Mr. Cletus I. Springer Director, Department of Sustainable Development Organization of American States 1889 F Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20006

Dear Mr. Springer:

United States Department of State

Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific A.ff airs

Washington, D. C. 20520

July 27, 2016

You have no doubt already been briefed on the impressive results of the July 7-8 Tenth Anniversary Meeting of the Dominican Republic-Central America­United States Free Trade Agreement's (CAFTA-DR) Environmental Affairs Council (EAC). But I expect your staff were too modest to tell you that it was the remarkable support they provided in organizing and executing the events that contributed enormously to the EAC's success. Many staff members in the Department of Sustainable Development had a role in supporting the EAC, but I'd like to single out for particular praise the hard work of Ms. Claudia de Windt, Mr. Oscar Ceville, and Mr. Sergio Martinez.

For example, the Special Edition of the CAFTA-DR Report on Progress of Environmental Cooperation effectively highlighted the people of CAFT A-DR and the important achievements of the past ten years. It was a hit during the meeting and will remain an important tool for communicating the results of our work. The audiovisual materials your team developed for the EAC, in particularly the country videos, dramatically captured the impact that our programs are having in local communities and provided a platform to highlight the work of our implementers. In addition, Claudia did a fantastic job moderating the ministerial panel at the public session.

I look forward to our future collaboration as we continue promoting the results of the CAFTA-DR Environmental Cooperation Program.

Acting Assistant Secretary