OSAC Country Councils & Outreach Bulletin

Transcription

1 Produced by the Research and Information Support Center (RISC) November 2, 2011 OSAC Country Councils & Outreach Bulletin Inside this issue: Public/private Travel 1 Seattle Events 2 Fresh Idea for a Council 2 Recent Council Meetings 3 Inter-group Networking at AB 3 Upcoming Events 4 Academic Outreach 4 Hotel Security Training 4 OSAC s Public/Private Travel Continues OSAC continued its public/private sector travel initiative in October with a delegation visiting a regional conference in Shanghai and Country Council meetings in Tokyo and Seoul. The group s final stop was Seattle, Washington, where OSAC and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation co-sponsored the annual Pan-Asia Regional Council (PARC) meeting and security conference devoted to OSAC s NGO constituency (for more details on the PARC and NGO meetings, please see p. 2). To learn more about this trip, please see On the Track of OSAC: Fall, 2011 on OSAC s website. FAQs 5 OSAC s Country Councils & Outreach Unit Aiste Ray Team Leader, Councils & Outreach South/Central Asia Country Councils RayAM@state.gov Shari-Ann Peart Western Hemisphere Country Councils PeartSJ@state.gov Elena Carrington Senior Coordinator, Outreach Programming Europe Country Councils CarringtonEA@state.gov Sarah Kessler Africa Country Councils KesslerSE2@state.gov Valerie Schaeublin East Asia Pacific and Middle East Country Councils SchaeublinVA@state.gov Christina Lorelli Assistant LorelliCJ@state.gov The contents of this unclassified report in no way represent the policies, views, or attitudes of the United States Department of State, or the United States Government, except as otherwise noted (e.g., travel advisories, public statements). The report was compiled from various open sources and unclassified embassy reporting. Please note that all OSAC products are for internal U.S. private sector security purposes only. Publishing or otherwise distributing OSAC-derived information in a manner inconsistent with this policy may result in the discontinuation of OSAC support.

2 OSAC Country Councils & Outreach Bulletin OSAC s PARC and NGO Events: Seattle, Washington From October 19-21, OSAC and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation partnered to host two dynamic security conferences: the annual meeting of the Pan-Asia Regional Council (PARC) in collaboration with the San Francisco Field Office and a 1.5-day event devoted to NGO security. Both events received glowing reviews from participants for the variety of topics discussed, quality of speakers, and especially the generosity of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Topics ranged from security concerns in the Pan-Asia region to attaining leadership buy-in for security programs, and participants remarked on the usefulness of engaging in discussions with OSAC s broader constituency hailing from the Fresh Idea for a Council: Surveying the Membership Each month, OSAC uses this space to offer a new idea for Country Councils. Johannesburg Country Council Benchmarking Survey- On October 17, RSO Jeff Dee and the Johannesburg Country Council released the first benchmarking survey focusing on crime and countermeasures/ regulations that companies employ. The anonymous survey contains 30 questions regarding business practices, security procedures, and country-specific categories. The Council leadership hopes to have all the results in and analyzed by its November meeting to share with the Council. Gaborone Country Council- On October 18, the Gaborone Country Council launched a survey to better understand its membership. The anonymous survey focuses on general questions about each organization s size, structure, and security procedures. The results of the survey will help to determine what the Gaborone Country Council will focus on in the future. Page 2

3 Overseas Security Advisory Council Recent Meetings OSAC is pleased to report on some recent Country Council meetings: Abuja - The Abuja Country Council launched an SMS text messaging program to be used for breaking information in Nigeria. Texts from the Embassy will be dispersed to American citizens and Council members, promoting information sharing and communication between the Embassy and OSAC constituents. Almaty This Council meeting offered a discussion about current events, security concerns, and crisis management. In addition, new Country Council leadership was elected. Casablanca During this meeting, the Attaché from Homeland Security provided a presentation on intellectual property rights and detailed how it impacted businesses in Morocco. The Council discussed improved information sharing between constituents and will create a skills bank for future reference during a time of crisis. Finally, information was shared on current satellite phone vendors in Morocco and plans were made to address a request for a table top emergency planning exercise. Erbil - This Council meeting offered an introduction to new U.S. Consulate Erbil leadership, a security assessment specific to Northern Iraq, and a presentation on emergency preparedness. Elections for new steering committee leadership are expected in Kuala Lumpur The Regional Security Office sponsored a Welcome the Weekend event at the U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur Marine House. This informal get-together was a great opportunity for the OSAC community to gather and discuss our KL OSAC Country Council and upcoming OSAC events and for members to get to know one another better. U.S. Marine Detachment Commander Patrick Hobbs gave a presentation on the history of the Marine Guard Security program and also discussed the role the Marines play in providing security at the Embassy. During the event, the OSAC community discussed topics for the next meeting and agreed to have Regional Security Officer Tim Leeds and a Chevron security advisor provide presentations on designing and implementing emergency action plans for overseas businesses. Intra-group Networking Lunch at Annual Briefing Calling all Country Council and Industry Group leadership! As many of you know, OSAC s Country Councils & Outreach Committee is hosting a special networking session for Country Council and industry group leadership. The meeting will take place on November 17 at the Harry S Truman building immediately following the conclusion of OSAC s Annual Briefing. Thanks to the generosity of the International Mission Board, a lunch will be provided. During the meeting, OSAC s CCO staff will give a short presentation on each of its industry groups to include the tools each group uses to communicate, events each group has hosted or hopes to create, and the growth goals of each group. This is the first time representatives from all of OSAC s outreach groups will have the chance to discuss shared concerns, best practices, and ideas for keeping their groups strong. Country Council leadership are also invited to participate and are welcome to share their own ideas. The CCO staff hopes that the discussion will result in new and better ways to engage each group. For more information on this exciting initiative, please contact OSAC s Team Lead for Country Councils & Outreach.

4 OSAC Country Councils & Outreach Bulletin Upcoming Country Council Meetings & Outreach Events Country Council Meeting: Lima, Peru (November 3) Country Council Meeting: Geneva, Switzerland (November 4) American Citizen Services Night: Tbilisi, Georgia (November 10) Country Council Meeting: Kinshasa, DRC (November 11) Country Council Meeting: Amman, Jordan (November 15) OSAC 26th Annual Briefing: Washington, D.C. (November 16-17) Country Council Meeting: Douala, Cameroon (November 17) Country Council Meeting: Tokyo, Japan (November 17) Country Council Meeting: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (November 17) Country Council Meeting: Kuwait City, Kuwait (November 17) Country Council Meeting: Rio de Janeiro (November 24) Country Council Meeting: Dhaka, Bangladesh (December 7) Country Council Meeting: Hyderabad, India (December 13) All-India Country Council Meeting: Chennai, India (December 16) OSAC Academic Outreach OSAC participated in several outreach events for its academic constituents in October. On October 21, OSAC and Miami University co-hosted a College & University Health, Safety, and Security seminar covering topics such as how OSAC assists its academic constituents, resources available for study abroad program administrators, issues surrounding mental health for students abroad, and key decisions to consider when designing a study abroad program. OSAC looks forward to continuing these day-long seminars in 2012, with programs expected to be hosted in Florida and California. Several OSAC staff members also participated in NAFSA regional conferences during the last week of October. NAFSA is the largest association of study abroad programs, and in three cities around the country, OSAC paired with the Bureau of Consular Affairs to present information on how the U.S. Government assists student travelers and study abroad program administrators. OSAC expects to participate in NAFSA s 2012 annual conference in Houston, TX. Hotel Security Working Group From September 26-28, OSAC and OSAC s Hotel Security Working Group (HSWG) partnered to host a two-day training seminar at the Hilton Istanbul in Istanbul, Turkey. The seminar was attended by over 90 hotel security professionals from approximately 35 countries. Presentation topics included Tactics Used Against Hotels, Drug Trafficking, The Insider Threat, and Regional Terrorism. The agenda also included several breakout sessions that allowed for vivid and in depth discussion about Political Unrest, Surveillance Tactics, and Crisis Management. The HSWG expects its 2012 training to take place in Bangkok, Thailand. Page 4

5 Overseas Security Advisory Council Frequently Asked Questions: OSAC s Annual Briefing OSAC s 26th Annual Briefing will be held November 16 and 17, The theme for this year s Briefing is Responding to Global Political Change. Please find below a Q&A specific to the event! Q: I want to register for the Annual Briefing how do I do it? A: Simply log into and click on the Events tab the Briefing link is the first one you will see! Or, follow this link: Once you click the Register Now button, you ll receive a confirmation . If something comes up and you are unable to attend, please log into go back into the event announcement, and click Unregister for This Event. You ll receive another indicating that you are no longer registered to attend. Q: What if I want to register my boss to attend as well? A: No problem. Please contact , and our staff will take your registration over the phone. Q: What is the schedule for the Annual Briefing? A: We will be hosting a day-long meeting on Wednesday, November 16, where we will feature keynote addresses, government remarks, and presentations from OSAC s staff. In addition, this year we are excited to offer breakout sessions, allowing for in-depth discussions on al-qa ida and its affiliates, traveler security, and the future of Iraq. More information on these sessions will be provided at the Briefing. Afterwards, all attendees are welcome to attend a reception. On Thursday, November 17, we will be offering a half-day of presentations organized by OSAC s Risk and Information Sharing Committee. Q: Breakout sessions are a great idea! Do I need to register in advance? A: Each session is on a first-come, first-served basis; the traveler security workshop will be presented twice. For those who would prefer to watch the formal presentations, summaries of the information presented during each breakout session will be posted to OSAC.gov after the Annual Briefing has concluded. Q: What is the last day to register for the Briefing? A: November 7. Q: This is a great publication! I m an RSO or a Country Council Co-chair; how do I get my Country Council featured in an upcoming edition of this report? A: Thanks! Feel free to OSAC s Senior Coordinator for Country Councils & Outreach with any information you d like included in future versions of this report.