A Minute of Meeting with Maria Otero

I got an invitation from U.S embassy a few weeks ago (mid of April 2010). The invitation was through email and it was written like this:

U.S. Embassy Jakarta would like to invite you to a Public Discussion on environment/climate change with the Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, Ms. Maria Otero on Thursday, May 20, 2010 from 14:30 – 17:00 at 8^th Floor of Nahdlatul Ulama Headquarter on Jl. Kramat Raya, Jakarta Pusat.  This discussion will be attended by youth from various interfaith organizations, Universities, NGOs, in Jakarta. Attached is the bio of Ms. Otero.

We believe that this program will provide useful insights to Indonesian youth including all of you to gain more understanding about what you can do together to create a better world, and will help enhance mutual understanding between the U.S. and Indonesia. 

If you have any questions about the program, please contact me.  Thank you.

So why am I invited? Because I got a scholarship to study in U.S. for 5 weeks this July, with the topic of Global Environmental Program.

Ok, then who is the speaker anyway. I know she is kind of famous or you can say an important people. But I never heard about her name before (or maybe I am just so ignorant). =P

Here she is Maria Otero, Under Secretary Democracy and Global Affairs: Term of Appointment: 08/10/2009 to present.

María Otero was sworn in as Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs on August 10, 2009. She oversees and coordinates U.S. foreign relations on a variety of global issues, including democracy, human rights, and labor; environment, oceans, health and science; population, refugees, and migration; trafficking in persons and avian and pandemic influenza.
Ms. Otero was formerly the president and CEO of ACCION International, a pioneer and leader in microfinance working in 25 countries in around the globe. Under Ms. Otero’s tenure as CEO, ACCION’s network of microfinance institutions expanded its reach from serving 460,000 people to over 3.7 million, through a combined portfolio that grew from $274 million to nearly $3.6 billion. She is a leading voice on sustainable microfinance, publishing extensively on the subject and speaking throughout the world on microfinance, women’s issues and poverty alleviation.Prior to ACCION, Ms. Otero was the Economist for Latin America for the Women in Development office of USAID. She also served for five years at the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA).

Ms. Otero’s awards and recognition include selection by Newsweek in October 2005 as one of the United States’ 20 most influential women; Hispanic Business Magazine’s ‘Elite Women of 2007’; Notre Dame University’s Distinguished Service in Latin America Award; and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

In June 2006, Ms. Otero was appointed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to the UN Advisors Group on Inclusive Financial Sectors. She sits on the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace, a position to which she was originally appointed by President Clinton and now holds as the State Department representative. Ms. Otero has chaired the board of Bread for the World, and also served on the boards of the Calvert Foundation, Public Welfare Foundation, the Inter-American Foundation and BRAC Holding of Bangladesh. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Born in La Paz, Bolivia, Ms. Otero is currently the highest ranking Hispanic official at the State Department, and the first Latina Under Secretary in its history.

Ms. Otero holds an M.A. in literature from the University of Maryland, an M.A. in international relations from Johns Hopkins’ Nitze School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS), in Washington, D.C, and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Dartmouth College. Since 1997, she has also served as an adjunct professor at SAIS.  

I'll be in that place soon! =)

I got a chance to ask her about the connection of poverty, democracy and environment.

My question was more likely like this:

"The percentage of poor people is so high in Indonesia. Although we are one of the most democratic countries in the world, it doesn’t mean we could apparently be welfare. It is because so many multilayer problems which is faced by Indonesia government. So, my question is if it is so hard for most of the people in Indonesia to get food for a day life, so how can they think about small things on environment issues? Such as throw your garbage or rubbish in the right place or don’t use plastic bag? Becase I’m gonna go to U.S to study about this. Thus, I need your opinion.”

Unfortunately, I don’t know why, maybe because she didn’t have enough time to answer my question or she just want to deliberate her opinion in a diplomatic way, I found her answer was disappointing.  She just said like this ‘I don’t think that those poor people produce so much pollutant on the earth. Their waste is not significantly influence the environment.”

Is it so? I was about to confirm her answer but unluckily didn’t get more chance.

It is very inaccurate answer. Indonesia population is the 4^th largest in the world and most of them live in poverty. If a small amount of waste from each of those poor people combines in one of course it will affect the environment significantly!

 Madam, I need your proper answer please!

Regards,

Popshie.