The Consular Bureau with Michele Bond (DAS for Overseas Citizen Services) and David Donahue (DAS for Visa Services) conducted a briefing on January 18 on consular services provided to American citizens (amcits) during the Haiti disaster. The work is ongoing; the numbers below a snapshot of what have been accomplished so far and most certainly will change in the future. Numbers are compiled from the January 18 briefing and from the Spokesman’s briefings on January 19,and January 20.
40,000-45,000 | Estimated number of American Citizens in Haiti
15,000 | Approximate number of American registered at the embassy
2 | Number of Task Force in Washington
2 |Number of Call Centers Set-up
300,000 | Number of calls received
9,000 | Number of cases opened in crisis database
12,300 | Number of cases opened and track in crisis database (1/20)
3,500 | Number of people accounted for in crisis database
7,500 | Number of people accounted for in crisis database (1/20)
2,900 | Number of American Citizen (Amcits) evacuated (1/18)
4,500 | Number of American Citizen (Amcits) evacuated (updated 1/19)
6,174 | Total number of Amcits evacuated (updated 1/20)
44 | Number of flights
525 | Number of Amcits in Embassy Compound
136 | Number of Amcits at Haiti Airport
24 | Number of Amcit deaths (private Americans 1/18)
27 | Number of Amcit deaths (private Americans updated 1/19)
33 | Total number of Amcit deaths (1/20)
24 | Number of immigrant visas for orphan children
146 |Children issued visas and humanitarian paroles (1/20)
$23 million | Contribution raised thru Text "Haiti" to 90999 (1/19)
80 | Number of non-essential/family members evacuated
8 | Total Number of Amcits wounded (official personnel)
4 | Number of Amcits seriously wounded (official personnel)
1 | Number of Amcit death (official personnel)
3 | Official USG Persons Unaccounted for (1/20)
25 | Number of Consular Officers (augment) sent to Haiti
?? | Number of Local Staff at AmEmbassy Haiti
?? | Number of Local Staff Unaccounted for at AmEmbassy Haiti
I have sent out emails inquiring about the local staff but have not received any response from anyone. If you have an idea, or an estimate, please zap me an email. Our thoughts and prayers to our folks at the US Embassy in Port-Au-Prince. Take care of yourselves; this is not going to be over quickly.
The Consular Bureau with Michele Bond (DAS for Overseas Citizen Services) and David Donahue (DAS for Visa Services) conducted a briefing on January 18 on consular services provided to American citizens (amcits) during the Haiti disaster. The work is ongoing; the numbers below a snapshot of what have been accomplished so far and most certainly will change in the future. Numbers are compiled from the January 18 briefing and from the Spokesman’s briefing on January 19.
40,000-45,000 | Estimated Number of American Citizens in Haiti
2 | Number of Task Force in Washington
2 |Number of Call Centers Set-up
300,000 | Number of calls received
9,000 |Number of cases opened in crisis database
3,500 | Number of people accounted for in crisis database
2,900 | Number of American Citizen (Amcits) evacuated (1/18)
4,500 | Number of American Citizen (Amcits) evacuated (updated 1/19)
44 | Number of flights
525 | Number of Amcits in Embassy Compound
136 | Number of Amcits at Haiti Airport
24 | Number of Amcit deaths (private Americans 1/18)
27 | Number of Amcit deaths (private Americans updated 1/19)
24 | Number of immigrant visas for orphan children
$23 million | Contribution raised thru Text "Haiti" to 90999 (1/19)
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced on Friday the launch of a new tool, the “Person Finder,” to allow people to find and share information on missing loved ones in Haiti. This tool and other relief information can also be found at http://www.state.gov/haitiquake.
Here is part of the statement on the release of State’s Person Finder:People around the world are turning to the Internet to search for information on friends and family in Haiti: however, accurate information is fragmented and difficult to locate. The State Department convened a call with NGOs and the tech community to brainstorm how to innovatively utilize technology in the ongoing search and rescue efforts. As a result of the call, a group of engineers from the private, public, and NGO sectors come together to build the “Person Finder.” It is a simple tool that allows people to locate and contribute information on people in Haiti. This tool is available in French and English, and can be embedded on any website.
In addition to helping people find their loved ones, this tool will make the data accessible to other governments and private organizations in an easily manageable and accessible format.
International Committee of the Red Cross: Locate Relatives through Family Links
The International Committee of the Red Cross has opened an online page called FamilyLinks.icrc.org which aims to accelerate the process of restoring contact between separated family members. You can check The List to see if your relative's name is on the list, Register yourself if you want to inform your relative of your whereabouts, Register your relative if the relative you’re looking for is not on the list.
The ICRC cautions that it has no means of verifying the information sent through this open network. “The information given on this website is not confidential and can be consulted by everyone. It is the responsibility of the persons publishing information on this website to ensure that no harm can result from this publication. The ICRC cannot be held responsible for any possible negative consequence that might arise from the publication in this website.”
Ushahidi Haitisays that its crisis maprepresents the most comprehensive and up-to-date crisis map available to the humanitarian community. The information in the site is mapped in near real time and gathered from reports coming from inside Haiti via: SMS, web, email, radio, phone, Twitter, Facebook, television, list-serves, live streams and situation reports. It has 449 reports as of this writing.
Volunteers at the Fletcher School's Situation Room are mapping about 50% of the reports 24 hours a day. The other 50% of reports come from the Ushahidi team and volunteers around the world. Each report is first read at least once by Situation Room before being published on the map. This Ushahidi deployment represents a joint initiative with members of the International Network of Crisis Mappers (CM*Net).
Register online and help the US Embassy /Consulate locate you in an emergency
This morning, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten speaks with TODAY’s Meredith Vieira about logistical challenges behind search and rescue operations in Haiti. He also said the embassy is doing its best but has no way to check on the 40,000 or more Americans estimated to be in the country. This NBC report says that about 450 Americans have been evacuated since Tuesday's disaster. Ambassador Kenneth Merten said "a steady stream" of U.S. citizens has been showing up at the airport and embassy seeking help leaving the country, but so far not in overwhelming numbers.
I think the main challenge in calamities like this is how do you track or trace a large number of people overseas in an emergency. Even if you have the local addresses, what do you do when phones are not working, when there are no doors to knock on, or when entire neighborhoods are simply gone?
This city has an estimated population of between 2.5 and 3 million people. The UN’s initial estimate is that 10 percent of the housing in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince has been destroyed, leaving some 300,000 people homeless. The World Food Program is aiming to feed two million people for about 30 days. That's pretty mind-boggling.
The report also says that U.S. soldiers were sorting the Americans for evacuation at the airport. It quotes that people without citizenship were angry and cites one Vladimir Lexus, a 23-year-old musician who lives in Miami who said: "I can't believe this!" I don't know what the airport set up is like but if 450 Americans have already been evacuated, I'm sure there are Consular Officials at the airport to check on the citizenship of evacuees and prepare evacuation documentation as they are required to do.
Update 1/17/2010: This one from NDS: Haiti: Some Numbers | Number of consular staff working the massive crowds at Haiti's airport, before reinforcements from Consular Affairs arrived: 4. That's right. 4.
This is perhaps also a learning moment for the American traveling public and for those Americans who reside overseas. First -- as the State Department points out “Millions of Americans travel abroad every year and encounter no difficulties. However, U.S. embassies and consulates assist nearly 200,000 Americans each year who are victims of crime, accident, or illness, or whose family and friends need to contact them in an emergency. When an emergency happens, or if natural disaster, terrorism, or civil unrest strikes during your foreign travel, the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate can be your source of assistance and information.”
If you are overseas now, take a moment to register here with the State Department (https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/). By registering your trip or your presence overseas, you help the embassy or consulate locate you when you might need them the most. Registration is voluntary and costs nothing, but it should be a big part of a traveler or overseas resident's planning and security.
Second – if you have children born overseas, it is helpful to document their citizenship as soon as you are able. You don’t want to document their citizenship amidst an evacuation.
For people trying to contact U.S. citizen friends and relatives in Haiti
The US Embassy in Haitihas updated its contact information for inquiries on welfare and whereabouts of American citizens in Haiti. Reprinted in full below:
During the Crisis in Haiti, calls regarding the welfare of U.S. citizens can be made to the Embassy’s Consular Task Force in Port-au-Prince at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089, 509-2229-8322 or 509-2229-8672. (Prior announcement also urged Americans to contact the Embassy via email at ACSPaP@state.gov to request assistance).
The Department of State has received a high volume of calls concerning the welfare of U.S. citizens in Haiti. To handle these requests most efficiently, the Department has established an e-mail address for people who are trying to contact their U.S. citizen friends and relatives in Haiti.
The full name, date of birth and passport information (if known) of the persons in Haiti you are trying to contact.
Their contact information in Haiti; telephone numbers, email address, hotel name or address (if known)
Your name and contact information, and your relationship to the person in Haiti (parent, spouse, friend etc.)
Any special or emergency circumstances.
Our task force will work with our Embassy staff in Haiti to locate and, if needed, provide assistance. We will respond to each message as soon as possible. If you hear from the person you are concerned about, please be sure to send us an email providing the new information about their location or condition.
Below is the contact info for the Ops Center from a prior announcement:
The State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747 (due to heavy volume, some callers may receive a recording). Outside of the U.S. and Canada, call 202-501-4444.
From the Special Briefing yesterday on the situation in Haiti with Cheryl Mills, State Dept Counselor, USAID Administrator Raj Shah and U.S. SOUTHCOM Commander General Douglas Fraser (Washington, DC | January 13, 2010) with updates on the US Embassy and staff in Haiti.
Cheryl Mills, State Dept Counselor:
[T]here are approximately 45,000 U.S. citizens who are in Haiti. The Embassy Port-au-Prince has activated its Early Warning System to connect with those citizens and establish, one, how they are doing and, two, what support they might need. We have received a number of reports of injured U.S. citizens, so we are working through those to be able to make sure that we are getting everybody the assistance that they need.
There have been a number of calls that have come into our Consular Affairs here at the Department seeking information about loved ones who are in Haiti. For those people who are seeking information, the President gave out this number. I just want to give it one more time, and that is 1-888-407-4747. And that’s a number that you can call into if you are seeking information or seeking to make a request with respect to someone who is – that you are trying to connect with that’s in Haiti.
In terms of Embassy personnel on the ground there, we have about 172 personnel who are there under chief-of-mission authority. As of 8:00 a.m., we had accounted for just about all of them. There were eight personnel who were wounded, four who had been seriously wounded. We have already had U.S. Coast Guard heels on the ground to be able to medevac them to get appropriate care. And so we are beginning to see that happen as well.
We have ordered the departure of approximately 80 Embassy spouses, children, and non-essential personnel. Those will begin happening later today so that we can ensure that the infrastructure and resources that are there can be properly concentrated on those who are in need. The Coast Guard will have planes actually arriving, I believe, this afternoon. And I’m sure General Fraser will be able to speak to that to help and assist in that evacuation process.
The Embassy structure has remained intact and so it has become a point of support. And it has been providing medical support and other support for Haitians and Americans and others who have been able to reach the Embassy.
The Skeptical Bureaucrat on the embassy structure that survived the earthquake: “Those Fortress Embassies occasionally have their uses. The U.S. Mission in Haiti is fortunate to have moved into a new office complex last year, a nice seismically-resistant one with lots of infrastructure support and located close to the airport.”
I don’t know if those 172 employees under chief of mission authority mentioned above include local employees. The embassy in Haiti issued 35,000 visas in FY2008 but had a refusal rate of 61.4% in FY 2009. I imagine that the consular workload there is not insignificant; which would also mean we have a large number of first tour officers serving at post. Our American staff will be dealing with the evacuation of their own families as well as the demands at work. They will most certainly be working in shifts as they account for American citizens in country, help those injured, assist our citizens with contacting families back home, process them for evacuation, and identify and confirm American casualties. I can’t even begin to imagine the magnitude of the work especially on dealing with casualties – visiting hospitals and mortuaries, if those survived the calamity ... bodies on the streets …. all can quickly be overwhelming.
One other thing to remember with this kind of devastation -- the local employees who make up a significant number of mission employees will also be dealing with possible casualties in their very own families. The earthquake occurred approximately at 5:30 p.m. So the local staff would have been home or on their way home; which make casualties among the local employees also a real possibility.
The Embassy’s Consular Task Force was set up with four local phone lines for an approximate American population numbering 45,000. It’s hard to tell how much of the phones and the cell towers are actually working. And if only a fraction of those individuals have registered at the embassy or have kept their contact information current, the work of tracing them would be doubly hard. And with limited local staff support, that work would be even much harder. I hope TDY consular personnel from the neighboring missions are on their way to Port-au-Prince. I hope, too that PA personnel get some additional help; Anderson Cooper is in Haiti and a whole lot of folks from the big news media are on their way there.
Meanwhile, in the State Department’s later briefing yesterday -- the Spokesman said that a small number of American citizens were at the airport and that there were two C-130s on the ground to evacuate Americans. The Coast Guard has also evacuated a small number of injured Americans.
He also reported that as of 4 o'clock yesterday, more than 82,800 donors texted their help and $828,000 had been raised so far. By simply texting “Haiti” to "90999" a donation of $10 would automatically be added to one’s cell phone bill. PJ Crowley said that this was an arrangement worked out by the State Department with mGive Foundation Mobile Accord, the Wireless Association and the American Red Cross.
Finally, I should mention that our US Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten is a career diplomat. He has served as a Deputy Executive Secretary to Secretary Clinton and earlier to Secretary Rice. His Washington experience also includes two assignments in the State Department Operations Center.
The Executive Secretariat (S/ES), comprised of the Executive Secretary and four Deputy Executive Secretaries, is responsible for coordination of the work of the Department. The Operations Center (S/ES-O) is the Secretary's and the Department's communications and crisis management center. Working 24 hours a day, the Operations Center monitors world events, prepares briefings for the Secretary and other Department principals, and facilitates communication between the Department and the rest of the world. The Operations Center also coordinates the Department's response to crises and supports task forces, monitoring groups, and other crisis-related activities. It should be comforting to know that our top guy on the ground in Haiti is not a stranger to crises.
Contact Information
US Embassy Haiti
Americans are urged to contact the Embassy via email at ACSPaP@state.gov to request assistance. Americans in Haiti can call the Embassy’s Consular Task Force at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089, 509-2229-8322, or 509-2229-8672.
State Department Ops Center | Haiti Task Force
The State Department has also created a task force to monitor the emergency. People in the U.S. or Canada with information or inquiries about U.S. citizens in Haiti may reach the Haiti Task Force at 888-407-4747. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, call 202-501-4444.
Locate Relatives Through ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross has opened an online page called FamilyLinks.icrc.org which aims to accelerate the process of restoring contact between separated family members. You can check The List to see if your relative's name is on the list, Register yourself if you want to inform your relative of your whereabouts, Register your relative if the relative you’re looking for is not on the list.
The ICRC cautions that it has no means of verifying the information sent through this open network. “The information given on this website is not confidential and can be consulted by everyone. It is the responsibility of the persons publishing information on this website to ensure that no harm can result from this publication. The ICRC cannot be held responsible for any possible negative consequence that might arise from the publication in this website.”
The State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747 (due to heavy volume, some callers may receive a recording). The Ops Center also says that "Our embassy is still in the early stages of contacting American Citizens through our Warden Network. Communications are very difficult within Haiti at this time."
US Embassy Haiti
The U.S. Embassy in Port Au Prince has set up a task force at the Embassy which is taking calls as conditions permit. The Embassy is working to identify Americans in Haiti who need urgent assistance and to identify sources of emergency help. Americans are urged to contact the Embassy via email at ACSPaP@state.gov to request assistance. Americans in Haiti can call the Embassy’s Consular Task Force at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089, 509-2229-8322, or 509-2229-8672. Read Warden Message here.
How to Help:
If you need help making up your mind where to send your donation, you might check out Charity Navigator, the largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities in the US since 2001. It assesses the financial health of over 5,000 of America's best-known charities. Check out what the ratings mean here.
You can help the victims of countless crises, like the recent earthquake in Haiti, around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster, please do so at the time of your donation by mailing your donation with the designation to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013 or to your local American Red Cross chapter. Donations to the International Response Fund can be made by phone at 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or online at www.redcross.org.
MAP International Medical Assistance Program
“MAP has contacted medical teams in Haiti who are already treating many of those injured. Hospitals and clinics are also providing lists of needs for emergency cargo shipments that will leave the MAP Distribution Center on the Atlantic coast to treat those needing critical care. Donations of cash and medical GIK are needed to support the many needs.” Click here to donate now.
MercyCorps: Haiti Earthquake
“Over the last five years, we've allocated more than 89% of our resources directly to programs. America's premier charity evaluator rates Mercy Corps four stars in organizational efficiency.” Click here to learn more. Click here to donate.
Is appealing for donations of funds from the public and corporate donations in bulk of health care materials, water purification supplies and food supplements which it will ship to the region from its base in the Port of Los Angeles. Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity evaluator, has rated Operation USA a 4-Star Charity for six consecutive years. Donate money, miles, in-kind donations online at www.opusa.org, by phone at 1.800.678.7255 or, by check made out to Operation USA, 3617 Hayden Ave, Suite A, Culver City, CA 90232.
Oxfam: Haiti Earthquake Response
“Oxfam is accountable for achieving the highest standards in programmes that are effective in helping people help themselves and achieve their development rights. We keep overhead costs below 5 percent and ensure that around 80 percent of all funds raised are spent on programmes. For more information about our record of achieving results in humanitarian relief, long term development and campaigns, and details of our finances, please read our Annual Review.” Click here for the Haiti Earthquake donation page.
The US Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan issued a warden message alert on potential threat against Air Uganda transiting between Sudan and Kampala. Excerpt below:
Warden Message | January 8, 2010
This Warden Message alerts American citizens in Sudan to a potential threat against commercial aviation transiting between Juba, Sudan and Kampala, Uganda. The U.S. Embassy has received information indicating a desire by regional extremists to conduct a deadly attack onboard Air Uganda aircraft on this route. While the capacity of these extremists to carry out such an attack is unknown, the threat is of sufficient seriousness that all American air travelers should be made aware. Air travelers on any airline and route should maintain vigilance at all times, and should report any suspicious behavior to the proper authorities.
The Department of State continues to warn against all travel to Sudan, particularly in the Darfur area, where violence involving government forces, rebel factions, and various armed militias continues. American citizens who choose to travel to Sudan despite the existing Travel Warning, and those currently in Sudan, should review their security posture and take appropriate precautions.
BBC News is reporting that David Goldman has been reunited with his nine-year-old son after a bitter, five-year custody battle with the boy's Brazilian relatives. The Brazilian family brought Sean Goldman through a crowd of reporters to the US Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro to be reunited with his father. Read Boy reunited with US father after Brazil custody fight (11:50 GMT, Thursday, 24 December 2009).
Yesterday, during the State Department briefing, Mr. Crowley had this to say: “In Brazil, our Embassy in Brasilia, our Consulate in Rio de Janeiro, many people have been up through the night – just to provide support to the Goldman family, to maintain contact with the Brazilian Government, and as we hopefully come to the end of this process and look forward to the reuniting of Sean Goldman with his father David.”
QUESTION: Does or did Sean Goldman have a U.S. passport? Did you have to issue him one? Have you issued him one?
MR. CROWLEY: We have issued him a passport – to his father. So he will be able to travel whenever the exchange of custody takes place.
Updated 9:47 pmThe State Department's press office released the following statement from Secretary Clinton dated December 24: "I am thrilled that 9-year-old Sean Goldman was reunited with his father David Goldman earlier today in Rio de Janeiro and that they are flying home to New Jersey. I want to thank everyone who helped bring this long process to a successful conclusion, including a number of members of Congress and many concerned parties both here and in Brazil. We also appreciate the assistance and cooperation of the Government of Brazil in upholding its obligations under the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction. I offer my warmest wishes for father and son as they celebrate their first holiday season together in five years."
Here is an update on the child abduction case that has turned into a child custody battle in Brazil that I last posted on Monday (Child Abduction Case Threatens Trade Bill):
The Christian Science Monitor reportedthat Brazil's chief justice upheld late yesterday a lower court order handing 9-year-old Sean Goldman over to his American father. The Brazil custody case has been dragging on for five years, reflecting the difficulty of international custody disputes.
More here and here. But no word yet when the boy will actually be turned over to his father in Brazil.
AP also reports that Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s hold on the renewal of the $2.75 billion trade deal that would remove U.S. tariffs on some Brazilian goods was lifted after Tuesday's ruling.
Last night, the U.S. Senate approved by unanimous consent H.R. 4284, legislation that will extend the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) duty preference programs until December 31, 2010. As soon as the President signs the bill, the extension will be enacted into law.
On December 17, Secretary Clinton released this statement on the Sean Goldman custody case in Brazil:
"I was pleased to hear that the Appellate Court in Rio de Janeiro has upheld the lower court’s decision that Sean Goldman, a young American boy wrongfully retained in Brazil for more than five years, should be reunited with his father David in New Jersey. We appreciate the assistance and cooperation of the Government of Brazil in upholding its obligations under the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction. And it is my hope that this long legal process is now complete and that the Goldman family will be reunited quickly. They will be in my thoughts and prayers today and throughout this holiday season."
The next day, the US Embassy in Brazil released this State Department statement expressing disappointment after Brazil's Supreme Court stopped the father, David Goldman from picking up his son Sean and taking him home to New Jersey:
"The State Department is disappointed that Sean is still unable to be reunited with his father. A key intention of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is the expedient return of children who are abducted or wrongfully retained to their places of habitual residence in order to minimize the human and social cost of international parental child abduction. This cost includes the risk of serious emotional and psychological problems for abducted children, and severe emotional stress and significant financial pressures for the left-behind parent that both Sean and his father will now continue to endure." (active links added)
The facts of this case are detailed in H.R. 2702 also known as the‘Suspend Brazil GSP Act’. Excerpts below:
David Goldman, a United States citizen and resident of New Jersey, has been trying unsuccessfully since June 2004 to secure the return of his son Sean to the United States where Sean maintained his habitual residence until his mother, Bruna Bianchi Ribeiro Goldman, removed Sean to Brazil.
On September 3, 2004, Mr. Goldman filed an application for the immediate return of Sean to the United States under the Hague Convention to which both the United States and Brazil are party and which entered into force between Brazil and the United States on December 1, 2003.
Pursuant to Article 12 of the Hague Convention, the judicial authority of Brazil was required to order Sean’s return to the United States ‘forthwith’, customarily defined under international law as within six weeks after an application for return has been filed.
On October 13, 2005, the Brazilian court refused to return Sean in contravention of Brazil’s obligations under the Hague Convention even though it found that Sean was a habitual resident of the United States and, pursuant to international law, had been wrongfully removed and retained in Brazil.
On August 22, 2008, Mrs. Goldman passed away in Brazil leaving Sean without a mother and separated from his biological father in the United States. Instead of returning Sean to the custody of his father David, Mrs. Goldman’s second husband, Joa.AE6o Paulo Lins e Silva, petitioned the Brazilian courts for custody rights over Sean.
On September 25, 2008, Mr. Goldman filed an amended application under the Hague Convention against Mr. Lins e Silva for the return of custody over Sean.
On June 1, 2009, a federal court judge in Brazil ordered that Sean be turned over to the United States consulate in Rio de Janeiro and returned to his father on June 3, 2009. The court further ordered that, following a 30-day adaptation period in the United States, Mr. Goldman be given full custody over Sean.
On June 2, 2009, one Brazilian Supreme Court justice suspended the order of the first level of the Federal Court on the basis of a motion filed by the Progressive Party, a small Brazilian political party, that objects to the application of the Hague Convention in Brazil. This suspension must now be heard by the full Supreme Court, could further delay the Goldman case for months, and could prevent the return of any other abducted children to the United States.
The bill also points out that Brazil is a primary beneficiary under the Generalized System of Preferences program. In 2008, Brazil received duty-free status under the GSP for United States imports totaling $2.75 billion. This bill was last referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means on 6/4/2009 but has shown no further development.
Early this year, the State Department issued its 2009 report of the Office of Children’s Issues on compliance with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. The report evaluated convention partner countries for compliance in three areas: Central Authority Performance, Judicial Performance, and Law Enforcement Performance. Seven countries are evaluated as “Demonstrating Patterns of Noncompliance:” Brazil, Chile, Greece, Mexico, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Venezuela.
Brazil acceded to the Convention on 10-19-1999. Its date of entry into force with the United States was on 12-1-2003. The 2009 report lists a pattern of non-compliance by Brazil in all three areas. Further the report states that:
"[T]he Brazilian courts continue to show a troubling trend of treating Convention cases as custody decisions, and often deny Convention applications upon finding that the children have become “adapted to Brazilian culture.” Six abductions from the United States initially reported prior to April 2007, three of which were initially reported in 2004, remain unresolved.[…] Our experience indicates that it takes many months before a court receives a case to analyze and many more months before a court issues a decision. The USCA observed during the reporting period that Brazil’s courts exhibit widespread patterns of bias towards Brazilian mothers in Convention cases.”
Last Friday, Senatus reported that Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey placed a hold on a bill that would allow Brazil and other countries to export some products duty-free to the United States.
I imagine that the bill reported here is the Generalized System of Preference that is set to expire in a couple of weeks. The 110th Congress extended the GSP for one year through December 31, 2009 (P.L. 110-436); so it remains a legislative issue for the 111th Congress.
H.R. 4284: “To extend the Generalized System of Preferences and the Andean Trade Preference Act, and for other purposes” was introduced in Congress in early December.On Dec 14, 2009 the bill was passed in the House of Representatives by voice vote (a record of each representative's position was not kept).The bill was received in the Senate on the same day with no further action todate.
The U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) was established by the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2465; Sec. 505) and provides preferential duty-free entry to more than 4,650 agricultural and non-agricultural products from 131 designated beneficiary countries and territories. In 2007, the top six beneficiary countries ranked by import value — Thailand, Argentina, Brazil, India, the Philippines, and Turkey — accounted for the majority of agricultural imports under the GSP. Brazil and India accounted for nearly one-fifth of agricultural imports under the program. (See the CRS Report on the GSP dated November 10, 2008).
In a statement last year, the American Chamber of Commerce in Brazil supported retaining Brazil's eligibility status as a GSP beneficiary country: “The program has allowed businesses based in Brazil to become reliable suppliers of eligible duty free products for use in the United States. This mechanism grants a limited tariff exemption to US companies on 3,357 products from Brazil. In 2007, US companies imported from Brazil over US$ 3.4 billion of GSP covered products. As a result, US companies saved over US$ 100 million – an amount they would otherwise have had to pay if Brazil was not a beneficiary of the program.” It points out that “GSP has contributed positively for the development of Brazil by means of export promotion.”
An AP report quotes Sergio Tostes, attorney for Sean's stepfather Joao Paulo Lins e Silva, as saying that the case should never have become a political battle. "This is not a fight between two countries," Tostes said. "This is just the pursuit of the truth and the pursuit of what is in the best interest of the boy."
How much more complicated can this get?The stakes are high: a nine year old boy separated from his natural father since 2004, 131 countries with duty free tariffs until end of the year, billions in trade, and the reputation of one country that refuses to abideits international obligations pursuant to the Hague Convention.
I wanted to do this last week but did not get around to it (turkey’s fault).Here is a quick round-up of FS folks who marked Thanksgiving last week in their own special way:
US Ambassador to Moscow, John Beyrle posted a brief note on Thanksgiving last week. Check this out if you read Russian.
US Embassy Tokyo DCM, James Zumwalt of the “Z Notes” blog, also wrote about Thanksgiving here.
US Ambssador to Canada, David Jacobson blogged about family and Thanksgiving traditions and had the Marines over for fried turkeys with lots of Cajun spices.
Anne Frej of the Public Affairs Section of U.S. Embassy Kabul blogged in DipNote about celebrating both Thanksgiving and Eid e Qurban, the Muslim days of sacrifice in Kabul.
Josh Glazeroff, the visa chief at U.S. Embassy New Delhi wrote in in the official blog about Thanksgiving in India as also a day of remembrance and how 26/11 will always be remembered as an infamous day in the country for the Mumbai attacks last year.
In Germany, Ambassador Philip Murphy carved the turkey after he gave a speech during the Annual Fulbright Thanksgiving Dinner.
US Embassy Berlin Photo
On Thanksgiving Thursday, a small group of embassy volunteers led by Ambassador Ertharin Cousin (UNFAO) visited an orphanage and served and shared a Thanksgiving meal, complete with the uniquely American cheesecake donated by Eli’s in Chicago, to immigrant families from all over the world. Read more here.
Photo from DipNote Blog
Over at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and wife, Ching, visited U.S. service members and civilians and thank them for their service on Thanksgiving Day.
Photo by U.S. Army Capt. Michael Greenberger
In the Southern Philippines, Ambassador extraordinaire to the Philippines, Kristie Kenney served food to our troops in Mindanao and wrote about her family’s Thanksgiving tradition in her blog:
Photo from Amb Kenney's Blog
“This year, I traveled from Manila to celebrate Thanksgiving lunch in Zamboanga with temporarily deployed U.S. troops. The makeshift dining hall was festooned with streamers and turkey cut-outs. In accordance with tradition, I served the food to our troops, joined by the most senior U.S. military officer present and visiting U.S. Congressman Bob Filner.” Read her whole post here.
We also have post-Thanksgiving “thank yous” for the following generous souls:To the ambassadors and deputy ambassadors who we heard had invited single folks and newcomers to their Thanksgiving events this year, thank you.It makes a difference when you did not have to go and “catch-your-own” turkey at a farm or “cook-your-own” turkey in borrowed kitchenware when you just arrived in town.To the Foreign Service families who opened their homes to Peace Corp volunteers, some of whom have been on forced diet of rice and beans or fried fish for many months, we thank you for your generosity.To the Consular Section chiefs who made every effort to invite the local staff to their thanksgiving gigs, we appreciate your gestures. Some of these local national employees have worked for the USG for 5-10 years and have never ever been to a thanksgiving dinner. Thank you.
The annual AAFSW/Secretary of State's Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad (SOSA) recognizes the outstanding volunteer activities of U.S. Government employees, spouses, family members over the age of 18, and members of household who are living and working overseas.
A recipient is chosen from each of the Department of State's six geographical bureaus. Each winner receives:
A cash award of $2,500.
A pin commemorating the annual AAFSW awards ceremony.
At the DPB yesterday, a reporter inquired about provisions for Foreign Service personnel in the H1N1 outbreak:
QUESTION: In regard to the H1N1 outbreak, what provisions are being made by the State Department on behalf of Foreign Service Officers serving at posts overseas? Are vaccines being made available to those serving overseas?
ANSWER: The Office of Medical Services expects the H1N1 vaccine will be available to most of our overseas missions sometime in December.Because of the extremely limited amounts of vaccine available to the Department of State through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office of Medical Services is purchasing additional H1N1 vaccine doses from the Department of Defense for shipment overseas to try to address our needs.
The Office of Medical Services already has shipped its initial allotments of the vaccine to Baghdad and Kabul where employees live in barrack-like conditions. The next distribution priority is to hardship posts where local medical care is inadequate, and these shipments have begun.
H1N1 remains sensitive to Tamiflu and Relenza, therefore all posts overseas have been stocked with enough of these anti-viral drugs to treat all individuals at post.
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Would you zap me an email if you don't get it by December? Excerpt below from U.S. Government Pandemic Policy for Americans Abroad, in case you have not seen it:
It is U.S. Government policy for all overseas employees under Chief of Mission authority and their accompanying dependents to plan for the possibility that they will remain abroad during a severe pandemic. Information for both official and private Americans on how to prepare for this possibility is contained in the flyer “ Options During a Pandemic ,” which urges Americans to maintain adequate provisions for a pandemic wave or waves that could last from two to twelve weeks.
Once the World Health Organization (WHO) confirms a severe pandemic, American citizens (including non-emergency government personnel and their dependents, as well as private citizens) who are residing or traveling overseas should consider returning to the United States while commercial travel options are still available. Americans will be permitted to re-enter the United States, although the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (HHS/CDC) may quarantine or isolate incoming travelers, depending on their health status and whether they are traveling from or through an area affected by pandemic influenza.
In the event of a severe pandemic, non-emergency U.S. Government employees and all dependents in affected areas will be encouraged to return to the United States while commercial transportation is still available. U.S. Government employees who return to the United States will be expected to work there during the pandemic unless they take leave. Private American citizens should make an informed decision: either remain abroad to wait out the pandemic, as noted above, or return to the United States while this option still exists. Any American (whether overseas in a private capacity or a U.S. Government employee or dependent) who chooses not to return to the United States via commercial means might have to remain abroad for the duration of the pandemic if transportation is disrupted or borders close. Americans should be aware that only in cases of a complete breakdown in civil order within a country will the U.S. Government consider a U.S. Government-sponsored evacuation operation.
SpyTalk’s Jeff Stein who was one of the 44 editorial employees canned by CQ-Roll Call in late September is now blogging at Huffington Post. He currently has a piece in Foreign Policy on the recent conviction of 23 US officials in Italy (FP | Rendered Guilty | November 4, 2009).Excerpts:
The implications of the ruling range from banal to the profound. The CIA operatives and an Air Force officer can forget about spending the summer in Provence, or any European Union country for that matter. But more fundamentally, the case raises questions about diplomatic immunity and the ability of foreign courts to try U.S. officials in cases of supposed human rights and other abuses.[…]Another CIA operative sentenced in the case was Sabrina DeSousa, who at the time was listed as a U.S. consular official in Milan. DeSousa, 53, has maintained all along that she was a U.S. Foreign Service officer who deserved diplomatic immunity, despite voluminous records gathered by the Italian prosecutor, Armando Spataro, showing her to be a CIA officer with responsibility for liaising with Italian intelligence on the operation. The State Department does not confer diplomatic immunity on consular officials as it does embassy officials. Regardless, DeSousa also maintains that because she was on a Swiss skiing holiday at the time of the abduction, she is innocent of the kidnapping charges laid against her.
DeSousa's case raised particular questions after she persuaded the U.S. government to pay her legal expenses last summer. She, like Robert Lady, was never granted diplomatic immunity from the kidnapping charges even as the mastermind of the operation, former Italy CIA station chief Jeffrey Castelli, was. Castelli's documentation shows him as a State Department official in the Rome embassy, granting him immunity.[…]Indeed, the case sends CIA operatives a reminder that they're on their own if they take the field without a cloak of full diplomatic immunity.
International law requires that the host country extend certain privileges and immunities to members of foreign diplomatic missions and consular posts. The purpose of diplomatic and consular immunities is to ensure the efficient and effective performance of the official missions on behalf of their governments. Both types of immunities extend essential protections to diplomats, consuls, their families and their staffs by limiting the ability of host countries to detain, subpoena, arrest or prosecute them.
US Diplomacy has an excellent overview on diplomatic and consular immunity here: The levels of protection vary according to an employee’s role as a diplomatic agent, an administrative and support employee or a consular officer. On consular immunity: Consular immunity offers protections similar to diplomatic immunity, but these protections are not as extensive, given the functional differences between consular and diplomatic officers.
At the DPB in Foggy Bottom on November 5:QUESTION: Did the State Department invoke diplomatic immunity for the three Americans acquitted in Italy of the 2003 kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric from Milan? What is the current status of the lawsuit brought against the Department by the woman who sought diplomatic immunity in this case but was not granted that status by State?
ANSWER: The Department has been following the proceedings closely in coordination with the Department of Justice and other agencies. We have raised our concerns about the case on numerous occasions with Italian officials, and supported the Italian Government’s challenge of the prosecution before the Italian Constitutional Court. The Department will continue to follow this matter in consultation with the Italian Government. Immunity defenses were raised before the Italian trial court by the lawyers for the defendants. For the status of the civil suit brought against the U.S. Government by Ms. De Sousa, I would refer you to the Department of Justice.
Now talking of the banal -- in popular fiction, diplomatic immunity was most famously portrayed in the 1989 action movie, Lethal Weapon 2. The testosterone filled movie has Mel Gibson and Danny Glover on the trail of South African diplomats who are using their immunity to engage in criminal activities:
Arjen Rudd: [holds up his wallet] Diplomatic immunity![Roger slowly rolls his head on his neck, takes aim, and fires - his bullet goes through Rudd's wallet, and then his head]Roger Murtaugh: It's just been revoked!
Life is not always slow-mo as reading a script.Read more here on diplomatic immunity.
