The] Hay-Adams 9 Helga’s Catering 77 InterContinental Hotels Group 89 InterContinental New York Barclay 90 InterContinental – Willard InterContinental Washington, DC 90 InterContinental Cleveland Clinic 91 InTouch USA Wireless Communications 2

Jim Coleman Cadillac 24 Jumeirah Essex House in Manhattan, New York 96 Martin Luther King Memorial 82 Moroccan Ambassador Interview 20 [The] Naderi Center – Rhinoplasty & Cosmetic Surgery 3 Nyumbani 78 [The] Peninsula Beverly Hills * INSIDE FRONT COVER [The] Peninsula Beverly Hills * Interview 64 Protocol Partners 2 Saudi Arabian Airlines 48 Swissotel Hotels and Resorts * Chicago 94 Trump International Hotel & Tower * Chicago * BACK COVER UNESCO – Michaelle Jean 14 United Nations, Angelina Jolie 32 United Nations, Christina Aguilera 36 United Nations, Every Woman Every Child 28 United Nations, Javier Bardem 56 US Limo System 4 War on Terror 26 Washington Hospital Center 10 Wings Jets 11

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dawn Parker AssistantS to the Editor Chanel Cherry Ashley Gatewood BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Executives Dwight Boswell, Evan Strianese, Kendra Edmonds, Jim Colford, Roberto Bruni EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Kyle Byram DESIGN & CREATIVE KDG Advertising, Design & Marketing msocha@kdgadvertising.com Contributing Designer Larry Smith DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENTS and CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Roland Flamini, James Winship, PhD, Monica Frim, Mark Kennedy, Meghan Lawson, Lawrence Dunham

To contact an advertising executive CALL: 202.536.4810 FAX: 202.370.6882 EMAIL: info@diplomaticconnections.com DIPLOMATIC CONNECTIONS WEBSITE DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT IMS (Inquiry Management Systems) 304 Park Avenue South, 11th Floor New York, NY 10010 TOLL FREE: 877.467.8721 X701 Website: www.ims.com Marc Highbloom, Vice President marc@ims.ca Maria D’Urso, Project Manager Mariad@ims.ca CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Christophe Avril and Gustavo Gargallo To order photos from the events go to: www.diplomaticconnections.com Send any name or address changes in writing to: Diplomatic Connections 4410 Massachusetts Avenue / #200 Washington, DC 20016 Diplomatic Connections Business Edition is published bi-monthly.

Diplomatic Connections does not endorse any of the goods or services offered herein this publication.

Copyright 2011 by Diplomatic Connections All rights reserved.

Cover photo credits: Christina Aguilera, John Shearer/WireImage; Sister Mary Owens and Congressman Van Hollen, Christophe Avril, Diplomatic Connections; Christiane Amanpour, UN Photo/Rick Bajornas; Angelina Jolie, Jason Tanner/AFP/Getty Images; Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, Mario Scanurra/Spanish Film Academy; Victoria Beckham, Danny Martindale/Getty Images; The Judges from The Voice, Steve Granitz/WireImage; Zara Phillips, British Embassy; Rob Roche and Anna Micic, The Peninsula Beverly Hills; Javier Bardem and Julia Roberts, Bryan Bedder/Getty Images.

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April18

2012

SAVE THE DATE Diplomatic Connections is Hosting Another

eception D iplomatA ppreciation R On April 18, 2012 at the Madison Hotel Just Blocks from the White HOuse in Washington, D.C.

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Ambassador Allan Culham, Permanent Representative of Canada to the OAS; the Right Honourable MichaĂŤlle Jean and Deborah Lyons; Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Canada

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which modern country has a refugee from a third-world country risen through the ranks of social work and journalism to become the viceregal head of state, second only to the Queen? Give yourself a pat on the back if you answered “Canada.”

Canada has a dual parliamentary system with a prime minister (currently Stephen Harper) as the political head of government, while Queen Elizabeth II is the sovereign head of state, represented by the Governor General.

Canadians are justifiably proud of the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean (the title is hers for life), who D I P L O M A T I C C O N N E C T I O N S B U S I N E S S edition | N O V E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

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Above: The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean and Peter Paproski, Pan American Health Organization Right: Claudiane Charleston, Embassy of Canada, and the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean

served as Governor General of Canada and commander-inchief of the Canadian Forces from 2005 to 2010. A Haïtian immigrant and former journalist, she performed her duties, typically ceremonial, but occasionally political, with imperial aplomb but always humanized by her plebian roots. Now as UNESCO Special Envoy to Haïti, Mme Jean was the guest of honor of the Embassy of Canada and the Permanent Mission of Canada to the Organization of American States (OAS) recently.

For a state figurehead, Michaëlle Jean holds nearly rock star status in Canada. Ambassador Allan Culham, Permanent Representative of Canada to the OAS, called her a “center post of Canadian society” and a “role model for Canadians of all ages” in his introductory remarks at a reception held in Mme Jean’s honor. In recalling her appearance at the OAS earlier that day, the Ambassador said, “She embodied the best of being Canadian, the best of being Haïtian, the best of being a citizen of the Americas.”

Just what is it that makes Michaëlle Jean so charismatic?

Much has been written about her photogenic attributes: her radiant smile, her stylish clothes, and her glamour — all wonderful qualities, but not really requisites for the makings of an effective leader. But add intelligence, empathy, poise, and the ability to relate to people from all walks of life, and there emerges a person with heart and a passion to improve the lives of those less fortunate.

According to Deborah Lyons, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Canada, “She brought to the role of governor 16

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general a grace — a giant-sized grace — contagious warmth and a relentless commitment to her role. And those characteristics that she brought to the job as governor general she now brings to the job as special envoy to Haïti for UNESCO.”

Michaëlle Jean’s solidarity with the plight of Haïti’s shattered lives after the earthquake of 2010 is practically ingrained.

For Mme Jean knows something about broken people. Even before the earthquakes, the hurricanes, the floods, and the cholera outbreak that put Haïti on the forefront of international aid, Haïti’s violent political past shaped her identity.

“I grew up in Haïti under the yoke of Duvalier’s dictatorship and it was awful under Papa Doc. I saw so many people disappearing. I saw public executions. I saw families being burnt alive by the macoutes (Duvalier’s henchmen). I saw that. I went through it. My own father was arrested and tortured,” she told Diplomatic Connections.

In 1967 her father fled to Canada. The next year Michaëlle, then 11 years old, her sister and her mother joined him in Thetford Mines, Quebec. But her father, a former school principal, remained a broken man unable to readjust

to a normal life after all he had been through. Her parents’

As Mme Jean spoke to the guests at the Embassy of marriage fell apart and Michaëlle moved with her mother and Canada, her gaze drifted to the stunning view of the Capitol sister to a basement apartment in Montreal. She studied at Building, radiant against the soft light of a dusky sky. “I universities in Canada and in Europe, earning multiple decannot help but think of President Obama’s speech when he grees in languages and comparative literature. She is fluent in was elected,” she said. “We watched it in Canada… We had five languages: French, opened the official resiEnglish, Italian, Spanish, dence to students, and on and Haïtian Creole. the giant screen we watched

From her humble together, and I remember beginnings, the young how much hope it ignited Michaëlle cultivated a in the students, young men “can-do” attitude that and women who were really she attributes to her witnessing this historical politicized upbringing. moment… We saw how “I was raised by parhope can galvanize a whole ents who had one very nation, and the world.” important principle: Indeed, B y J ahope m e engages s A. Winnever be indifferent… the people of sHaïti h i pin, the Ph.D. We could not live in aftermath of the devastating a world completely earthquake — hope for the disconnected from the future but gleaned realities in Haïti. We were from a past that intold that you must take accludes historical ties tion, you must be engaged, with both Canada you must make a contribuand the United tion. You have a role to play.

States. Settled by And that was very heavy on French colonists, us as children because our Haïti and Canada parents always insisted that share a linguistic we have our eyes wide open connection as the as to what was happening.” only independent

Her parents lived by nations in all of the those principles. They Americas to have refused to let their children French as an official attend school because they language.

Sameh Safty, conseiller politique, French Embassy, and Mrs. Sameh Safty.

Mary Welch objected to the practice Once the richest Culham and Ambassador Allan Culham, Permanent Representative of Canada to the OAS. where school children were French colony, Haïti forced to raise their arms in allegiance to Papa Doc. was also the most brutal — until the Haïtian Revolution put an

“My mother just couldn’t stand that, so she kept me home. end to slavery and spearheaded the establishment of Haïti as She was a good teacher. The first time I went to a regular an independent nation in 1804. More than 6,000 freed slaves school was in Canada. But my mother taught me so well that from the United States immigrated to Haïti, but many later other children were also sent to her,” Mme Jean explained. returned due to poverty and difficult living conditions. A series

With barely a hiccup between her position as governor of despots, coups, and political assassinations kept the country general and her present role as UNESCO Special Envoy to in near constant turmoil. And blood money — Haïtians were Haïti, Mme Jean immersed herself in advocating for worldwide forced to pay millions in restitution to the French for their losses support for the rebuilding of Haïti. “It takes a lot of energy,” from the slave trade — kept the country in lingering poverty. she said. “But it is worth it because it is all about hope.”

The United States sought to help. After 1915 American D I P L O M A T I C C O N N E C T I O N S B U S I N E S S edition | N O V E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

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UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

Forces established ports, roads, and health and educational programs, and set the boundary between Haïti and the Dominican Republic. All the while Haïtians pushed for more control of their own country. But after the Americans left in 1934, the dictatorships continued, the longest being the brutal “Papa Doc/Bébé Doc” Duvalier regime. It lasted from 1957 until 1986.

But if the world sees Haïtians as a resilient people who go from one catastrophe to another, Mme Jean is determined to change that perception. “I can no longer bear to hear of the so-called resilience of the Haïtian people,” she said in her address to the Permanent Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Michaëlle Jean, then Governor General of Canada Council at the OAS . “Resilience is but the last resort before death.” rebuild the country if you don’t add on the cultural compo According to Mme Jean, the future of the Haïtians lies not nent. Haïti’s richness is in its culture and Haïti has so much in resilience but in resilient solidarity and self-determination. to offer,” she said.

Haïtians are not looking for handouts, but investments and a

Michaëlle Jean pleads passionately for universal support. trust in their strengths. “They yearn to be recognized as cred“I want the whole world to be audacious and to respond to ible, capable players in their own destiny, not as perpetual the call and to support Haïti’s aspirations for its human and scroungers.” sustainable development… We can all work together to

In keeping with UNESCO’s mandate to build peace accompany Haïti, not to do for Haïti but to do with Haïti, through education, science, culture, and communication, knowing that we cannot fail because if we do, it will be a Mme Jean sees education as the underlying factor that will huge failure for all humankind.” make all of Haïti’s aspirations possible: from rebuilding

Sobering words for an optimistic vision. n the infrastructure to championing the culture. “You cannot

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By Roland Flamini

Someone wrote recently that the Arab Spring has become “the Winter of Arab Discontent.”

In Morocco however, the narrative has so far been different. Timely constitutional reforms initiated by King Mohammed VI averted the levels of unrest that have beset other Arab countries. In a national referendum on July 1, Moroccans voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new draft constitution incorporating the reforms; and on November 25, new elections will put the new constitution into practice. Interviewed by Diplomatic Connections, Moroccan Ambassador Aziz Mekouar (who is leaving Washington shortly after more than nine years) pointed out that while the changes in Morocco fit into the context of events in the Arab world, they are the latest stage in an on-going process.

Ambassador Mekouar: What the Tunisians and Egyptians were demonstrating for, we already had in Morocco — a multi-party system, because we’ve always had a multi-party system in Morocco, free and fair elections, and a family law that gives women equal status with men. But we had some protests on February 20th, and on March 9th, the king made a speech appointing a commission to draft a new constitution.

Proposals poured in from political parties and from associations — not just NGOs, but groups like the 20

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soccer association of Casablanca. The new constitution shifts a lot of power from the king to the prime minister, and it’s a real state-of-the-art constitution, very inclusive. The turnout for the referendum was 74 percent, despite the opposition’s call for a boycott, and the acceptance rate was 98 percent.

Diplomatic Connections: In your view, have these changes secured the future of the monarchy in Morocco?

Ambassador Mekouar: The reforms are not

H.E. Aziz Mekouar, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to the United States

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about the monarchy, which in Morocco is really very solid.

The legitimacy of the monarchy is very strong. It’s more about modernizing the political life in the country. I believe that all this was not to preserve the monarchy in a way of self defense, but part of the king’s vision about how the country should be governed.

Diplomatic Connections: In other words it was not a pre-emptive strike prompted by what was happening elsewhere in the Arab world…

Ambassador Mekouar: No. It was the continuation of the king’s vision. The monarchy is really very popular in Morocco; the dynasty goes back four centuries. The bond between the Moroccans and the monarchy is really very special. If you travel around Morocco, you realize that King Mohammed VI is kind of a sacred figure.

Diplomatic Connections: If you had to focus on a single aspect of the new constitution that you considered the most important, what would it be?

Ambassador Mekouar: There are several important aspects, first of all the Moroccan identity. The constitution speaks of how the Moroccan identity is the fruit of Islamic, Amazigh 22

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(which is Berber), Arabic, Jewish, African, and Anadalusian influence. It insists on a culture of human rights and freedom of speech. For the rest, the chief of the government (prime minister) will be appointed by the king, like everywhere else, but has to come from the party that won more seats in the elections, and chooses his own ministers. But the powers of the government are very important, much more so than they were.

The judiciary will be totally independent. So basically what you have is the legitimacy of the monarchy on one side and the legitimacy of the vote on the other, working together.

Diplomatic Connections: How far apart are the new constitution and the expectations of opposition groups like the February 20 movement?

Ambassador Mekouar: The February 20 movement is a group of young people which is not cohesive and we don’t know exactly what they want. I think they would like to see better governance, an end to corruption, and equality of chances for everyone. But that’s not the constitution; that’s how the constitution is put into practice. If you look at the French or Danish constitutions, the new Moroccan constitution is not that far away.

Diplomatic Connections: What about the Islamic challenge?

Ambassador Mekouar: The Justice and Development Party (PJD) claims to be Islamic. They say that a country that’s 90 percent Islamic should be governed with that sensitivity. But they play by the rules: they run for elections, and they believe in democracy. You also have the other Islamic movement, the Justice and Charity movement, started in the late 1970s. They reject any kind of Western-type democracy: they want the end of the regime and to restore the caliphate.

Their following is not large: they’re there; they’re tolerated, but they are not violent. There are, however, violent people, and we have had violence, but not the Justice and Charity, and we don’t have al-Qaida.

Diplomatic Connections: What is the next stage in the process?

Ambassador Mekouar: The next part in the process will be elections on November 25th, and whoever wants to run will do so and we will see how it’s going to play out. This is really new in Morocco because the government and the prime minister will have new powers, the parliament will have new powers. If you ask me what will happen, I don’t know. You have reforms coming from the top down, which is unique in the region. But one thing is certain: you have a society which is ready.

Diplomatic Connections: What’s the worst-case scenario?

Ambassador Mekouar: What worries people most is the economy — employment and the means for a good life. The Moroccan economy has been doing well for the past five years, so the big challenge as always is how much this growth will trickle down to everyone. The level of poverty has dropped down from 15 percent to 9 percent. But not everything is rosy: we have a lot of issues — education, although the government has spent about 20 percent of its budget on education, unemployment, especially among young people. Things are improving, but nonetheless we still have poverty, we still have a big gap between the rich and the poor. I must say that gap is exactly the same number as the United States, but that doesn’t make it good. We have a deficit in the budget, higher than last year, because of the rise in the prices of oil and food.

corrupt. Some years ago the king created an anti-corruption commission which has the power to investigate, including a website where they can expose corruption. The prime minister doesn’t have any money, and neither do the people around him. As for highlevel cronyism: The prime minister is Abbas al-Fassi; the foreign minister Taieb Fassi Fihri is his nephew, but he had his own career long before his uncle was prime minister. Fassi Fihri’s brother heads the electrical power company, but he built his career in the company; the latter’s wife is the minister of health — a politician who won her parliamentary seat in Casablanca. You have a group of careerists who happen to have reached their positions at the same time, but none of them was appointed by the prime minister. It’s a prominent family with a long tradition in public service going back centuries.

Diplomatic Connections: The pattern of protest in the region seems to be to press for regime change in countries run by autocratic leaders like Hosni Mubarak, but for reform in the case of monarchies like Morocco and Jordan. Why do you think that is?

Ambassador Mekouar: It’s about legitimacy. There’s a connection between the people and the monarchies, there’s a bond. What is the legitimacy of the autocrats? All of them gained power through a coup. None of them can claim to be legitimate: their power is backed by the military, and that’s their problem.

Diplomatic Connections: What do you think is going

Diplomatic Connections: One commentator has said

to happen in Egypt?

that the king also needs to tackle high-level corruption and cronyism, especially within his inner circle. Would you like to comment on that?

Ambassador Mekouar: Seventy-five million people.

Ambassador Mekouar: I don’t believe that there is any member of the government or any high official who is

That’s a lot: I don’t think they’ve figured it out yet. I don’t think that anybody knows. But Egypt is a country with a high level of intellectuals and I think they will end up by doing well. n

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By Roland Flamini

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ittle known fact about 9/11: Although U.S. airspace was closed immediately after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. one special aircraft did land in DC on Thursday, September 13th. The passengers were Britain’s three spymasters arriving for urgent consultations with their American counterparts: Eliza ManninghamBuller was then head of MI5 (domestic intelligence), Richard Dearlove directed the British Intelligence Service or MI6, and Francis Richards was director of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).

As Sir Christopher Meyer, British ambassador to Washington at the time, remembers it in his memoirs “Washington Confidential,” “After their meetings we had a drink together on the terrace [of the British Embassy residence on Massachusetts Avenue] late on Thursday night. The worry was a further strike by Al-Qaida. There were rumors of trucks carrying ‘dirty’ nuclear devices.”

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This week, Eliza Manningham-Buller (retired since 2007) recalled that terrace discussion and revealed early differences of approach between the Bush administration and Britain, its closest ally, over how to respond to the terrorist attack.

“Despite talk of military action, there was one thing we all agreed on: terrorism is resolved through politics and economics not through arms and intelligence, however important a role these play,” she said in a speech broadcast by the BBC to mark the 10th anniversary of the attack. She described 9/11 as “a crime, not an act of war.” What made it different from earlier such crimes was its “scale and audacity, not its nature,” she said.

By “all” she meant the British intelligence chiefs.

Declaring a “global war on terror,” as the Bush administration had done, in their view, exaggerated the nature of the threat, was offensive to Muslims, and even legitimized the action of the suicide bombers. In their view, fighting terrorism was police work, supported by a diplomatic effort to improve

Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy

relations with the Arab world, countering the Jihadists’ negative propaganda narrative about the West, and a vigorous outreach to Islamic communities back home.

As it turned out, Tony Blair didn’t agree with them. The prime minister quickly bought into President Bush’s more aggressive approach, and the U.K. was soon standing — in Blair’s phrase — “shoulder to shoulder” with America in the “war on terror.” When the Bush administration opened its offensive in Afghanistan, and later in Iraq, British troops were there alongside their American comrades.

In 2007, when Tony Blair stepped down to be succeeded

by Gordon Brown, the word went out from 10 Downing Street to stop using Bush’s war cry, “war on terror” — a decision that did not endear Brown to the White House and its neo-conservative advisers. Instead, British spokesmen began to refer to “the struggle against extremist ideology.”

The British also launched programs called “Contact 2” and “Prevent” Photo of President Obama at the 9/11 memorial respectively designed to undermine the credibility of conservative Islamic preachers in Britain whose teaching was considered subversive. The government poured money into youth programs for Muslims in an attempt to prevent them being recruited as Jihadists. Both programs are currently being reviewed by Britain’s coalition government.

As the United States this year marked the 10th anniversary of the traumatizing events of 9/11, remembering its 3,000 victims, and revisiting the debate over its implications, two things were different: in May, the decade-long hunt for

Osama bin Laden had finally ended when the arch terrorist planner of 9/11 was cornered and killed in his Pakistani hideout by U.S. Navy Seals; and in the commemorative speeches by President Obama and other officials the “global war on terror” slogan was conspicuously absent.

Since 2009, the White House refers instead to “overseas contingency operations.” And while there was no formal announcement of a change of catchphrases, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed recently that “war on terror” was — in her words — “just not being used.”

But “What’s in a name?,” to quote Shakespeare. The anti-terrorist offensive has gone on without the “global war on terror” label — as it happens, more successfully. With Osama bin Laden killed earlier, and Anwar al-Awlaki, the Americanborn al-Qaida leader in Yemen, “droned” in late September together with the organization’s propagandist Samir Khan, and possibly also its most capable bomb-maker Ibrahim al-Asiri, the terrorist group must be wondering whether if it has much of a future.

The hope is that damage done to al-Qaida’s leadership will discourage disaffected young Muslims from seeking to join it. Now would be the time (to return to Eliza ManninghamBuller) to launch a major drive to discredit jihadism among Muslims, and to reach out to Muslim communities. Now, while the drones that can dispense death out of a clear blue sky have the terrorist leadership really spooked. n

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A group of children performs at the special event, “Every Woman Every Child,” in support of the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health on September 20, 2011 at the United Nations in New York.

By Meghan Lawson

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Top: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) meets with Christy Turlington, model and maternal health advocate.

UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe; Inset photos: (top) UN Photo/Mark Garten; (bottom) UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

Bottom: Christiane Amanpour, anchor of ABC News’ This Week and former chief international correspondent at CNN, addresses the special event “Every Woman Every Child.”

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aving one life is no easy feat. But saving the lives of 16 million women and children? That’s nothing short of bold.

Although ambitious, this is precisely the goal set by the United Nations for 2015 as part of the Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) initiative.

On September 20, world leaders joined celebrities, key business figures, and global activists in New York for a reception hosted by the Millennium Development Goal Health Alliance in support of EWEC. Spearheaded by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the initiative has brought together

governments, multi-lateral organizations and private sector players in a global effort to address the health concerns facing women and children.

“Progress is being made toward a world in which the needs of every woman and every child are met,” said United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Malaria and MDG Advocate, Ray Chambers. A spending report released by the UN earlier that day demonstrated that pledges made in 2010 amounting to $40 billion for EWEC were on track to being fulfilled.

“Tonight is about harnessing the energy of new partners

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Inset photo: UN Photo/Staton Winter

A view of Ivorian women and children at Karnplay transit camp, in Nimba County, Liberia, where 774 people are awaiting transfer to a more permanent camp within the county.

UN Photo/Fred Noy

Misseriya women and children from the village of Goleh in Abyei district, Sudan, watch from a distance the arrival of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) team and traditional community leaders, who came to advocate the need for peaceful co-existence between Misseriya and their Dinka neighbours on the route they share in search of pasture and water.

and new ideas to achieve this vision through the MDGs; we’re now in a sprint to achieve the 2015 targets,” Chambers told the crowd.

The extensive appeal of the landmark goal was illustrated by the mosaic of attendees in the ballroom of New York’s Grand Hyatt Hotel. Journalist Christiane Amanpour, actress Jennifer Connelly, activist Desmond Tutu, music artist 50 Cent, supermodel Christy Turlington Burns, and Queen Rania of Jordan were all in attendance.

“I used to think I woke up from my coma in order to give

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people the gift of music,” multi-platinum hip hop artist 50 Cent told attendees. “Now I know my music is merely a platform to reach others in a positive way,” he said before committing to providing one billion meals to women and children.

With less than four years remaining before the goal’s deadline, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stressed the importance of such unexpected partnerships. “Every Woman Every Child has shown what can be achieved through close cooperation between the UN, governments, and the private sector,” he said. n

Inset photos: (top) George Pimentel/WireImage; (bottom) UN Photo/Albert Gonzalez Farran; (far right) UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

Above: Artist 50 Cent performs at the special event “Every Woman Every Child” to support the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health.

Top left: Actress Jennifer Connelly attending the “Every Woman Every Child” Initiative at the United Nations held recently.

Bottom Left: Women and children of Abu Shouk Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in El Fasher, North Darfur, use Water Rollers for easily and efficiently carrying water. With its large drum capacity (usually 75 litres), the device frees women and children from having to spend a large portion of every day dedicated to collecting water for their households. The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) has distributed some 3,000 such rollers across Darfur.

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Jason Tanner/AFP/Getty Images

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie speaks to the audience during a ceremony on October 3, 2011, in Geneva to present the Nansen Refugee Award to Yemen’s Society for Humanitarian Solidarity (SHS).

Before an audience of 200 government officials, diplomats, donors, and aid workers, Jolie was recognized for completing 10 years as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, while the founder and 290 staff of SHS received the prestigious Nansen Refugee Award for their life-saving work helping tens of thousands of desperate boat people arriving on the coast of Yemen from the Horn of Africa.

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By Meghan Lawson

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n October 3, humanitarians and Hollywood came together to honor the work of a Yemeni aid group. Actress Angelina Jolie joined United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres to present the annual Nansen Refugees Award — the highest honor in the field — to Yemen’s Society for Humanitarian Solidarity (SHS).

“The staff of SHS often risk their own lives to save others — rescuing people from the waves in rough seas and working in extremely volatile security conditions. Their devotion to saving refugee lives is extraordinary,” Jolie told the audience at a ceremony in Geneva. The Society and its founder, Nasser Salim Ali Al-Hamairy, were awarded the prestigious prize for their life-saving work on the southern shores of Yemen, where a staff of 290 rescue thousands of refugees fleeing the Horn of Africa.

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attempting to flee Somalia because of crippling drought and ongoing civil strife. “We must not forget how desperate they are when the only alternative is to risk death at sea and put their lives in the hands of ruthless smugglers,” Jolie stated at the televised event.

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rights of refugees around the world. “Now I know she is the very best of Goodwill Ambassadors in the humanitarian world,” High Commissioner Guterres declared while presenting Jolie with a gold pin reserved for long-serving staff.

“It is an honor to work on behalf of refugees and I look forward to the next 10 years,” Jolie said. n

J Redden/UNHCR via Getty Images

United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie visits a young patient in the children’s ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Parents wait with their malnourished and dehydrated children in a corridor at Banadir Hospital in the Somali capital Mogadishu. Somalia is gripped by a devastating drought and famine that has already killed tens of thousands and is leaving many hundreds of thousands more, particularly young children and babies, in desperate need of emergency life-saving humanitarian assistance from the outside world. August 10, 2011, in Mogadishu, Somalia

Inset Photos: UN Photo/Stuart Price

A malnourished and dehydrated baby cries as a doctor applies an intravenous drip to increase fluid intake at Banadir Hospital in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

A mother cradles her malnourished and dehydrated baby at Banadir Hospital in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

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John Shearer/WireImage

Christina Aguilera lends her voice in the fight against hunger by filming a new PSA for Yum! Brands World Hunger Relief effort launching this fall in KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell restaurants worldwide to benefit the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and others. Nearly one billion people are going hungry around the globe and Aguilera is raising awareness as global spokesperson for World Hunger Relief and Ambassador Against Hunger for WFP.

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UN Photo/Marco Dormino

has grown up in the spotlight, and now she is using her fame to turn the spotlight on combatting world hunger, especially as it affects women and children. “A child dies every six seconds of hunger,” she explained in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, “After having my own child, I just had to be part of it and do something about it to help change that situation.”

Naming Aguilera an Ambassador Against Hunger in 2009, World Food Programme executive director, Josette Sheeran, noted that, “Christina Aguilera’s passion and dedication to hungry children runs deep, and it will make her a wonderful champion in the fight against hunger.”

Aguilera has combined her star appeal with the global outreach of “Yum! Brands” — parent company of KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut — the world’s largest restaurant chain with more than 38,000 outlets spanning 110 countries and 38

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more than a million employees and franchise associates. Serving as spokesperson for “Yum! Brands’” global efforts, Aguilera has combined with them to raise more than $85 million for the World Food Programme and other hunger relief agencies, which has helped to provide more than 350 million meals to aid families and children in areas of the world most severely impacted by food shortages.

Her efforts have also encouraged millions of volunteer hours to aid hunger relief efforts in local communities in the United States and across the globe.

Audiences have watched Aguilera grow from a precocious child talent appearing on Star Search into a third-generation Mouseketeer on the 1990s Disney Channel revival of the “Mickey Mouse Club” that included Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake among the cast members. Her recording career has seen her style undergo multiple transformations that show both the power and versatility of her voice

rated, including Herbie Hancock, Tony Bennett, Andrea Bocelli, Elton John, and the Rolling Stones. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located close to the Golden Age of Hollywood star, Greta Garbo, and the queen of Broadway musicals, Julie Andrews, two of the performance muses, along with 1950s rhythm and blues jazz singer, Etta James, Aguilera says she most admires.

Ms. Aguilera co-starred with Cher in her first feature film, “Burlesque” (2010), earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song for “Bound to You,” which she co-wrote and performed. In 2011, she appeared as a coach/ judge on “The Voice,” where she joins with artists Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, and Cee Lo Green to identify and nurture young talents. The show will return to the air for a second season in February 2012.

Christina Aguilera’s music has always been touched with

UN Photo/Martine Perret

and her willingness to experiment with very different sounds and strikingly contrasting personas. Aguilera began as a bubble gum pop star, flirted with Latin pop/rock, experimented with a mix of soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues, detoured through electropop and synthpop, tried out some raunch rock sounds and lyrics. Through it all she has managed to maintain a distinctive sound and a popular style that has brought her commercial success and a mix of pointed criticism as well as critical acclaim.

Ms. Aguilera is the winner of multiple Grammys and has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. She has achieved four number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and is the only artist under 30 to make Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 100 greatest singers of all time, ranked at number fifty-eight. Her musical range is demonstrated by the diverse styles of the artists with whom she has collabo-

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(L-R) Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Cee-Lo and Carson Daly attends NBC’s “The Voice” press conference in Los Angeles, California.

Odd Anderson/AFP/Getty Images

U.S. actresses and singers Cher (L) and Christina Aguilera pose during a photo call promoting the movie “Burlesque” in Berlin, Germany.

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The work I do with them is life-changing. For the kids I met that were fed by the work we do, their lives are changed.”

Christina Aguilera is nothing if not a high-powered marketing machine. She markets her own lines of jewelry and multiple fragrances and has served as spokeswoman for numerous products over the years. She has also combined a love for fashion — Versace, Roberto Cavalli, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, and others — with her performances and music videos. The World Food Programme has tried to capitalize on this marketing juggernaut by featuring Aguilera on its homepage as well as on Facebook and Twitter in an effort to promote greater awareness and to encourage contributions toward combatting hunger across the globe.

WFP’s Facebook page recently passed the 100,000 fans mark, perhaps a drop in the bucket when a billion people go to bed hungry, but an important opening wedge to the 750 million people who will sign on to Facebook on the same day.

In the words of a World Food Programme spokesperson, “WFP is the largest humanitarian aid organization in the

UN Photo/Marco Dormino

her real-life experiences, and her lyrics often times touch not only heart strings but real societal issues and critical global needs. One of her first broadcast outreach efforts featured her as a street busker with an open guitar case raising money for food aid. Accompanying herself, she sings the haunting words of her hit song “Beautiful,” words that touch on the pain of exclusion and prejudice and offer the reassurance to the listener that, “You are beautiful, no matter what they say.”

Juxtaposed against these words are the images of hungry children and Aguilera herself visiting with school children in Guatemala and Haïti who have received meals through the World Food Programme. “The sun won’t always shine,” the lyrics remind listeners, “but tomorrow will find a way.”

Clearly touched by her visits to World Food Programme sites in the field, Christina was able to put her experience in very personal terms. “I’m a singer, songwriter, actress, mother, and a UN ambassador for the World Food Programme. I’ve traveled the world performing since I was young but saw nothing compared to what I saw in Haïti and Guatemala with WFP.

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UN Photo/Marco Dormino

world. We feed around 100 million people every year — around 1,000 for every one of our fans on Facebook. That’s why we care about how many fans we have on Facebook.

Because each time that number grows, we have a new opportunity to tell someone who can make a difference about the work that we’re doing and the help that we need.”

Aguilera’s newest hunger outreach effort comes in the form of a multimedia campaign sponsored by “Yum! Brands” that includes a widely-broadcast public service announcement (PSA) that is being played not only on traditional outlets but is also widely accessible on the Internet and in social media. In the PSA, Aguilera sings a hauntingly emotional and romantic a capella version of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” She stands on a darkened sound stage surrounded by children holding sparklers, literal points of light. “My new PSA for World Hunger Relief,” Aguilera points out, “is a twist on a classic lullaby but also a reminder that every night, millions of children go to sleep hungry. It gives children a voice and shows how, together, we can give every child a chance to dream.”

Though most audiences will recognize the old familiar lullaby’s words and tune, unless they listen closely, they may not notice that the words Ms. Aguilera sings are actually taken from the less well-known third verse of the children’s song.

Then the traveler in the dark, Thanks you for your tiny spark; He could not see which way to go, If you did not twinkle so.

Those words are a poignant reminder that hunger is so vast and debilitating a global problem that people are often overwhelmed by its dimensions and paralyzed into inaction or simply become inured to the ugly realities of hunger and malnutrition because the problems seem insurmountable. In the PSA, the children wave their sparklers in such a way that the visual imprint left spells out the word “HOPE,” and that is precisely the overarching theme of Aguilera’s involvement with the United Nations World Food Programme: “Turning Hunger Into Hope.” n

For additional information or to contribute to the World Food Programme visit:

www.wfp.org www.FromHungertoHope.com

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British Embassy

NEW

RANGE ROVER EVOQUE

UNVEILED AT BRITISH EMBASSY

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Land Rover Ambassador Zara Phillips takes delivery of a new Range Rover Evoque at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.

British Embassy

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elling Britain in all its aspects is a major function of the U.K. embassy in Washington — and at no time more vital than in these economic times. Which is why, on one evening in October, a car was parked in the middle of the well-manicured lawn of the British Embassy residence on Massachusetts Avenue. This was the 2012 Range Rover Evoque, the smaller, sleeker and — boasts its makers — the most fuel-efficient Range Rover ever produced; and the British

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Danny Martindale/Getty Images

Victoria Beckham helps launch the Evoque in Britain, October, 2011.

ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald was giving a reception as part of the new model’s American launch.

The president of Jaguar Land Rover, Andy Goss, was on-hand to list the new model’s vital statistics, including, lower emissions and a fuel consumption rate of 22 – 23 miles to the gallon, lightweight construction techniques (the Evoque uses 35 lbs of recycled plastic), and a smooth and responsive turbo-charged powertrain line-up. Historically, the British automobile industry has a strong identity in the global market, and Land Rover and Jaguar are key elements in that successful line-up. So British cars are spearheading Britain’s economic recovery efforts. Or — as a British Embassy press release put it — “The Evoque is a great example of how hard U.K. industry is working, with its partners in government, to transform its image and ensure the U.K.’s world-class manufacturers are, once again, at the heart of a strong and balanced U.K. economy.”

Making a World of Difference

British Embassy

Jaguar Land Rover launched the Evoque in Britain

earlier this month with flashing lights — and Victoria Beckham on-hand to add a touch of glamour to the presentation. But the first U.K. delivery was made to Zara Phillips, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, and a British equestrian star. To build and price your own Range Rover Evoque visit: www.landrover.com/us/en/rr/ n

British School of Washington The British School of Washington offers a high-quality, British-style education to children ages 3-18, preparing students to meet the growing challenges of a rapidly changing world. We encourage independence and self-discipline in an atmosphere of mutual respect and appreciation of diverse opinions and cultures.

202.829.3700 admissionsbsw@britishschool.org • www.britishschoolofwashington.org D I P L O M A T I C C O N N E C T I O N S B U S I N E S S edition | N O V E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

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Saudi Arabian Airlines Director General, Engineer Khalid Almolhem cuts the ribbon formally inaugurating the airlines’ Regional Head Office in Vienna, Virginia, which also houses the airlines’ Call Center for North America.

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By James A. Winship, Ph.D.

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Photo above shows Saudi Arabian Airlines Director General, Khalid Almolhem (second from the right) after cutting the ribbon formally inaugurating the airlines’ regional Head Office for the Americas in Vienna, Virginia assisted by Khalid Albalawi, General Manager Passenger Sales & Services for North & South America (right) while members of the Saudi diplomatic community look on.

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audi Arabian Airlines recently inaugurated its stateof-the-art Americas Regional Headquarters facility in Vienna, Virginia. The facility houses the Call Center for the United States and Canada, including an advanced call management system, as well as the Washington-area ticketing office, sales, administration, and human resources departments. Designed as part of Saudi Arabian Airlines’ program to match its own modernization and global outreach with that of the continuing economic development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the regional headquarters facility reflects Saudi Arabian Airlines’ continuing commitment to expanding its routes, modernizing its equipment, and maintaining superior customer service.

Saudi Arabian Airlines director general, Eng. Khaled Al-Molhem, presided over the ribbon-cutting event. He was joined by Saudia’s general manager for passenger sales & services North and South America, Mr. Khalid Albalawi. Also attending the event were several members of the Saudi Arabian diplomatic community in Washington, D.C., including: Minister Dr. Saud Alsati, cultural attaché; Dr. Mohammed Aleissa, deputy cultural attaché; Dr. Mohammed Alomar, commercial attaché; Mr. Adel Almubarak, military attaché;

Colonel Ahmed Alghatani, medical attaché; Mr. Suleiman Alshuaeby, Saudi Arabian representative to the World Bank; Mr. Adelrahman Almufadee, Saudi Arabian representative to the International Monetary Fund; Mr. Ahmed Alkhilafee, protocol officer; Mr. Bader Almeeagil; General Khaled Alnabhani and former Saudi Arabian Airlines Vice President of Saudia Cargo Mr. Mohammed Albaiz.

The regional headquarters facility is part of Saudi Arabian Airlines’ effort to develop its network by upgrading technical infrastructure, purchasing advanced aircraft to modernize its fleet, expanding the number of cities it serves worldwide, and enhancing customer services. Currently, Saudi Arabian Airlines flies five times a week from both John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Washington Dulles International.

Daily flights are planned from these cities starting in 2012.

Also in 2012, Saudi Arabian Airlines will join the SkyTeam Global Alliance of airlines, offering customers access to destinations across the Arab Peninsula, the Near East, and South Asia not currently served by SkyTeam members through its major hubs in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam.

Leo van Wijk, chairman of SkyTeam, welcomed Saudia to the alliance: “Saudi Arabian Airlines is a significant player in the Middle East and covers a considerable part of the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent. Its membership in SkyTeam will enable us to compete more efficiently within the region.” Saudi Arabian Airlines Director General, Eng. Kahled Al-Molhem, noted that joining SkyTeam will enhance his airline’s services: “The SkyTeam network provides our customers with excellent connections to most parts of the

world. Through the exchange of services and knowledge between all member airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines can achieve qualitative improvements, made available to our customers.

These include airport services, ground services, and first class and business class passenger lounges.”

Saudi Arabian Airlines operates Boeing B777-268 aircraft to the United States, with sleeper seats in first and business class.

All seats are equipped with a state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment system that features, in certain aircraft, up to 40 channels with varied programming including: movies, pop videos, children’s programming, video games, digital maps, audio channels, and a landscape camera. As part of its overall fleet modernization program, Saudia has placed orders for twelve B777-300s and eight B787 “Dreamliners” with Boeing and for 12 Airbus A330-300’s to add to its current fleet of 50 Airbus planes.

Saudi Arabian Airlines uses as its logo a stylized version of the Saudi Arabian national emblem. The design, prominently installed on the aircraft tail, is circular and features a crescent moon fully illuminated against the shadow of a full moon as well as the gold crossed swords and golden date palm that symbolize the Saudi Arabian nation. The crescent moon is a reminder of Saudi Arabia’s Islamic cultural roots.

The crossed swords represent the unification of the country’s regions and the founding of the modern state under King Abdulaziz Al-Saud. The date palm recalls both the critical importance of oases to sustaining human life in the midst of a desert land and the parallel benevolence of tribal leaders and the royal family in providing for their people. In this way, the airline’s brand becomes a visual link to the past, present, and

Saudi Arabian Airlines currently flies 10 times weekly from the USA to Saudi Arabia (Jeddah and Riyadh) – 5 flights weekly from New York JFK International and 5 flights a week from Washington Dulles International (IAD). The flights are via Boeing B777s with sleeper seats in First and Business Classes with world-class in-flight cuisine.

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The Saudi National Day celebrations were organized by the Saudi student leaders of the Saudi Student Association at Marymount University including...

Meznah Al-Rebiaan, Princess Mashaal bint Naïf Bin Abdulaziz, Ibrahim Al-Meajel, Princess Nouf Bint Naïf bint Abdulaziz, Abdallah Alshehery, Abdulrahman Albalawi, Hamad Albalawi, Ismail Hameedeldeen and Mugren Almugren.

A program consisting of games, skits, contests and speeches from various guests and notable personalities provided the highlight of the event.

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future of the nation it serves.

Saudi Arabian Airlines has played an integral part in the development of a vast country that has been linked more by air than by roads or railways. The airline was born in 1945 when U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt presented King Abdulaziz with a single Douglas DC-3, which was immediately put into service linking Saudi Arabia’s three main cities — Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dhahran. The original DC-3 was quickly supplemented with the purchase of an additional four DC-3 aircraft by the Saudi Arabian government, and in 1946 the airline scheduled its first international flight for Beirut returning with pilgrims bound for Mekkah.

The rapid expansion of Saudi Arabian Airlines has been driven by two vitally important motives: in a country five times the size of California to connect the country’s scattered urban centers and link remote towns and smaller cities to them; and to respond to the demand from pilgrims in the global Islamic community who wished to make the pilgrimage to the Two Holy Mosques in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In more recent years, international business expansion and the transportation needs of a rapidly growing number of Saudi students studying abroad have also encouraged the airline’s expansion and modernization in both passenger and cargo services.

Saudi Arabian Airlines’ deep commitment to supporting Saudi students studying abroad is nowhere more evident than in the carrier’s sponsorship of Saudi Arabia’s National Day celebrations by the Saudi Student Association at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. More than 50,000 Saudi Arabian students are currently studying in the United States, and they represent a critical investment by the Kingdom in its long-term development and its expanding international role.

“Saudi Arabia has grown to become a full contributor to the global community, promoting national goals of diplomacy, tolerance, and innovation,” noted Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir in his National Day message. “As we look ahead to a bright future, we continue to invest in the citizens of Saudi Arabia who will be the ones to strengthen the place of our nation in the world.”

The goal of both the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Higher Education scholarship programs and Saudi Arabian Airlines’ support for the National Day celebrations at Marymount University is to promote dialogue and cultural exchange through student-community interaction. Celebrations at Marymount opened with verses from the Holy Qur’an and included a visual presentation honoring the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its developmental accomplish-

As the major sponsor of the Saudi National Day celebrations at Marymount University, Saudi Arabian Airlines set up an exhibition booth that gave away special gifts, promotional items, printed literature and also provided Arabic coffee and hors d’oeuvres to the booth visitors.

ments. Dr. Matthew Shank, Marymount University’s new president, welcomed the more than 600 students and guests, including university officials and members of the Saudi Arabian diplomatic corps in Washington, D.C. Notable among the program attendees were HRH Prince Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and HRH Prince Nawaf bin Naif bin.

The event was organized by the Saudi student leaders of the Saudi Arabian Student Association at Marymount University, including Meznah Al-Rebiaan, Princess Mashaal bint Naif Bin Abdulaziz, Ibrahim Al-Meajel, Princess Nouf bint Naïf bint Abdulaziz, Abdallah Alshehery, Abdulrahman Albalawi, Hamad Albalawi, Ismail Hameedeldeen, and Mugren Almugren.

As the major sponsor of this National Day event, Saudi Arabian Airlines set up an exhibition booth that gave away special gifts, promotional items, printed literature, and also provided Arabic coffee and hors d’oeuvres to all visitors. The airline also provided the main prizes in a raffle held as part of the program, including executive pens, Apple iPods, and iPads. Mr. Khalid Albalawi, general manager – passenger sales and service for North and South America, headed Saudi Arabian Airlines’ participation in the event.

Meznah Al-Rebiaan, President of the Saudi Arabian Students Association, noted that the aim of the National Day

celebration was to give an accurate picture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and “to share our cultures, our customs, and traditions.” Princess Mashaal bint Naïf bin Abdulaziz, deputy president of the club, observed that the Kingdom “is living in an historic era of rapid steps to take our country into the ranks of the leading developed countries,” and hoped that the Saudi scholarship students “will return to our homeland to contribute to continuing progress and development.”

Princess Nouf bint Naïf bint Abdulaziz recognized that, “National Day is a chance for the students to give back to the Kingdom our sincere thanks,” and added that studying outside their home country makes the Saudi students eager to participate in events such as this — that “remind them of the atmosphere of the Kingdom and the bonds of brotherhood which unite them.”

It is easy enough to think of airlines in terms of hardware and advanced technology, human resources and revenue, air routes and revenues. The stories of Saudi Arabian Airlines continuing expansion and its support for the Saudi Arabian students’ celebration of Saudi Arabia’s National Day at Marymount University make clear that Saudi Arabian Airlines is much more than a national carrier and a business venture.

It is a vital part of the sinews that knit the nation together. n

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Events that dazzle.

But no one shines brighter than you.

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UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Actor Javier Bardem addresses the General Assembly’s Special Political and Decolonization Committee (or Fourth Committee) on the issue of Western Sahara, a disputed territory on the northwest coast of Africa bordered

by Algeria, Mauritania, and Morocco.

Mr. Bardem is making a documentary film about Western Sahara entitled “Sons of the Clouds.” Javier Bardem spoke at the United Nations in New York City on October 4, 2011.

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Inset Photo: UN Photo/Stuart Price

2011

has been a year of unprecedented

ing Algeria. Since this time, however, the voices

change in North Africa. From

for change among the Saharawi people have

Tahrir Square to Tunis

largely gone unheard.

to Sana’a, protests en

masse have dramatically

veteran is now working

reshaped the political

to change that. On

landscape of many North

October 4, actor Javier

African countries — but

Bardem appeared before

not all.

a special committee at

Making up a large

the United Nations to

portion of the northwest

speak about self-deter-

African coastline, West-

mination and the refu-

ern Sahara is a disputed

gee crisis amongst the

territory bordering Mo-

population of Western

rocco, Algeria, and Mau-

Sahara.

ritania. Despite being

one of the most sparsely

Bardem has appeared in

populated areas in the

more than 25 movies,

One Hollywood

A native of Spain,

world, Western Sahara is also home to an active

including “Biutiful,” “Eat Pray Love,” and “No

and long-standing liberation movement.

Country for Old Men,” the latter of which won him

Morocco began occupying the territory in

an Academy Award in 2007. The actor has now

1975, precipitating a refugee crisis that has seen

turned activist with an address before the 193-

some 165,000 people flee to camps in neighbor-

nation General Assembly’s Fourth Committee at

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UN Photo/Luke Powell

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Inset Photos (from top): UN Photo/John Isaac; UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe UN Photo/Evan Schneider

UN headquarters in New York.

“The people of the Western Sahara are suffering under repression inside the occupied territory,” Bardem said in a statement before his UN appearance. “They are suffering in refugee camps in the Sahara Desert, where they have been forgotten for decades. But no one hears of their suffering.”

Bardem told reporters that his dedication to this issue stems from the fact that Western Sahara was colonized by his native Spain in the 19th century. “I don’t know if it’s guilt,” he told reporter Christiane Amanpour. “It’s more. It’s more responsibility.”

“When you are in the refugee camps, you feel some sense of shame of what we did to them,” he said.

After a process of decolonization by Spain, Western Sahara was annexed by Morocco, igniting a conflict with homegrown guerrilla fighters, the Polisario Front. Nearly two decades of internal conflict ensued until the UN brokered a ceasefire and settlement plan in 1991. Although a referendum on the territory’s fate was part of the deal, it was never upheld, and major world powers have remained ambiguous about support for the population’s aspirations for statehood because of geostrategic and economic concerns.

Since he first traveled to Western Sahara in 2008, Bardem has been working on a documentary that he hopes will shine a spotlight on the plight of the territory’s population. Set to be released next year, “Sons of the Clouds” will highlight human rights abuses suffered by Saharawis and broadcast them to a wider audience.

“What I’m trying to do is to really have the right to do what any other citizen has, which is the right to speak and say what I think about certain things,” Bardem told reporters in the lead up to his appearance at the UN. n

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Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

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Carlos R. Alvarez/WireImage

Above: (L – R) Spanish actor Javier Bardem, actress Julia Roberts, director Ryan Murphy, producer Dede Gardner and actor Richard Jenkins attend “Come, Reza, Ama” (Eat Pray Love) photocall during the 58th San Sebastian International Film Festival in San Sebastian, Spain.

Left: Actors Javier Bardem and Julia Roberts attend the premiere of “Eat Pray Love’” at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City.

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Below: Actors Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz arrive at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Right: Javier Bardem and Penelope

Mario Scanurra/Spanish Film Academy

Cruz in Madrid, Spain.

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Steve Granitz/WireImage

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T

he Peninsula Beverly Hills has a well-deserved reputation for luxury at every turn, elegant service, superb food and drink, and an unmatched staff dedicated to the comfort of its guests. As it celebrates its 20th anniversary, the hotel is undergoing a complete enhancement of all of its rooms, suites, and villas.

The number 20 has become a focus of many of the hotel’s promotions this year. Guests who book two paid nights at the hotel will receive a third night for $20 (through December 22, 2011). In addition, guests will receive a $20 breakfast credit for each day of their stay. Valet parking is available at $20 per night. As a welcome, guests will receive two “Pen 20 Cocktails” (a special anniversary drink made with rum punch, fresh blackberries, and ginger) upon arrival, a 20th anniversary gift, and 20 percent reduction on all spa, food, and beverage charges.

Diplomatic Connections recently had the opportunity to speak with Rob Roche, The Peninsula’s director of marketing.

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He describes his position as “education and awareness.” He’s responsible for making The Peninsula Beverly Hills known not only in the Los Angeles area, but across the world. In his own words, his goal is “to make potential guests more aware of the hotel and its capabilities during this twentieth anniversary year and to highlight our brand-new rooms, suites, and villas — enhanced to honor the hotel’s past and to assure that the tradition of outstanding service to guests continues into the future.”

Diplomatic Connections: The hotel is celebrating its 20th anniversary. What are some of the special things that are happening during this anniversary year?

Rob Roche: We want to really focus on what makes The Peninsula Beverly Hills, The Peninsula Beverly Hills. That’s not only the guests that we have who have been coming back — some of them — for 20 years, but also the staff. And many of them have been here for 10, 15, or 20 years themselves. So we’ve tried to combine those two things. During the week-long celebration of our

Mr. Rob Roche, Director of Marketing and Ms. Anna Micic, Director of Travel Industry Sales, sitting in the new California Suite at The Peninsula Beverly Hills.

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actual anniversary week, which just happened to be Monday, August 8th, this past summer we did a re-enactment of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. We invited the mayor from Beverly Hills from 1991 to come back and help us do that as well as the current mayor. We had a ribbon-cutting ceremony with them and then really celebrated that day with the staff. We did a breakfast for them, a recognition ceremony for service rendered, and a commemorative yearbook of the staff that had been here a long time.

Diplomatic Connections: Weren’t there charity events as well?

Rob Roche: One of the most important things we did throughout the whole year was in an effort to give back to the community that has been so generous to us. We are very famous for our afternoon teas here at The Peninsula, as all Peninsula’s around the world are. So we decided to do a special tea for each one of the charities that are closest to our hearts. Our idea was to do something special for each tea.

For instance, we did Children’s Hospital – Los Angeles and we included jelly beans as part of the high tea because it was kid-friendly.

Diplomatic Connections: What were the other charities you supported with these special afternoon teas?

Rob Roche: Recently, because of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we did the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and then earlier in the year we did the Beverly Hills Education Foundation. For the upcoming holidays we’re focusing on the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. What we’ve done is to focus on each charity for a month or two or three. Then, we donate a portion of the proceeds from the tea to the charity.

Diplomatic Connections: What is the history of the hotel?

Rob Roche: One of the inspirations for the hotel came from The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, Texas. It was a luxury hotel of the highest order, but built on a residential scale and surrounded by beautiful grounds and gardens.

Achieving a similar effect was what was hoped for here at The Peninsula Beverly Hills. With only 193 rooms and villas, our goal is to be a luxury hotel that provides great comfort, highly-personalized service, elegant dining experiences, and unusually close attention to detail.

Diplomatic Connections: You mentioned that the hotel has been undergoing a complete renovation. What changes have been made?

Rob Roche: When a hotel that has been around for 20 years and has done so well for all of those years decides to make a change like renovation to all of its rooms, it’s not something that’s done lightly. We told our regular guests 66

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Beverly Suite Patio

that we were planning some changes and asked them to tell us what desired changes might look like to them. When we got the answers, it was clear across the board that our guests didn’t want us to change anything.

That was the good news. But now we still had rooms and suites and villas that really did need literally to be brought down to the cement and the walls in order that something new could be put in. Basically, what we did was to take everything out of the room so that everything you see is brand new, but it’s just a little bit more current version of what was

there before. So, when you walk into the room it’s a brandnew room, but it looks very similar to what it did before.

Obviously, we took the opportunity to upgrade the technology, so we have Tangerine® global television. We were one of the first hotels to have TiVo® in the rooms. All the other systems – telephones, heating, air conditioning, and lighting – have been upgraded as well.

Diplomatic Connections: What makes The Peninsula hotels unique?

Rob Roche: It is really the staff. When people choose to stay

at The Peninsula Beverly Hills they expect the hotel to be beautiful; they expect everything to be clean and neat, to be perfect. But what they are surprised about is the warmth and the friendliness of the staff. And, really, for us, when all the physical amenities are in place, what we do is the physical experience. Because when anybody stays with us as a guest, especially at the five-star level, they’re not going to return home and tell you how nice the bed was or how clean this property was. They’re going to tell you about this amazing experience they had at The Peninsula. That’s what

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Superior Suite Living Room

makes us different from everybody else. We try to create an experience.

Diplomatic Connections: Talking about The Peninsula Beverly Hills “experience” makes great advertising copy, but can you give us an example of what you mean?

Rob Roche: Let me tell you a true story. We had a husband and wife and a couple of kids here on vacation from New York. When they got back to New York and were putting their kids to bed, they realized that their little girl had left her stuffed animal here at the hotel. They called us frantically saying that we had to find this thing. We looked and looked and looked for the animal. but we could not find it. They called every day for five days checking to see if we’d found the missing stuffed animal. Finally, it popped up in our laundry room. Who knows how many times it had been washed?

The laundry department gave it to our Director of Guest Relations, who, independently of anybody else, decided on her own to take this stuffed animal and take pictures of it all over the hotel . . . having breakfast in the dining room, sitting outside a cabana at the pool, and in the room where the fam68

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ily had stayed. Then she hand wrote a letter to this little girl telling her what her stuffed animal had been doing while they were separated. She put the animal in a box with a blanket and sent it off to the little girl in New York, addressed to her in care of her parents. Let me tell you, the phone call and the letter that we got from these parents was just unbelievable.

Diplomatic Connections: What are some of the events that you host for the international community?

Rob Roche: Because of the more intimate size of our hotel, if there is an international event coming into Los Angeles or Beverly Hills, we’re typically getting just 15 or 20 rooms of that because we’re catering to the very top corporate executives for that event. We make certain that we have any kind of assistance needed available for these guests: that our concierge is staffed properly, that appropriate transportation is available for wherever they need to go, that itineraries or programs are printed if needed, that translators are available at a moment’s notice.

Diplomatic Connections: What kinds and numbers of events do you do each week?

Rob Roche: It can be anything from a corporate dinner

food service goes?

for 15 executives hosted in our board room, to a company having 40 people in-house for training or a planning event, to an evening cocktail party and reception. Each week, I would say that we do 10 to 15 special events, and they can range anywhere from five people to over a 100 people. We’re not talking about huge numbers, but we are talking about people who need and expect a great deal of high-quality service and attention.

Diplomatic Connections: What about weddings? Have you done a variety of weddings from different cultural traditions?

Rob Roche: We have done very diverse types of weddings here in the hotel from Muslim and Indian weddings to Japanese weddings, to Jewish weddings, to Protestant, Catholic, secular, and non-traditional weddings. It’s typically on the smaller side because, again, our hotel is only 193 rooms and our meeting space is in proportion to that number of rooms.

Diplomatic Connections: Are you set-up to handle a variety of either dietary or cultural requirements so far as

Rob Roche: Our executive chef can meet any dietary requirements our guests might have, whether it’s for a guest or two or whether it’s for an entire event. Obviously, the more time we have for an event, the easier it is for our staff to make it happen exactly as our guest wishes.

Diplomatic Connections: How do you handle security for larger events or for international visitors?

Rob Roche: We have on a daily basis, a truly stellar security team. There really isn’t, a day that goes by that we don’t have some sort of celebrity or dignitary or top corporate executive or somebody that needs unobtrusive but vigilant security.

When somebody requires more security than what we normally have in place is our guest, which actually does happen quite often, then our security team works with the incoming person’s security team. They figure out what is needed where, and when, and how, and how much, and all the other things needed by a tight security detail.

Diplomatic Connections: Thank you, Mr. Roche.

If you would like to contact Rob Roche, director of marketing, for more information on The Peninsula Beverly Hills and its facilities, email: robroche@peninsula.com or call 310.788.2340 Deluxe Suite Bedroom

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An Exclusive Oasis With A Prestigious Address (1-800) 462 7899 • peninsula.com/beverlyhills

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NEW INTERVIEW SERIES

MILITARY DIALOGUE

HARNESSING MILITARY ORGANIZATION FOR HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS

LTC Hiroyuki Kawaguchi, Col. Abel Crespo, Col. Jorge Suarez, Col. Cristobal Carrillo

By Roland Flamini

IN THIS ISSUE...

Diplomatic Connections launches a new series of interviews with foreign defense and military attaches in washington by engaging in dialogue with Army General Humberto Oviedo Arriagada, chief of the army mission and assistant defense attache at the embassy of chile.

Maj. Michael Cushwa, Col. John Rouse, Mrs. Shannon Graham Major General Humberto Oviedo 72

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rior to his Washington posting last year, Gen. Oviedo, an infantryman, was commander of the Chilean Army’s northern district. Trained in the U.S. as a paratrooper, he also holds a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. In a wide-ranging conversation, Gen. Oviedo, 52, spoke of his hopes for a joint U.S.-Chilean disaster relief rapid deployment force combining American technology and Chilean experience in confronting earthquakes and tsunamis.

Diplomatic Connections: What exactly does a military

Mrs. Marianne De Oviedo, MG Humberto Oviedo, Mrs. Franziska Egger, MG Peter Egger

attaché do? The popular perception is that he is something like an authorized spy.

annual bi-lateral talks with the U.S. military, and last year,

General Oviedo: That perception is a myth that was

after the talks Col. Fernandez, one of the participants

sustained for a long time. Nowadays our main job is to

said: ”There are key issues that must be discussed,” What

represent our armed forces to the armed forces of the host

are these issues?

country, maintaining a military-to-military relationship,

General Oviedo: Well, in this year’s bi-lateral, held in

developing exchange programs of officers and warrant

October, one of the key issues was how to react more ef-

officers, and managing the mutual defense agreements

fectively in disaster relief, perhaps by establishing a rapid

established between the two countries. We’re part of the

reaction force to respond to emergencies. Unfortunately,

embassy staff. In my particular case, I represent the Chil-

Chile has some experience in dealing with such disasters;

ean Army, and I’m also responsible for all Chilean Military

we have a lot of earthquakes – the last one [in Feb. 2010]

Personnel working in different places in the United States

was one of the biggest ones, provoking a tsunami. So

– for example, an officer respectively at Fort Benning, GA,

we’re trying to build a relationship based on our experi-

in the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Coop-

ences and lessons learned in how we face these emergen-

eration, and at the Combined Arms Center (CAC) at Fort

cies.

Leavenworth, Kansas; also,a lieutenant colonel with the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, NC, among others. Our relationship with the U.S. Army is very special; we have joint operations with the U.S. Southern Command in Miami, and the Army South in San Antonio.

Diplomatic Connections: The Chilean Military is one of four armed forces in Central and South America that holds Col. Victor Mizon, Col. Jose Lira, MG Humberto Oviedo, Col. Diego Jimenez, LTC Gerardo Ruiz D I P L O M A T I C C O N N E C T I O N S B U S I N E S S edition | N O V E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

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that requires greater flexibility from our armed forces to respond to situations.

Diplomatic Connections: What is the actual size of the Chilean Armed Forces?

General Oviedo: The three branches – army, navy, and air force – have developed a structure of forces according to their needs. The army consists of 38,000 personnel on active duty; they’re a mixture of career soldiers and a smaller number of draftees. The Chilean Armed Forces are not the biggest in the Hemisphere; we’re average for Maj. Michael Cushwa, Col. Yoshihiro Iseri

the region, proportionate to the size of the population of 17 million people.

Diplomatic Connections: Is this a plan?

Diplomatic Connections: Chile hasn’t actually been at

General Oviedo: This is an idea that could become a

war since the 19th century, right?

plan. We’ve designed some software dealing with prevention, and with examining in detail the causes and aftereffects of earthquakes. With our experience and with U.S. equipment this is one of the ways we can create a system to help people not just in Chile, but in other places as well. We have other areas where we can exchange ideas; in Chile we have some very bright people who have some very good ideas. Also, as an Army we have the idea of working together with the U.S. Army to provide feedback in areas where we have experience, like training and survival in high altitude and extreme weather conditions.

Col. Hans-Olaf Jessen, RADM Karl-Wilhelm Bollow, MG Peter Egger

Diplomatic Connections: In 2010 the Chilean armed

General Oviedo: Indeed. It is a situation that makes

forces made major weapons acquisitions, I would say a

us very proud since it is the result of successful foreign

buying spree: F-16s from the U.S., tanks, ships. The chief

policies that created the conditions and trust in the region

of the Chilean Armed Forces talked about renewing the

and where the armed forces had contributed in an im-

armed forces. Is this a period of transformation?

portant way keeping strong bonds with the neighboring

General Oviedo: What you mentioned is framed under

countries armed forces.

a process of material renewal to replace obsolete weapon

Diplomatic Connections: The closest you came was in

systems, maintaining the idea of protecting the strate-

the early 1980s in the dispute with Argentina over posses-

gic balances in the region. The transformation has been

sion of some islands in the Beagle Channel at the south-

ongoing for the last eight years. We’re purchasing new

ern tip of Latin America, and there were clashes between

equipment to replace old stock – for example, new tanks

Argentinian and Chilean navy units.

from Germany; in the U.S. we’re refurbishing our M109

General Oviedo: Yes, in fact it was a difficult period but

artillery [self-propelled howitzers]. But we have a Defense

a specific solution was reached with the help of the inter-

White Book that defines our defense policy – peace in the

national community.

region, a readiness to respond in protecting our interests,

Diplomatic Connections: However, the dispute was

including in the case of natural disasters. We don’t have

successfully mediated by the Vatican with Pope John Paul

a national guard, as you have in the United States, and

II’s personal intervention.

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MG Humberto Oviedo, Mrs. Myriam De Matus, Mr. Roberto Matus, Mrs. Veronica De Kauffman

General Oviedo: Yes, and now we have very, very good relations with Argentina – and a very close relationship between our two armed forces. We’ve formed a combined unit called Cruz del Sur – Southern Cross – which we are ready to employ under the United Nations mandate.

Diplomatic Connections: Do you ever envision having a NATO type alliance in the Hemisphere – something like the North Atlantic Treaty?

General Oviedo: It’s difficult to say whether it would be the same model, but we have a very interesting new initiative in the Hemisphere called UNASUR [Union of South American Nations], and under this umbrella there has been some discussion about a defense agreement to cooperate in facing the new threats the world faces today – ter-

Members of the Chilean Army

rorism, narco-traffic and so on. We have some initiatives

Col. Joseph Smith, Col. Diego Jimenez

under discussion in UNASUR, and also in the Organization of American States. In the Inter-American Defense Board [created in 1942, and the world’s longest existing

RADM Richard Greenwood, MG Humberto Oviedo Col. Yvette Kelley, BG Leslie Purser

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defense organization] 22 countries together work with the

foreign investors. For the same reason, you need to stay

OAS to advise on military and defense conditions.

ready and prepared: deterrence works when the armed

Diplomatic Connections: Does UNASUR have a fixed

forces are reliable, efficient, and decisive.

military headquarters?

Diplomatic Connections: But although you have had no

General Oviedo: UNASUR has a rotating presidency,

war, you did have internal tensions involving the military

but there is a permanent defense organization in Buenos

– the Pinochet regime, and then the transition to democ-

Aires.

racy. How did the armed forces make the transition from a

Diplomatic Connections: For Chile today, who is the

military dictatorship to a democracy?

enemy?

General Oviedo: In fact it was a special and particular

General Oviedo: Not the enemy, but the challenge: how

period of our recent history, Chile has been a democracy

we make the transition from under-developed country to

for the last 22 years, and the armed forces played a key

developed country. There are good economic, social and

role in this process. In the 1990s, the same armed forces

cultural indicators that we are very close to becoming a

that had been in power handed that power over to the

developed country; it could happen in the next decade.

political parties, and there were free elections. Under

This is the most important fight for all our institutions to-

the political mandate we are apolitical forces under the

day. The army’s most important contribution is to provide

minister of defense and our president, the chief of state.

the security for this development. A nation that is secure

We work very closely with the community; our role is to

and peaceful and gives confidence, that has everything in

support the population – of which we are a part.

order, its institutions working and professional, attracts

Diplomatic Connections: Thank you, General Oviedo.

Away from it all. In the heart of it all.

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TRANSFORMING

NYUMBA N I

LIVES

Giving the Gift of Human Dignity

AFRICA KENYA

Rev. Angelo D'Agostino, S.J., M.D.

By Lawrence Dunham

When Fr. Angelo D’Agostino took in three HIV+ Kenyan orphans in 1992, he could not have foreseen the profound impact this humanitarian gesture would have on his life, or on the lives of thousands of others in the years to follow.

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’Agostino, a Jesuit priest living in Nairobi, had followed an unusual career path to Kenya. A surgeon who trained at Tufts University Medical School, the Providence, Rhode Island, native subsequently joined the Jesuit order, whereupon he was assigned to study psychiatry. “Fr. D’Ag,” as he was known by all, spent the next 25 years teaching and practicing the specialty in Washington, DC. Later, his order sent him to Thailand to work on refugee issues, and finally to Kenya, where he became involved with the plight of children affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

At the time, orphans with the virus were abandoned and relegated to a slow and lonely death, a fate which Fr. D’Ag refused to accept. Renting a house, he began a hospice to care for them and many who followed. Over time, with the advent of anti-retroviral (ARV) drug therapy, compassionate care, and proper nutrition, his charges began to thrive. The hospice became a home where children could grow and live with hope for the future.

Fr. D’Ag passed away in 2006 at the age of 80. During his later years, when many of his contemporaries were contemplating retirement and a slower pace, he worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Kenyan children burdened with having HIV. As a result of his determination and boundless energy, the Children’s Home now hosts over 100 orphans who are growing to adulthood. His leadership made it possible for HIV+ children to be educated in the Kenyan public schools. His tenacity ensured that sophisticated ARV drugs are available to them.

Mary Lynn Qurnell, President of Nyumbani's U.S. Board

The Children’s Home has spawned a state-of-the-art diagnostic laboratory, an outreach program in the resource-limited areas of Nairobi, and a village in eastern Kenya, housing 1,000 orphaned children and adults who have lost their children to AIDS. In recognition of these significant accomplishments, over 400 Nyumbani supporters joined Sister Mary Owens, Fr. D’Ag’s long-time colleague and his successor as executive director of the Nyumbani programs, in Washington, DC, one evening in September to celebrate Nyumbani’s impact on the lives of those it has touched. The evening’s theme, “Transforming Lives,” reflected not only the thousands in Kenya who have benefited from Nyumbani‘s presence, but the countless others whose lives have been affected by their association with Nyumbani.

Members of groups in the U.S., Ireland, the U.K., Spain, and Italy which raise funds for Nyumbani; volunteers from throughout the world – including high school students from the DC area; George Washington University medical students – who have traveled to Kenya to assist in the Nyumbani programs; and

officials from numerous governments who have visited Nyumbani, all have testified that the experience has affected them profoundly.

Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen told event attendees that he had learned of Nyumbani when his eldest son volunteered there, an experience which inspired his younger son to do so as well. On a recent trip, Van Hollen and his son stayed at the Children’s Home and visited the Nyumbani Village in Kitui. While in Nairobi, they met Gabriel, a malnourished, HIV+ 3-year-old, who had been abandoned in one of Nairobi’s notorious slums. He had been left alone in a mud hut by his mother to fend for himself. Sister Mary brought him to Nyumbani where he now is part of the Nyumbani family and is developing into a well cared for, playful, and loving child. As the Congressman noted, “In a world where abandoned children live on a razor-thin margin between life and death, Nyumbani provides a much needed safety net. It provides medical care,

Sister Mary Owens, Nyumbani's Executive Director, and Fr. Jean Baptiste Mazarati, offered the invocation at the benefit.

nutrition, a family, and, most importantly, love, to these helpless and forsaken kids.”

The event, emceed by former Washington, DC, newswoman, Kathleen Matthews, honored individuals whose generosity contributed significantly to Nyumbani during the past year. They included Dr. Ryan Burnette, director of Alliance Biosciences; Gary Cohen, executive vice president of Becton-Dickinson (BD), Krista Thompson, also of BD; and Conrad Person, director of corporate contributions of Johnson & Johnson. The John and Patty Noel Award, which recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations dedicated to fighting poverty, disease, and ignorance, consistent with the goals of Nyumbani, was Kathleen Matthews, Mistress of Ceremonies for the 18th Annual Nyumbani Benefit D I P L O M A T I C C O N N E C T I O N S B U S I N E S S edition | N O V E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

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‘

presented to Barbara Albert in recognition of her long-standing support and assistance to the children of Kenya, and for her leadership in building the new Nyumbani laboratory, permitting the expansion of laboratory services to the outside community on a larger scale.

‘

All we knew was that he was a boy and that he was African

Sister Mary Owens, who had worked with Fr. D’Ag from the outset, spoke movingly of the plight of HIV+ orphans in Kenya today. Although significant advances have been made in awareness and understanding, children suffering from the virus still come to Nyumbani. She told of a young boy, no older than four, who had been found wandering in the middle of the night in the parking lot of a Nairobi hospital. He did not speak. He had no possessions. A social worker brought him to Nyumbani in a pair of hospital pajamas. “All we knew was that he was a boy and that he was African,” she recalled. Ben, as he now is known, is settling in comfortably and enjoying the “precious gifts of life, health, and human dignity,” which Nyumbani seeks to bring to those who otherwise would be denied them.

For information and donations, go to: www.Nyumbani.org

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S F IT AT T E N D E E E N E B I N A B M 2011 NYU

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By James A. Winship, Ph.D.

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fter years of planning, preparation, and fundraising, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the Tidal Basin near the Mall in Washington, D.C., has not only been opened to the public, which happened in late August, at last it has been dedicated. It was a day, in the words of President Obama, “that would not be denied.” More than that, it was a crystalline mid-October day with bright sunshine that started with a chill in the air and a few hundred early arrivers. As the sun rose, the words energized, and the music inspired, the number of Dr. King’s admirers who wanted to be there grew to thousands and tens of thousands.

A rare earthquake may have combined with the winds and torrential rains of Hurricane Irene to force postponement of the originally scheduled August 28th dedication ceremonies, but everything was in divine alignment for the rescheduled dedication. The day had the feeling of an old-fashioned camp meeting as people streamed out of multiple Metro stations and made their way across the Mall and Independence Avenue to reach the Memorial site and West Potomac Park where the stage, the Jumbotrons, and the media risers were set-up. Many of these folk might have been missing Sunday services, some of them right along with their preachers. But it was a morning . . . it was a place . . . it was a gathering with the soul of a church.

Harry Johnson, president and CEO of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. noted that although rescheduling the dedication meant a scaled-back event, “This long-awaited moment in our nation’s history will celebrate the legacy of Dr. King as well as democracy, hope, justice, and love — ecumenical tenets for which Dr. King bravely stood.” Dr. King’s youngest daughter, Elder Bernice King, suggested that postponement of the dedication ceremonies might have represented a “divine interruption” perhaps intended to encourage planners and speakers to focus more on questions of economic justice in the present more than on the remembrance of things past.

Her brother, The Honorable Martin Luther King III, even worried aloud that his father was becoming a brand or an idol more than an ideal. He urged those present to live out Dr. King’s ideals of love, peace, equality, jobs, food, education, decent housing, and an end to war.

The day officially began at 8:00 a.m. with an hour of music, poetry, and inspirational reflections. It was that music that greeted those working their way, almost as if in procession, to the Memorial Dedication site. At 9:00 a.m.,

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two hours of speakers and music prepared the crowd for the formal dedication ceremony and President Obama’s speech, which was held in the forecourt of the memorial itself, in the shadow of Dr. King’s presence. Public Broadcasting’s Gwen Ifill served as master of ceremonies for the morning. The colors were presented by members of the military. The National Anthem was sung. The Reverend Joseph Ratliff’s invocation reminded all present that although, “We have crossed the river, the ocean lies ahead.” Members of Dr. King’s family spoke, as did leaders of the civil rights movement — Julian Bond, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Representative John Lewis,

Reverend Al Sharpton

Ambassador Andrew Young, the Reverend Joseph Lowery — (at 90-years-old, the senior statesman of the group) and former CBS reporter and anchor Dan Rather, who recalled his days of covering the civil rights movement as a young reporter.

To add to the sense of what Dr. King called the “beloved community,” everyone attending was given a white cap, courtesy of the Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation – Dedication co-chair. With lettering embroidered in red and blue, the caps reminded people to celebrate Dr. King’s life, his dream, and his legacy. These quickly became the collector’s items of the dedication ceremony, and people could

be seen wearing them around the city long after the event concluded. The General Motors Foundation and Chevrolet served as dedication chair. Dedication vice-chairs included: Aetna, Boeing, BP, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, GE, MacFarlane Partners, McDonald’s, Salamander Hotels, Travelers, Wal-Mart Stores, and Zoilëmax Foundation.

Nikki Giovanni added her deft touch with her “sacred” poem, “In the Spirit of Martin,” at once reverential and humanizing, not designed to lament Dr. King’s murder but to make him accessible to future generations by recalling her friend’s desire always to be dapper and at least a little bit hip.

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Reverend Jesse Jackson

Aretha Franklin would add the old gospel hymn “Precious Lord” to the musical mix of the day.

But certainly the most striking performance piece was a violin and rap recollection of the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott done by violinist Miri Ben-Ari with rap lyrics provided by PoemCees. The violin provided striking variations on the civil rights theme “We Shall Overcome” while the lyrics told the multilayered story of the bus boycott that lasted more than a year and 86

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opened the spillways to the civil rights movement.

The crowd quieted when pictures of President Obama and his family in the forecourt of the monument plaza appeared on the screen. The First Family walked along the inscription wall, and, though the screens were silent, you could see the parents sharing memories with the children. Greeted by chants of “Four More Years,” the President focused on the memory and the legacy of Martin Luther King, whom he described as “a black preacher with no official rank or title who somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams and our most lasting ideals, a man who stirred our conscience and thereby helped make our union more perfect.”

The President recalled that without “that shining moment” of the “I Have a Dream” speech, “without Dr. King’s glorious words, we might not have had the courage to come

as far as we have. I raise all of this,” the President continued, “because nearly 50 years after the march on Washington, our work, Dr. King’s work, is not yet complete. We gather here at a moment of great challenge and great change. In the first decade of this new century, we have been tested by war and tragedy; by an economic crisis and its aftermath that has left millions out of work, poverty on the rise, and millions more just struggling to get by. When met with hardship, when confronting disappointment,” said the President, “Dr. King refused to accept what he called the ‘is-ness’ of today.

He kept pushing toward the ‘oughtness’ of tomorrow.” The President concluded by calling to Americans, “Let us not be trapped by what is. We can’t be discouraged by what is.

We’ve got to keep pushing for what ought to be, the America that we ought to leave our children. If we maintain our faith in ourselves and in the possibilities of this nation, there is no challenge we cannot surmount.”

Despite the postponement of the dedication ceremonies in August, from the moment the memorial site opened until it was closed in anticipation of the storm, and then in the clear, freshly sunlit hours of Sunday after the storm passed, the memorial site became a meeting place, a space of wonder, and a site of informal celebration. August’s gathering storm, the tempest-tossed trees and drenching rains, followed by the breaking clouds and the emergent sunlight, provided a nature-made metaphor for the struggle against racism, poverty, and militarism that Dr. King led during his lifetime and the multiracial harmony and equal justice he envisioned for the future.

Long before the formal dedication ceremonies were rescheduled, the memorial had already been dedicated 10 thousand times over by the estimated 1.5 million visitors — multigenerational families, members of the international community, Dr. King’s brothers in the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, black, white, and brown, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, and Buddhist, male and female — who came to see the memorial for themselves. They brought with them memories, hopes, fears, and dreams. Each group sees itself in the memorial, their immediate concerns etched into Dr. King’s inscribed words. Each knot of friends, family, and strangers comes not only to honor a man and his prophetic voice but to place themselves in his shadow, to enter into his presence, and to come away freshly inspired.

For some, this means recalling their own past and the role Martin Luther King’s life and death had played in their growing up and going out into the world. For others too

young to have witnessed Dr. King in life, the memorial becomes a place where the inanimate likeness of Dr. King breathes vivid life into what had been classroom learning and received memory. The sounds of tears and laughter, of stories recounted, of lives crushed and hopes re-energized, of preserving the moment in pictures filled with this memorial to Dr. King and populated by eager strangers inevitably walking through the frame, of children questioning and parents explaining, of dozens of foreign languages, of people jovially jostling to share the crowded memorial space all combine for a moment to share the potential of Dr. King’s dream and, however briefly, to become the “beloved community” which he held dear.

Location may be important in real estate, but it is vital when it comes to the iconography of American history. The new King memorial site stands in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Offering striking profiles of Dr. King with the Washington Monument in the background.

It sits nearby the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and is sited close to the memorials of those who have given their lives in service to their country. Dr. King is now memorialized alongside the founders, the saviors, and the preservers of the Republic. The memorial plaza is surrounded by nearly 200 newly-planted cherry trees so that it will blend into the springtime cherry blossom landscape of the Tidal Basin. It will mesh seamlessly into the national celebration that is the National Cherry Blossom Festival, even as the timing recalls the April date of Dr. King’s assassination and the blossoms provide evidence of a symbolic rebirth.

The design of the memorial, conceived by the ROMA Design Group in San Francisco, derives from a line in Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, “With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”

The realization of Dr. King’s likeness pulled forward from the mountain of despair provides a striking visual realization of the rhetorical vision that Dr. King conjured. The memorial and the statue of Dr. King face the Tidal Basin, and the main entrance to the site is from Independence Avenue. This means that visitors enter the site from the rear with the cleaved mountain of despair providing a gateway into the Tidal Basin and framing the Jefferson Memorial across the water.

The narrow passage through the mountain is intended to remind visitors of the struggle for civil rights and to lead them into the memorial plaza where waterfalls — reminiscent of Dr. King’s allusion to the Old Testament words of the prophet Amos (5:24), “We will not be satisfied until justice

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rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream,” in his “I Have a Dream” speech — will guide them along the 450-foot granite arc of the Inscription Wall, where a selection of Dr. King’s words from across his career have been carved in stone. Since the core concept of the monument is derived directly from the “I Have a Dream” speech given at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, none of the passages inscribed on the wall come from that speech. Instead, the passages selected are intended to draw visitors into the depth and the richness of Dr. King’s commitments to equality, nonviolence, and economic justice. A berm insulating the memorial site from the passing traffic on Independence Avenue turns the plaza into a place of shared experience and granite niches facing the inscription wall allow places for rest and quiet contemplation.

The centerpiece of the memorial, however, is the statue of Dr. King.

Carved from the same block of granite as the mountain that serves as its backdrop, Dr. King’s likeness emerges from the “stone of hope” as if his energy and determination had literally been contained in the rock itself. The sides of the stone include markings to indicate that the stone literally has come “out of the mountain of despair.” On one side of the stone are carved the thematic words that structure the entire memorial, “Out of the mountain of despair, the stone of hope.” On the other side of the stone are carved the words that Dr. King himself suggested might be a part of his epitaph, “I was a drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness.” Ironically, however, Dr. King also suggested that these words might make it too easy to exaggerate the role of a single leader in the face of a struggle confronted, named, and resisted by so many. The figure of Dr. King stands resolute, arms folded across his chest, holding a rolled speech text in his left hand. His look is neither defiant nor confrontational, but rather a look of determination and perseverance in the face of adversity. It is the kind of pose he might have struck after delivering his “I Have a Dream” manifesto and its ringing peroration, “Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty, free at last.”

Brilliantly illuminated at night and standing on opposite sides of the Tidal Basin, the King Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial stand as beacons of freedom glowing in the darkness, impassioned markers of the struggle for freedom against any oppression. The words of Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence set forth a vision and a promise of all people “created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights . . . life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The challenge put forth by Dr. King has the audacity to say that, more than 200 years later, the promise has not yet been fulfilled, that the tasks of liberty to realize equality and respect for all regardless of race, class, religion, gender, or nationality are far from complete. The two monuments carry on a critical dialogue on America’s possibilities. The dialogue holds forth the promises of freedom and equality; that demands persistent evaluation of our behavior over against our proclaimed values and acknowledges our shortcomings; and that constantly challenges us to find and enliven what Abraham Lincoln called “the better angels of our nature.” n 88

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