Former U.S. Ambassadors to Argentina
Ambassador Gutierrez's Speeches
FULBRIGHT 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
June 23, 2006
Good evening Secretary Malcolm of the Ministry of Education, Ambassador Espeche Gil, Cynthia Wolloch of the Fulbright Office in Washington, D.C., members of the Fulbright board of directors, donors, grantees, and special guests. Thank you for coming this evening to help us celebrate the Fulbright Program's 50th anniversary in Argentina.
Senator J. William Fulbright, who founded the program and after whom it is named, said that he wanted “to bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs and thereby to increase the chance that nations will learn at last to live in peace and friendship.” The U.S. Embassy is very proud to be a part of the Fulbright program and to participate in recognizing and rewarding the best of Argentina in fields as diverse as filmmaking, scientific research, public administration, law, teaching, mathematics, and many more.
In the past half century, 4,500 Americans and Argentines have participated in the program. Most have gone on to strengthen ties between the US and Argentina in innumerable ways, both large and small. I can't count the number of times I've met Fulbrighters in my three years here who have devoted their time to deepening mutual understanding between our two countries long after their grants had expired. Tonight we will honor two of the many former Fulbrighters who have distinguished themselves through a lifetime of work in promoting the program's ideals.
The USG is committed to strengthening our bilateral relationship with Argentina and in investing in Argentina's youth. We believe that nothing is more central to strong bilateral ties than increasing opportunities for our citizens, especially our young people, to live and study in each other’s country. In the fiscal years 2004 and 2005, the Government of the United States invested more than two million dollars in programs for young people in Argentina, one million per year. These programs include exchanges, study tours, participation in regional youth conferences, scholarships, grants to non-governmental organizations, and books for children. Just in the ten years between 1994 and 2004, the U.S. government contributed $16,111,669 for 1,775 Fulbright scholarships, 65% of which were for Argentine participants. An important percentage of those scholarships were for students. Of the total of our grantees, 51% were women and 64% were from outside the capital city.
Argentina demonstrated its belief in the importance of the work of the Fulbright Commission in 2001-2002 when, in the depths of the most serious economic crisis in its history, the government continued to provide funds to the Commission to support Argentines’ study and research in the United States.
As we look forward to the next 50 years, we can be sure that Argentina and the US will face challenges, but we can also be sure that we have made no better investment in meeting those challenges than our continued commitment to the Fulbright Program. Please allow me to express my gratitude to all the men and women here tonight who are committed to implementing Senator Fulbright's vision every day.