Eco-Tourism Expert Shares Experiences with Bolivian Counterparts

As part of the Embassy's U.S. Speaker program, Jim Bellamy, an expert on eco-tourism with over 32 years experience in managing U.S. national parks, visited Bolivia March 3-13 for a series of workshops and seminars with Bolivian eco-tourism professionals, park rangers, and community leaders.  Bellamy visited Tarija, La Paz, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz.  He shared his experiences in managing protected areas in the U.S. and encouraged the continued development of a sustainable eco-tourism industry that aims to preserve Bolivia's vast natural beauty.  The Embassy collaborated with various Bolivian entities involved in eco-tourism to organize Bellamy's visit.

U.S. Embassy Inaugurates “Scenes of North American Natives” in Santa Cruz

On January 26, Public Diplomacy Officer Ben Hess inaugurated the “Scenes of North American Natives” photo exhibit in the Santa Cruz Cultural Center. More than 150 people attended the opening ceremony, including Ana María Encina, the Mayor of Santa Cruz. The exhibit displays 15 photos of Native Americans taken by Edward Curtis, who dedicated more than 30 years to documenting indigenous life in the United States. The photos capture the indigenous peoples’ traditions and their intimate relationship with nature. “Scenes of North American Natives” will remain in Santa Cruz until February 12. The U.S. Embassy is also sponsoring drawing and painting workshops with a local artist and schoolchildren.

U.S. Cultural Envoys Wrap Up Two-Week Visit in Santa Cruz

U.S. Cultural Envoys Aysha Upchurch and Juliana Calderon will complete their two-week, four-city dance tour of Bolivia on November 23 with two free workshops in Santa Cruz. Please see the attached program for details about the workshops in the Centro Cultural San Isidro and the Centro Boliviano Americano.

President Obama Receives 2009 Nobel Peace Prize

U.S. President Barack Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama was announced as the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner on October 9. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited President Obama’s “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."  Of special note was President Obama’s outreach to the Muslim world and attempts to curb nuclear proliferation.   The choice made Obama the third sitting U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize.  Other U.S. presidents to receive the prize were President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and President Woodrow Wilson in 1919.  In their selection, the Nobel committee praised Obama's creation of "a new climate in international politics" and said he had returned multilateral diplomacy and institutions like the U.N. to the center of the world stage. "His diplomacy,” noted the Committee, “ is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population."

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