2006.12.18: December 18, 2006: Headlines: Directors - Vasquez: Figures: Directors: United Nations: Diplomacy: COS - Mali: : Gaddi Vasquez, traveled to Mali December 11-15, 2006 to raise awareness of the partnerships between the United States and the UN Agencies
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2006.12.18: December 18, 2006: Headlines: Directors - Vasquez: Figures: Directors: United Nations: Diplomacy: COS - Mali: : Gaddi Vasquez, traveled to Mali December 11-15, 2006 to raise awareness of the partnerships between the United States and the UN Agencies
Gaddi Vasquez, traveled to Mali December 11-15, 2006 to raise awareness of the partnerships between the United States and the UN Agencies
“I selected Mali because it has a strong record of good governance and economic reform,” Ambassador Vasquez said. “In fact, the President of Mali just signed a Millennium Challenge Compact agreement for $461 million to fund poverty reduction projects in Mali. This agreement reflects our strong desire to help the people of Mali in their struggle to make ends meet in a country vulnerable to adverse weather conditions and desertification.” Former Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez is U.S. ambassador to U.N. food agencies based in Rome.
Gaddi Vasquez, traveled to Mali December 11-15, 2006 to raise awareness of the partnerships between the United States and the UN Agencies
Ambassador Vasquez leads Media Tour of Mali ,
December 18, 2006
NEWS RELEASE
Learns of Strong Partnerships with People
ROME – The U.S. Representative to the UN Agencies in Rome, Ambassador Gaddi Vasquez, traveled to Mali December 11-15, 2006 to raise awareness of the partnerships between the United States and the UN Agencies in addressing the needs of the chronically food insecure northern region, vulnerable to droughts, floods, and locusts.
With stops in Timbuktu, the ancient Islamic center of learning and regional trade, Mopti, a major port on the Niger River, and Bamako, the capital, Ambassador Vasquez, accompanied by the international and national press, explored how partnerships between international organizations and the Government of Mali are helping to empower local populations to reduce hunger and poverty through self-help efforts to make agriculture more productive.
Wouneissa Kounta, President of the Women Market Gardners Co-operative in Goundam, a rural community 95 km from Timbuktu, told the Ambassador that through USAID funding, FAO training, and WFP’s Food for Work program, “our women’s group does more than make our gardens grow to feed our families. We fix the irrigation pumps ourselves.”
Ms. Kounta was one of scores of Malians that impressed Ambassador Vasquez with their spirit of ownership for transforming their communities.
The delegation also visited sites where U.S. humanitarian assistance through the UN Food and Agricultural Agencies helps alleviate malnutrition and hunger in local communities. Schools, nutrition centers, and HIV/AIDS clinics throughout Mali are supported by WFP’s and USAID’s Feeding and Maternal and Child Health programs.
“I selected Mali because it has a strong record of good governance and economic reform,” Ambassador Vasquez said. “In fact, the President of Mali just signed a Millennium Challenge Compact agreement for $461 million to fund poverty reduction projects in Mali. This agreement reflects our strong desire to help the people of Mali in their struggle to make ends meet in a country vulnerable to adverse weather conditions and desertification.”
The tour included irrigation projects, food storage facilities, micro-credit projects, and farmer field schools, all assisted through partnerships. Ambassador Vasquez met with farmers, local entrepreneurs, religious leaders, and government officials in villages and rural communities.
“I traveled to look at the coordination of the United States with the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture in the field, but I returned to Rome with an even broader perspective,” Ambassador Vasquez noted. “I am optimistic that in Mali strong partnerships with the people will help build sustainability beyond the presence of outside aid.”
Access Ambassador Vasquez’s webchat and photos of this journey at usinfo.state.gov.
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Headlines: December, 2006; Gaddi Vasquez; Gaddi Vasquez (Director 2002 - 2006); Figures; Directors; United Nations; Diplomacy; Peace Corps Mali; Directory of Mali RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Mali RPCVs
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