Focus on inclusion, science and cooperation: Undersecretary Gloria de la Fuente held various meetings in the U.S.
On her first day of activities in Washington, DC, the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Gloria de la Fuente, held a series of bilateral meetings focused on issues of inclusion, science and cooperation.
She began the day with a meeting with the Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion of the Department of State, Zakiya Carr Johnson, with whom she discussed the best way to advance the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for the Promotion of Diversity, Equity, Social Inclusion and Universal Accessibility, signed in 2022 between the two countries. In addition, they exchanged experiences in matters of inclusion, and the Undersecretary explained the progress achieved with the Feminist Foreign Policy promoted by the Chilean Foreign Ministry, whose action plan was presented this year.
Afterwards, she held a meeting with the Deputy Undersecretary of the Office of Oceans and International Scientific and Environmental Affairs, Mahlet Mesfin, to advance in the deepening of the bilateral dialogue on Antarctic matters. The authorities reaffirmed the interest of both countries in maintaining Antarctica as a zone of science and peace. They also agreed on the importance of caring for the oceans, and Undersecretary de la Fuente pointed out the fundamental importance of the treaty on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdictions (BBNJ), as well as the proposal of Valparaiso as the seat of its secretariat.
Later, she visited NASA's facilities to explore how to deepen the collaboration between our country and the agency regarding the use of its satellite images and capabilities. In this context, she met with the team of the Office of International and Interinstitutional Relations, where their representatives made a presentation of the work they do in areas such as agriculture, fire prevention, water resources, drought, land use, climate change, etc. They also highlighted some of the more than 10 projects in which this agency, through its DEVELOP program, has worked with the agricultural office of the Embassy of Chile in the United States, in conjunction with different services of the Ministry of Agriculture in Chile, which was applauded by Undersecretary de la Fuente, who encouraged the continuation of this joint work and the deepening of cooperation with different topics and ministries.
Finally, the Undersecretary met with the Deputy Administrator of the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Michael Camilleri. On the occasion, they discussed different alternatives for cooperation in third countries, specifically in Central America and the Caribbean, within the Strategic Framework for Cooperation between USAID and the Chilean Agency for International Development Cooperation (AGCID). They also discussed the migration situation in the region, USAID's experience working with host communities and the different regional mechanisms that exist in the area of migration.
