Paula Dobriansky Honored by Innocents at Risk U.S. Undersecretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky was honored recently by Innocents at Risk, an awareness group founded by Debbie Sigmund to bring attention and hopefully action to help combat the trafficking of women and young children around the world. The evening’s presentation on Sept. 17 was hosted by Ambassador of the Dominican Republic Flavio Espinal and his wife Minerva and included many other organizations that are part of the coalition fighting this human rights abuse. “Mensajeros de la Paz (Messengers of Peace)” established in Spain, Belgium and Rome was represented along with locally based groups such as Charity Network, the Ricky Martin Foundation, Miramed, World Peace Tour 4 Children, and Firefly. “Virtually every nation struggles with the evil of human trafficking, and the United States is no exception,” said Dobriansky through a spokesperson. “Given the global nature of the problem, it is essential that we all work together—as governments and as private citizens—to rescue trafficking victims, punish the perpetrators and prevent future crimes.” Dobriansky, who was not able to attend, then praised the Dominican Republic for its “comprehensive anti-trafficking law, with tough penalties and aggressive prosecution,” as well as Debbie Sigmund for founding this nongovernmental organization to raise awareness and encourage civic action From left, Innocents at Risk founder Debbie Sigmund, Dominican Republic Ambassador Flavio Espinal and his wife Minerva pay special tribute to U.S. Undersecretary of State Paula Dobriansky for bringing awareness to the trafficking of women and children worldwide, who is seen in a photograph they are holding from the Innocents at Risk Gala (see below). Front page: From left, wife of the Afghan ambassador Shamim Jawad, Isabel Ernst, Innocents at Risk founder Debbie Sigmund, and U.S. Undersecretary of State Paula Dobriansky attend the Innocents at Risk Gala. MS Ambassadors Ball Opens Fall Season This year, the 29th Annual Ambassadors Ball—the harbinger to the fall diplomatic season—honored two avid supporters, Ruthy Frenzel and Esther Coopersmith, prominent co-chairs of the ball’s Diplomatic Advisory Board. Unlike previous years, this year’s black-tie event was held at the Washington Hilton and Towers but as always, the event honored Washington’s diplomatic corps and benefited the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society. With representatives from more than 60 embassies in attendance, this huge September event raised $700,000 for the National Capital Chapter of MS. Ruthy Frenzel has been a co-chair of the Diplomatic Advisory Board from the ball’s inception almost three decades ago. This well-known Washingtonian is the former diplomatic liaison to “Welcome to Washington” and was chair of Washington International Clubs for eight years. She is also the recipient of the National MS Society’s Bess Goodman Humanitarian Award. Esther Coopersmith is the former U.S. representative to the United Nations who in 1984 was awarded the United Nations Peace Prize, being the first woman to receive this award since Eleanor Roosevelt. Coopersmith often entertains important diplomats and major leaders in her Kalorama home. From left, MSNBC Washington correspondent and ball emcee Norah O’Donnell, and Ambassador of the Philippines and Mrs. Willy C. Gaa attend the 29th Annual Ambassador’s Ball hosted by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society National Capital Chapter at the Washington Hilton and Towers, which presented Lifetime Achievement Awards to Ruthy Frenzel and Esther Coopersmith. Front page: Mrs. and Ambassador of Poland Janusz Reiter attend the 29th Annual Ambassador’s Ball. Prince Albert Opens Monaco’s D.C. Embassy This Kalorama home would be special even if it weren’t an embassy. It is the home of Warren G. Harding, who lived in it until 1920, when he moved into the White House as president of the United States. Now this handsome brick home on Wyoming Avenue is Monaco’s first embassy in Washington, also serving as the official residence of Monaco Ambassador Gilles Alexandre Noghes and his wife Ellen. But it was the opening-day visit of Prince Albert II—the only son of Monaco’s late Prince Rainier III and the late Princess Grace—that caused the real buzz. The red carpet was rolled out for the wealthy, royal bachelor who came to talk about Monaco’s new goals (fighting global terrorism while running a more ecological principality at home). Nearby ambassadors and their Kalorama neighbors all jammed in to take a peek at the handsomely redecorated digs and at the prince himself. Even a costumed look-alike Ben Franklin and Buffalo Bill Cody were on hand for the historic occasion. Their connection? It seems that back in 1913, the prince’s great-great grandfather went bear hunting in Wyoming with the real Buffalo Bill. The 49-year-old prince said it was a bit emotional for him to be back on American soil talking about his principality, his parents and about the good times he had over four summers at New Hampshire’s Camp Tecumseh. Some of his camp buddies were even at the reception. In fact, it was the American summer camping experience and other visits to America’s national parks that gave the prince a love and appreciation for nature. And that love of nature has also inspired him to create his own foundation to help preserve the planet—the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. “Today, rising to the challenge of protecting our planet is a matter of urgency,” he wrote in the foundation’s catalogue. “When I visited the North Pole, following in the footsteps of my great-grandfather Prince Albert I, I saw proof that we must, without fail, strive to manage human development in a sustainable way so that our planet is no longer endangered … the future of man is at stake.” The eco-friendly talk might not have been exactly what the crowd expected based on reports of the prince’s glittery, jetset lifestyle, but instead it did signal the emergence of a son who is starting to sound like the responsible leader of whom his parents would be proud. Prince Albert II of the Principality of Monaco, right, stands next to Ellen Noghes, wife of Monaco Ambassador Gilles Alexandre Noghes, left, at the opening ceremony for Monaco’s new embassy and residence in Washington. Photos: Larry Luxner Special Performances Help Ambassadors Tell Their Tales In Washington, where so many embassies and ambassadors compete for the attention of the administration, media, public and even each other, it is often the special artistic performances from their homelands that help tell each country’s story and create a nation’s unique reputation. That’s just what happened recently when Colombian Ambassador Carolina Barco invited other ambassadors and friends to a seated dinner and performance by Colombian folk singer Totó la Momposina and her 12-piece band of indigenous instruments. Ambassador Barco, formerly Colombia’s foreign minister, introduced her guest artist by saying that “Colombia is Caribbean and that’s why I’m so happy to have your excellencies from St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Republic, Barbados, Grenada and Guyana along with Argentina and Peru. I have been wanting to follow through on my firmly held belief that we have much more in common than not with our common African heritage.” After the colorful and lively performance, guests jumped up and started dancing as if to prove Barco’s main point—that we are all more interconnected than we imagine. In another diplomatic musical evening, Swiss Ambassador Urs Ziswiler and his wife Ronit hosted three soloists and Michael Haefliger, the artistic and executive director of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, for an evening of classical music and inventive Swiss cuisine. Presenting this evening of piano, clarinet and basset horn, the ambassador took the opportunity to congratulate his own hometown musical festival for its debut and five-day residency at Carnegie Hall under the baton of American conductor David Robertson and Pierre Boulez, who heads the Lucerne Festival Academy. In fact, this evening, which was sponsored by Ruesch International, is only the first of five such events. Beginning next year, the Lucerne Festival soloists will make a special stop in Washington to “wow” the ambassador’s special guests until 2011. The Lucerne Festival has three major performing periods during the year: “At The Piano” from Nov. 19 to 25, “At Easter” from March 8 to 16, and “In Summer” from Aug. 13 to Sept. 21. Of course, Lucerne Festival programs were scattered throughout the contemporary Swiss Residence, which boasts a picture-book view of the Washington Monument. It got many guests to consider attending the festival and the ambassador, a Lucerne native, could not have been happier. Swiss Ambassador Urs Ziswiler (second from right) celebrates after the performance with Lucerne Festival soloists (left to right) Wolfgang Meyer (clarinet), Reiner Wehle (clarinet and basset horn) and Christian Ruvolo (piano). Front page: Colombian Ambassador Carolina Barco, left, stands with Colombian folk singer Totó la Momposina at a performance of her indigenous music. THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT P.O. Box 1345 Wheaton, MD 20915-1345 Tel 301.933.3552 Fax 301.949.0065 www.washingtondiplomat.com