Ms. Mattes Goes to Washington

Tracy was part of the Sport & Development panel

Our Nation's Capitol Dome lights up the City

Tracy speaks at the African Conference in DC

Tracy traveled to Washington DC February 19-22nd in her dual capacities as Director of Global Programs for the World Olympians Association and as UN Special Representative. Tracy was invited to be one of the keynote speakers on a panel which discussed ways in which the entities of sport and tourism can be a catalyst for economic growth and development on the continent of Africa. Tracy speech focused on how these two industries have emerged as instruments of employment generation, poverty reduction and sustainable human development. Tracy also discussed the ways in which Olympians can be Ambassadors in the communities in which they live and greatly contribute to the value of these programs. She said sport and tourism are activities that bring people together and contribute to greater understanding among cultures, greater tolerance and, ultimately, to peace.

Government officials, Ambassadors, UN leaders and NGOs listened to ways in which the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg
has the ability to rebrand and bring unprecedented economic benefits to the entire continent of Africa

While in Washington, Tracy also met with lawmakers and Ambassadors to identify possible actions to restore access to education in refugee camps and settlements in Africa. There are approximately three million refugees and 11 million internally displaced people on the African continent, which represents about 40% of the total number of people displaced by conflict in the world. It is hard to imagine, but some refugees often end up living in the camps for much longer than expected because they have no safe home to return to, or cannot be resettled in other countries due to restrictive asylum policies of other nations. One of the most dire situations is in Sudan, where there is estimated to be more than 2.7 million displaced people who left their homes in an attempt to escape the genocide by the government-backed militia in Darfur.

Tracy, who met with UN leaders in China last year to discuss the dire situation of the Darfur Refugees, says there needs to be interventions to re-introduce education as soon as possible, as well as measures to meet the psychosocial needs of children and adolescents traumatized and displaced by the conflict. Education is a crucial factor in bringing peace and stability and in breaking a continuing cycle of conflict, revenge and instability. Tracy says implementing these programs would help to alleviate the sufferings of civilians of Darfur who are now living in refugee camps. Their lives have been shattered and they need help putting the pieces back together. While we agonizingly wait for successful political and diplomatic intervention to be made in Darfur, we need to take care of the nearly three million people affected by this crisis.

Tracy left from Washington DC for her trip to Africa.

The Ethiopian Embassy in Washington DC, in conjunction with Ethiopian Airlines,
hosted a special Cocktail for the participants of the Forum in Georgetown