Programs and Events

The 50th Anniversary of the United States - New Zealand Cooperation in Antarctica

January 18, 2007

 

A C17 landing on the ice. More Photos.

A delegation of senior United States government officials will join New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark in a visit to Antarctica next week to commemorate 50 years of U.S.-N.Z. co-operation on the continent.

United States Ambassador to New Zealand Bill McCormick - who himself will be joining the delegation to the Antarctic - has enthusiastically welcomed the visit.

“The visit by high-level United States officials to commemorate this significant 50 year milestone demonstrates the importance we attach to U.S.-NZ scientific cooperation on the ice,” said the Ambassador.

“Both the U.S. and New Zealand are committed to the good stewardship of our planet and the research we carry out together in Antarctica’s unique conditions is vital in helping us to achieve that goal,” he added.

The delegation from Washington will include Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment and Science Claudia McMurray; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Glyn Davies and Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation Dr. Arden Bement. Ambassador McCormick will accompany the delegation to Antarctica. (Biographies below.)

The New Zealand delegation includes Right Hon. Prime Minister Helen Clark and husband Peter Davis , Sir Edmund Hillary, and Christchurch mayor Garry Moore.

THE U.S. DELEGATION INCLUDES:

Assistant Secretary Claudia McMurray heads the State Department’s Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science. The Bureau is responsible for a broad portfolio of global issues related to: environmental protection; conservation of the earth’s resources including the oceans, forests, wildlife and fisheries; international health issues including malaria and polio; and cooperation with other nations concerning science, technology, bioterrorism, and the use of outer space. The Bureau advances U.S. interests on these issues both bilaterally and through a wide range of multilateral agreements and organizations. From 2003 to 2006, Ms. McMurray served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Environment. Prior to this, , Ms. McMurray served as Associate Deputy Administrator and Chief of Staff to the Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from August of 2001 to 2003. Ms. McMurray lives with her husband in Great Falls, Virginia.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Glyn Davies currently serves in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and is responsible for relations with Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands; U.S. public diplomacy and public affairs; regional strategy; and multilateral institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. Mr. Davies is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. His notable career includes service as the Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; Deputy Assistant Secretary for European Affairs; Political Director for the U.S. Presidency of the G-8 (Ambassadorial Rank); Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in London; Executive Secretary of the National Security Council Staff; State Department Deputy Spokesman and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Director of the State Department Operations Center, the U.S. Government's 24-hour Foreign Affairs Crisis Management Office. Mr. Davies holds a Bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and a Master's with distinction, from the National Defense University. He is married and has two daughters.

Dr. Arden Bement is the Director of the US National Science Foundation (NSF). The National Science Foundation as the manager of the U.S. Antarctic Program coordinates all federally funded research on the southernmost continent and operates the three U.S. year-round stations there; McMurdo, Amundsen-Scott South Pole and Palmer, on the Antarctic Peninsula. The NSF is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science.” With an annual budget of about $5.5 billion, the NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America’s colleges and universities.

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