U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2006 CONTENTS STATE MAGAZINE + DECEMBER 2006 + NUMBER 507 The Price of Life Student learns about medicine in Central Africa. 22 * A Critical Difference FSN of the Year supports freedom in Burma. 26 * Office of the Month: Office of Treaty Affairs Despite a small staff, L/T has a long reach. 40 * ON THE COVER The State Department marks the traditional holiday season by continuing to spread the light of freedom and truth throughout the world. Photo by Corbis Post of the Month: *Valletta Malta has complex history and exciting future. 14 10 Calgary at 100 32 Hearts, Minds and Lives Consulate marks centennial with cowboy hats. Training physicians in Yemen builds goodwill. 12 Eyes and Ears 34 Building CSI Tbilisi One-officer posts help cover France. Projects help Georgians fight crime. 20 Summer Vacation 36 The Tie That Binds Teen volunteers at Romanian orphanage. Brazil consulate celebrates historic visit. 24 Albuquerque ‘Angel’ 38 Where’s My Stapler? International visitor receives the gift of sight. State fills internships with challenging tasks. 30 Elementary, Homes 44 Home Base Consulate helps flood-ravaged Indians. Lodging program benefits FSI students. COLUMNS 2 FROM THE SECRETARY 45 STATE OF THE ARTS 3 READERS’ FEEDBACK 46 APPOINTMENTS 4 FROM THE UNDER SECRETARY 46 RETIREMENTS 5 IN THE NEWS 47 OBITUARIES 9 DIRECT FROM THE D.G. 48 THE LAST WORD FROM THE SECRETARY A Time for Reflection and Hope in Asia or Africa, in Latin America or the Middle East, we are advancing our goals of security and freedom, and we are building new partnerships with all who aspire to the universal ideals of liberty and human rights. As we come to the holiday season, I wish Our successes this year have not come to personally thank all the men and women without sacrifice, as nothing of real value of our State Department who are serving in life ever does. These are extraordinary worldwide. You work so admirably to times, and they demand much of us. This further the diplomatic mission of our holiday season, our thoughts turn to the nation, and your continuing efforts are many members of our State Department helping to promote peace and prosperity family whose devotion to service has led for our citizens and people everywhere. As them to dangerous posts abroad, far from we bid farewell to 2006, we give thanks for their homes and their loved ones. We also our many blessings, we reflect on our remember the precious friends and col- achievements and we prepare ourselves for leagues we lost this year, both the men the challenges ahead. and women of the State Department and President Bush has tasked all of us with a the many Americans in uniform who bold mission, one that summons the have made the ultimate sacrifice to decency and the determination that char- defend our country. We honor their acterize our nation at its best. Though we legacy, and we send our deepest condo- deal with the world as it is, we also embrace lences to their families. “This holiday season, our thoughts turn to the many members of our State Department family whose devotion to service has led them to dangerous posts abroad, far from their homes and their loved ones.” our ability, indeed our responsibility, to In the year that lies ahead, we resolve to rally our many international partners redouble our commitment to the people around a vision of a better world, and to and the principles that depend on us, to work every day—slowly at times, never shoulder our duty with renewed vigor and without patience and humility, but always to advance the promise of freedom, justice with confidence and optimism—to make and peace for all mankind. Thank you all that vision a reality. for your good work, and may you and your This year has been a time of testing—a families have a safe and happy holiday. I time when America, and the entire interna- tional community, has faced new challenges and tough decisions. This has been a year when hope has also demanded courage, and when a love of peace has also required the will to defend it. Yet whether 2 STATE MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2006 READER’S FEEDBACK Shared Services Initiative Let Us Hear from You Regarding Under Secretary Fore’s piece, Mailing Address State Magazine “Moving to Shared Services,” in the October 2401 E Street, NW HR/ER/SMG, SA-1, Room H-236 issue, this initiative is right on target. By Washington, DC 20522-0108 moving to share administrative and infor- E-mail [email protected] mation technology services throughout the Phone Department, State will improve support and (202) 663-1700 achieve economies of scale. The outmoded Letters should not exceed 250 words and should include the practice of multiple bureaus each providing writer’s name, address and daytime phone number. All letters become administrative and IT services is too costly the property of State Magazine. Letters will be edited for length, accuracy and clarity. Only signed and too slow for a Department engaged in letters will be considered. Names transforming American diplomacy. may be withheld upon request. As acting executive director for the services previously provided by IRM, general. It was under his stern but avuncu- Information Resource Management while IRM assumed responsibility for lar gaze that I was introduced to consular Bureau, I recently participated in the computer desktop and network services affairs. implementation of a major shared servic- previously provided by A. While this One morning, Mr. Wharton was con- es initiative: the groundbreaking shared services partnership meant the ducting one of his vigorous tutorials with partnership between the Bureau of abolishment of IRM’s executive office, me, correcting (again) a draft of mine. Administration and IRM. A Bureau where I served for a decade, the initiative Emphasizing the crucial importance of assumed responsibility for administrative has my full support. clear and correct writing, he said, “I never I encourage my colleagues throughout want to see in Foreign Relations of the the Department to join this epic shared- United States something you wrote with services initiative and help transform the notation ‘sic’.” He pulled a volume of management and results at State. Foreign Relations from a nearby shelf and opened it to an entry he’d written as a Dan Sheerin young chargé in Monrovia. He jabbed at Bureau of Information the page and I saw that dreaded “sic” Resource Management forever attached to Mr. Wharton’s docu- ment. He reshelved the volume and with a Ambassador Wharton’s Tutorial final admonishment or two sent me back I’d like to share a Foreign Service to work. memory which links two articles in the For all I know, Ambassador Wharton September issue, “Stamps of Approval,” used that same “show and tell” with count- honoring six legendary diplomats, and less young FSOs in training, but for me, it “Learning History’s Lessons,” a profile of was an unforgettable lesson from a true the Office of the Historian. officer and a gentleman. My first post was Lisbon, where Ambassador Clifton R. Wharton, one of Ralph W. Richardson the legendary diplomats, was then consul Retired Foreign Service officer DECEMBER 2006 STATE MAGAZINE 3 UNDER SECRETARY HENRIETTA FORE Spotlighting Centers of Excellence I announced our Shared Services initia- Shared Services and Transformational posts, all regions and 3 domestic offices. tive in my October column. Since then, the Diplomacy—it’s about management Posts are able to use these process maps to Management family has made significant excellence improve efficiency and customer service by progress in advancing the pilot projects As we change our diplomatic posture to clearly delineating responsibilities and geared toward providing world-class global shift more positions overseas, we must con- identifying bottlenecks. services more efficiently. sider that the average overseas position If you were not able to attend the work- Our focus this month is the Bureau of costs roughly three times that of a domes- shops, there is invaluable information not Human Resources, which has rolled out the only on process mapping, but also on shared HR Centers of Excellence pilot program. services and other performance measure- Candidate bureaus—Administration, ment topics right at your fingertips: Consular Affairs, Diplomatic Security, the • http://m.state.gov Foreign Service Institute and Arms Control Shared Services dashboard summary, and International Security Affairs—are links to individual shared services Web working to demonstrate that they can meet sites such as HR and A Bureaus and maintain best-in-class performance • http://agssi.a.state.gov standards for customer satisfaction, Best Practices, Success Stories, Toolkits responsiveness, timeliness and service effi- • American Productivity & Quality ciency. In setting the standard, HR looked Center online research library (registra- to public and private sector shared services tion free to State employees—see link leaders, including the Department of on A/GSSI’s Web site) Treasury’s Administrative Resource Center. • FSI Classroom and Distance During the pilot, the candidate COE will be Learning measuring the following HR process PD529–Strategic Planning and metrics to see if they can meet or exceed Performance Measurement the ARC standard: Time from Managers • FastTrac Distance Learning Request to Signed Position Description, 15744–General Skills: ISO 9000 Time from Signed Position Description to 44733–The Auditing Process Job Announcement, and Average Number OPER0406 Continual Quality of Days to Hire, from close of announce- tic position. In times of tight budgets, we Improvement ment to job offer. In addition, they will be require a more efficient business model to OPER0405 Processes for Quality measuring their cost efficiency in providing enable us to redirect resources to strategic Products and Services these services.