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While not directly related to Guatemalan adoption issues, it’s of note to mention that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited (and subsequently addressed) the Guatemalan Embassy staff and their families on March 5, 2010, as released on the U.S. Department of State’s website.
Citing this as her third visit, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton states she was pleased to “meet not only with President Colom and officials of the Government of Guatemala, but also presidents, prime ministers, and other representatives of the countries in the region who came for this important meeting.” She continues:
I am well aware that Guatemala is a country with great potential, but also with one – one that has many challenges. And you are on the front lines of helping to address those challenges. You’re working every single day against the scourge of gang violence and drug trafficking, against the cancer of corruption, because you understand what that does to the strength of a country and to the future of its people.
We have a shared responsibility to work closely with the government and people of Guatemala, and together I am convinced that we can make progress. We have to cooperate not only on the issue of security, which is paramount in all of our minds, but on the other important and supporting issues, like strong democratic institutional growth, social inclusion, economic opportunities for those on the margins of society.
In her address, she also comments about the positive changes coming forth in Guatemala, and the relationship between Central America and the United States:
President Obama and I are grateful for what you’re doing and we are getting results. Already, your efforts have helped the Guatemalan Government reduce chronic malnutrition in indigenous communities. You’re supporting an innovative school program to give children the courage they need to resist peer pressure and drugs. And the partnerships you are building with law enforcement, NGOs, and international organizations are helping to combat violent crime and root out corruption. As this government attempts to take on the terrible issue of impunity, we have to be there supporting its efforts. And so I thank you one and all.
I also want to especially appreciate what you do in supporting indigenous communities here in Guatemala. That is a particular concern of mine, and what you are committed to doing in helping people live up to their own God-given potential, no matter where they’re from or what background they come from, is truly part of the American value system.
So on behalf of President Obama and the American people, I am very grateful for your service. We appreciate your talent, your commitment, your hard work. And we know that you have earned one of those wheels-up parties that are provided only to missions that have gone above and beyond the call of duty. When someone like me shows up and imposes extra work on you to manage my visit, you really deserve a little bit of time just to rest and reflect.
While this address by no means secures a spot in the Guatemalan adoption pilot program, it does explore the United States’ invested interest in furthering its relationship with Guatemala and its interest in the country’s growth and development.
