No Detail Too Small
In my day-to-day job, I work on economic issues in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs, but this week I’m serving as the Liaison Officer (LO) for Dr. Jean Ping, Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU) at the Pittsburgh Summit. The AU will play an important role at the summit. As President Obama said during his speech in Ghana , “The 21st century will be shaped by what happens not just in Rome or Moscow or Washington, but by what happens in Accra, as well.”
In other words, it is crucially important that Africa, through organizations such as the AU, contribute to global decision-making on the great issues of common concern such as climate change, fighting pandemic disease, international drug trafficking, and the state of the global economy. This week’s G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh is an example of the global dialogue that must take place, and it is important that the AU be there.
My primary duty as the Liaison Officer is to serve as the primary U.S. Government contact for the African Union-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AU-NEPAD) delegation that will attend the Pittsburgh Summit. In this role, I have been working with my AU counterpart to discuss and arrange all of the necessary details for the arrival of Dr. Ping. Dr. Ping, former Gabonese Foreign Minister, is the second-highest ranking officer at the AU and behind Prime Minister Meles of Ethiopia, will be second highest ranking AU-NEPAD delegate at the summit. Other members of the delegation include African Development Bank President, Dr. Donald Kaberuka, and the Executive Secretary for the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Mr. Abdoulie Janneh.
With whom besides my AU counterparts have I been coordinating the logistics of Dr. Ping’s visit? It’s a pretty broad group. The State Department’s Under Secretary for Management, the Office of Protocol, Diplomacy Security, the Treasury Department, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, U.S. Customs, and the U.S. Secret Service as well as colleagues at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Phipps Conservatory, the local airport, and relevant ground transportation. In short, no detail is too small in planning for the arrival of the participants.
I’m excited to see the results of our efforts, but I still have a few details to finalize. So, I will return to the task at hand, but I promise to keep you updated as the week continues.
About the Author: Elliot M. Repko serves in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs.
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Comments
Maurice writes:
Why would we care about whom in U.S. government you work or that you are excited. Does the U.S. government have a policy? Tell us about it. Why doesn't the AU promote itself instead of you as U.S. employee promoting it?
What are the small details? Ground transportation? Would be interested to know what taxi they use.
Posted on Thu Sep 24, 2009
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