Ambassador Speeches

(translation – originally delivered in Spanish)

Speech by Ambassador of the United States Paul Trivelli for the Inauguration of the Institute of Academic Excellence, Diriamba, Carazo, Model School

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Good afternoon,
Approximately two years ago Ambassador Moore gave the people of Nicaragua what was legally theirs- over 2.7 million dollars that were seized selfishly from this country’s future.  Today we are here to observe the results of cooperation between the governments of Nicaragua and the United States of America in the fight against greed and corruption.  Today we are here because this school, as long as it stands, will represent a victory in this fight and a victory for the people who are honest and hardworking in Nicaragua.

We are seeing the true meaning that the fight against those who tried to rob the future of the children carries.  We are also seeing interminable hours, days and months that have been invested by both governments through representatives of the institutions and law enforcement authorities to make sure there is no robbing that goes unpunished, without paying attention to how powerful the thief or his allies are.  I hope that the funds that were taken out of Nicaragua and put into bank accounts the Aleman family has in Miami will be dutifully recuperated by the judicial system.

We must recognize that reaching no corruption is a dream that is sometimes hard to achieve.  The truth is that corruption always exist in all public sectors, be it Central America, the United States, Europe, or Asia.  The governments are formed by people and sometimes people give in to temptations.  The real measure of commitment of any government’s fight against corruption is whether or not they implement anti-corruption programs, if they have systems designed to find corruption, if they arduously investigate those suspected of corruption, and whether or not they punish those found guilty.

In that sense, we have seen important advances in the government under President Bolaños and we hope that the future government of Nicaragua supports his efforts that are already going that way.

The government and the people of the United States have returned the result of their efforts so that it may be invested in the development of the most important type of capital, human capital.

Besides returning what already belonged to the Nicaraguans, we have also invested our own funds in social development.  Through the Agency for International Development (USAID), since 1998 they have invested more than 20 million dollars into improving the education system in Nicaragua.  From 1998 to 2005, the basic education program has supported 641 schools benefiting 160 thousand students, who have shown an significant improvement in the academic achievement by eight per cent.

In this way, the Excellence Project, developed through USAID, has designated 11.5 million dollars for a period from 2005 to 2009 in direct collaboration with the Ministry of Education and we hope to raise aid levels from 641 schools to approximately three thousand centers at the national level.

Another part of this collaboration with education from the U.S. government to the people of Nicaragua is administering food daily to 10 thousand students in the poorest communities in Matagalpa, Chontales, and the Río San Juan department.  These are some examples of the cooperation that exists between our two nations to guarantee a quality education for young Nicaraguans.

Today, I am very proud to be a part of this ceremony that represents a new Nicaragua that will not allow corruption to continue to go unpunished, and in return, invest in an adequate education for the future generations, an education for those students who stand out for their merit and not their violent or dishonest acts, an education that is more necessary every day with the work market that is global and highly competitive, an education that takes a step towards a brighter, more promising future.

Thank you.