AMBASSADOR SPEECHES

Speech presented by Ambassador Katherine H. Canavan at the 2008 Earth Day Commemoration and Nata Zebras 4 Life Test 4 Life Campaign.

April 29, 2008

Kgosi Rancholo MakgesiMember of Parliament Hon. Rra Oliphant Mfa The District Commissioner Mr. MliloDikgosanaCounselorsDirectors of government departmentsChairpersons of organizationMy friend Kagiso Tshelametse  Ladies and Gentlemen,Dumelang!I thank you all who are here to celebrate Earth Day and Zebras For Life Campaign! It is a beautiful day indeed, it is hard not to appreciate Earth Day in a place like this. The real wealth of a nation is its air, water, soil, forests, rivers, lakes, oceans, scenic beauty, wildlife habitats and biodiversity. Take this resource away and all that is left is wasteland. In the US, Earth Day has become a tradition. It is a day that reminds us that that we must be good stewards of the land around us. That’s what this says to us. All of us present here are lucky to live in Botswana, because we are blessed with such unbelievable environment. During my stay in Botswana, I have been fortunate to be able to travel and see a lot of this beautiful country, from the Okavango Delta to the Chobe National Park, to the Tsodilo Hills up in Shakawe and yesterday I was fortunate to visit briefly the beautiful and renowned Makgadikgadi Pans.The importance of Earth Day is that it reminds us that we cannot take the natural wonders for granted. That is what Earth Day says to me, and I hope it says to you as well, that we have responsibilities to the natural world, to conserve that which we have and to make it even better. That is the call for Earth Day.  In the years since Earth Day was established, America has made great strides in honoring the ideal of conservation and living by high standards of stewardship.  This year’s Earth Day theme is ‘water and sanitation’.  Access to clean water is a basic human right and a necessary precondition to all our human rights. An accessible supply of clean water is essential to good health, education and overall productivity around the world; yet currently over one billion people lack access to a basic supply of clean water and 2.6 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation.  Unsafe water and poor sanitation play a major role in the transmission of diseases, including Diarrhea, Cholera, Malaria, and Typhoid.  More than 1.8 million children die each year, (roughly one child every 15 seconds) from water and sanitation-related Diarrhoeal diseases globally. The lack of access to clean water and sanitation translates into lost educational opportunities, particularly for women and girls. Time spent collecting water, often many hours each day, means girls do not have time to attend school.  Studies show that girls are 12% more likely to attend school if water is available within 15 minutes from home versus a one hour’s walk. Young girls are also less likely to attend classes if the school does not have adequate and separate toilets for girls.  In addition, water-related illnesses increase absenteeism for all children and result in a loss of over 443 million school days globally each year.   In Botswana water is a scarce resource, and a very critical economic, social and environmental resource.  I have been made to understand that the Government of Botswana is currently reviewing the National Water Master Plan that was completed in 1992. The Water Master Plan provides for development and better management strategies for water resources in the country.  I also understand that Botswana has managed to provide adequate and potable water to 90% of the population living in rural areas, while the urban centers have 100% coverage. However, the provision of appropriate infrastructure for safe and adequate water still poses challenges, which include inter alia:. The need to rehabilitate some of the existing water supply schemes;. The need to install adequate and efficient water treatment plants;. The need to develop alternative and appropriate technology for harnessing rain water and utilizing treated effluent to augment surface and ground water resources.   Botswana's population is growing and increasingly transforming into an urban and industrial society. This has therefore led to substantial amounts of wastes being generated throughout the country. The provision of adequate sanitation facilities countrywide remains a challenge that can be fully met through establishing innovative and accountable partnerships between Government, private sector, civil society organizations, on the one hand, and international cooperating partners, on the other. To many, there is no obvious linkage between water and sanitation and the HIV/AIDS scourge.  HIV and AIDS have emerged as multifaceted issues with multisectoral impacts. It is believed that access to reliable, affordable and safe water and sanitation can significantly mitigate against some impacts of the virus or the syndrome and improve the quality of those living with it. In addition, the immuno-compromised status of People Living with HIV and AIDS renders them more susceptible to opportunistic infections including those related to water, sanitation and hygiene- diarrhea and skin diseases. Safe drinking water and sanitation facilities are essential first steps to providing a healthy physical environment. School Attendance suffers when children are sick and serious or prolonged illness can cause children to have to repeat or to drop out altogether. As I mentioned before, the lack of private toilet facilities in many schools is known to contribute to high dropout rates among girls, particularly at puberty when they begin to menstruate. Just being in school is, in itself, a powerful defence against HIV/AIDS: young people who drop out become more vulnerable to HIV infection and a range of other health risks including unwanted pregnancy and alcohol and drug use. Thus, efforts to make the physical environment safe and sanitary are very important. I wish to commend the Nata community on the work you are doing to combat the HIV/AIDS scourge, I understand that: the Nata Clinic tested over 700 people last year for HIV; 550 people have been signed up for MASA and of those taking ARV; there were only 5 deaths due to AIDS related diseases in the past year; and there is over 90% uptake of the PMTCT program for pregnant mothers. This is indeed commendable. I am also highly impressed by youth involvement in the fight against HIV/AIDS in this village, keep up the good work! Our strategic plan for the Department of State and USAID (2007-2012) embraces bold and transformational diplomacy. Ensuring good health, improving access to education, and protecting vulnerable populations are critical to Development Diplomacy. Health falls within our strategic goal of investing in people. In the area of health, our objectives are to:·       Improve global health, including child, maternal, and reproductive health.·       Reduce disease, especially HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and Polio.·       Increase access to improved drinking water and sanitation services. We believe that by building the capacity of partner countries to invest in their people, our diplomatic assistance initiatives benefit developing nations and strengthen international respect for the U.S. I am happy to announce once again that Botswana still remains a focal country in the President’ s Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS (PEPFAR), a $ 15 billion initiative to turn the tide in combating the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. In Botswana, amongst other initiatives supported through PEPFAR, we have launched the campaign called Zebras 4 Life, Test 4 Life; its aim is simple: to encourage the men, particularly young males to know their HIV status through voluntary counseling and testing. I would like to commend Zebras players like Kagiso for their commitment.  They are the ones who make it successful.  With regard to the remarks made by Honorable Mpa concerning the Zebras, I would like to see the private sector stop forward so that the players can be compensated for what they do.  I am proud to also tell you that in partnership with Government of Botswana, we are at the final stages of operationalizing the Tropical Forest Conservation Fund, through which, some of Botswana’s debts to the USG in the amounts of over $ 7 million have been pardoned in exchange for use in conserving the forests of Botswana. Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to call on all my fellow Americans back home, World governments, Non Governmental Organization, private sector, Batswana and especially you the community of Nata, to commemorate this Earth Day by recommitting to being good stewards of our land. When we do so, we take an important step forward to a more vibrant future for our global home.KE –A- LE-BO-GA. (Thank you)  PULA!