Press Releases 07
United States Peace Corps Volunteers Promote Economic Development
and Environmental Conservation
Statement by Ms. Leslie Bassett, Chargé d’Affaires ad Interim
Mexico City, December 19, 2007 — “Peace Corps volunteers
demonstrate an extraordinary level of commitment to public
service and represent the best of America’s volunteer spirit.
Working side by side with their Mexican counterparts to promote
Mexico’s economic development and environmental conservation,
Peace Corps volunteers in Mexico foster greater mutual understanding
and cooperation.
“I was honored to preside over a ceremony today in Queretaro
where twenty new Peace Corps volunteers were inducted into
service. Representatives from Mexico’s National Council for
Science and Technology (CONACYT) and the Secretariat of the
Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), also attended
the ceremony. The program is now entering its fourth year
and the induction of these new volunteers brings the total
number in Mexico to 55.
“The new volunteers, with an average of 15-20 years of professional
experience, will work primarily with SEMARNAT in environmental
education, natural resource management and conservation, and
with CONACYT in small business development. They will serve
in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nayarit, Guanajuato, San
Luis Potosi, Queretaro, Hidalgo, Puebla, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz.
“Peace Corps is an independent volunteer agency established
by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to promote world peace
and friendship. It invites American citizens to dedicate two
years of their lives working in foreign countries, both to
advance economic development, as well as to integrate into
the work and culture of their new communities. The American
people are proud to support these volunteers who create lasting
relationships with their host countries.”
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