US embassy cable - 03ROME4411

UNCLAS  ROME 004411 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
AIDAC 
 
FROM FODAG 
 
USDA/FAS FOR M. CHAMBLISS AND B. GAINOR 
USDA/FNS FOR UNDERSECRETARY E. BOST AND J. SHAHEEN 
 
E.O.  12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PREF, UG, TZ, WFP, UNHCR, UN 
SUBJECT:  WFP'S COLLABORATION WITH UNHCR IN PROVIDING FOOD 
ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES IN UGANDA  JOINT MISSION ASSESSMENT 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. Representatives from the U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies 
for Food and Agriculture (FODAG), the State Department's 
Office of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) and U.S. 
Embassy Kampala conducted a joint assessment of the 
collaboration between the World Food Program (WFP) and the 
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the delivery 
of food aid to refugees in Uganda, August 22-27.  Uganda is 
is a pilot country for the implementation of the 2002 
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between WFP and UNHCR 
that transfers some responsibilities for refugee feeding 
from UNHCR to WFP.  The collaboration seems to be working 
well, although some improvements could be made regarding 
the determination of the number of beneficiaries and 
addressing the sustainability of WFP's school feeding 
program.  End summary. 
 
2. Representatives from FODAG, PRM and Kampala-based 
regional Refugee Coordinator traveled to northeastern and 
southwestern Uganda. 
 
 
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GOU MEASURES TO ACCOMMODATE REFUGEES 
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3.  According to figures from UNHCR, there are 
approximately 206,000 refugees in Uganda.  The majority of 
these refugees, approximately 175,000 or roughly 85 
percent, are from Sudan.  The remaining refugees are 
primarily from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the 
Congo.  WFP provides food assistance to nearly 155,000 
refugees in 66 settlements. 
 
4.  The GOU must be credited with welcoming the refugees, 
providing them with agricultural land and employing a 
SelfReliance Strategy (SRS) designed to  integrate refugees 
into the Ugandan systems in the Adjumani, Moyo and Arua 
districts of the country's northwest, where 65 percent of 
the country's refugee population is located. The GOU is 
particularly receptive to refugees from Sudan.  This can be 
attributed to the fact that the Sudanese once welcomed 
Ugandan refugees in similar fashion.  Indeed, many of 
Ugandan President Museveni's cabinet ministers were once 
refugees in the Sudan themselves. 
 
5.  The GOU allocates land to each refugee for farming. 
The exact amount of allocated arable land is determined on 
the community level by district officials and is not 
systematic, which means that the amount of dedicated land 
can vary.  In one settlement each refugee was allocated as 
much as .6 hectares of land for cultivation.  This meant 
that a family of five could receive as much as 3 hectares 
of land for farming.  (One hectare equates to approximately 
2.5 acres.)  In the newly opened Maadi Okollo settlement, 
each refugee family is allocated one hectare, with 
additional land to be allocated to larger families (details 
have not yet been determined). 
 
6.  The GOU, in partnership with UNHCR and WFP, also 
employs a self-reliance strategy (SRS).  The two main goals 
of SRS are basic food self-sufficiency and the integration 
of provision of services to refugees on par with those 
provided to nationals by local government entities. 
Nationals in refugee-affected areas benefit from health 
centers, primary schools, school-feeding programs, roads, 
classrooms, water points and boreholes that were built to 
assist refugees.  This helps foster harmony between 
refugees and nationals. 
 
7.  The combination of arable land and the SRS allows WFP 
to gradually move from relief food distribution to targeted 
feeding of beneficiaries as they become more self- 
sufficient in food production.  Refugees receive 100 
percent food ration for the first two years, which varies 
between 1791 kcal to 2169 kcal per day, per person, 
depending on the food basket and refugee status. 
 
 
Thereafter, rations are reduced based on a number of 
factors, including refugee successes in food production and 
other income-generating activities.  As a result, in 
UNHCR's Rhino Camp located in northwestern Uganda, refugees 
who arrived in 2001-2003 receive 100 percent ration, while 
the caseload from CY 2000 and CYs 1994-1999 receive 50 
percent and 40 percent rations respectively.  Such ration 
reductions are designed to stimulate increased food 
production and household self-sufficiency. 
 
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UNHCR/WFP MOU IN ACTION 
----------------------- 
 
8.  WFP and UNHCR have been working together under a 
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) since 1985.  The MOU has 
been revised four times, most recently on 9 July 2002. 
With this revision, it was agreed that, under a pilot 
project, WFP would be given responsibility for final 
distribution of food aid in five selected operations 
involving refugees, asylum seekers, returnees and/or 
internally displaced persons (IDPs).  Uganda has 
participated in the year-long pilot program since April 
2003. 
 
9.  The collaboration between UNHCR and WFP is working well 
due to the Government of Uganda's (GOU) strong support for 
refugees, coupled with the effectiveness of WFP's and 
UNHCR's Implementing Partners (IPs) in delivering and 
monitoring food aid delivery.  WFP and UNHCR 
representatives credit the ongoing success of the pilot 
project to their working relationship with highly capable 
Implementing Partners, such as the German Development 
Service (ded).  However, better coordination and 
communication in determining the number of would-be 
beneficiaries within the refugee community and a clear 
strategy regarding the sustainability of WFP's school 
feeding programs would go a long way towards strengthening 
this pilot program. 
 
10.  For its part, the Rhino Camp IP, German Development 
Service (DED), was equally positive about its working 
relationship with WFP.  DED representatives did, however, 
complain about slow reimbursement for handling costs on the 
part of WFP.  They also noted that WFP does not always 
report impending pipeline breaks on a timely basis.  As a 
result, the IP is left ill-prepared to adequately inform 
the beneficiaries of a reduction or substitution in their 
food basket for a particular distribution. 
 
11.  UNHCR representatives in the field also raised a few 
areas in which their partnership with WFP could be 
enhanced.  In addition to sharing the IPs concern regarding 
WFP's timely notification of breaks in the pipeline, one 
UNHCR staffer suggested that WFP was understaffed for the 
operation.  As a result, WFP's monthly distribution 
schedule often stretched into 5 weeks. 
 
12.  Some UNHCR personnel also felt that WFP's logistical 
operation could be enhanced with additional trucks for 
delivery the various distribution points.  WFP responded 
that it would not be cost-effective to purchase additional 
trucks that would only be in operation once a month and 
idle for the remaining period. 
 
13.  WFP representatives raised the issue of slow 
registration of refugees on the part of UNHCR.  This is an 
important issue because timely and accurate registration of 
refugees helps prevent duplicate distributions to the same 
individuals and their families during a single distribution 
cycle.  UNHCR has planned to conduct a country-wide 
registration this year but it had to be delayed until next 
year due to the recent hurried re-location of refugees to 
the West Nile.  This required UNHCR to shift both material 
and staff resources in order to avert an humanitarian 
crises. 
 
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DUBIOUS FUTURE FOR SCHOOL FEEDING IN UGANDA 
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14.  WFP's school feeding program is benefiting more than 
170,000 children throughout the country.  The program has 
also proven tremendously successful.  Both school 
attendance and test scores have improved as a result.  The 
program is so successful that a representative from the 
Ministry of Education requested additional USG assistance 
in developing the school system's infrastructure to 
accommodate increasing numbers of students interested in 
attending school.  School-age students  bring their younger 
siblings to school because of the availability of food and 
because it allows their mothers to farm and take care of 
household activities. 
 
15. According to figures from WFP, funding support from 
USDA's McGovern-Dole initiative represented approximately 
60 percent of WFP/Uganda's school feeding efforts in 
2001/2002.  Increased school feeding requirements, coupled 
with cuts in the McGovern-Dole initiative, have reduced 
this percentage to 23 percent for the period 2003/2004. 
This should be of great concern to WFP and its implementing 
partners because the McGovern-Dole program's overall 
funding level has been cut (despite ever increasing 
requirements) and it appears that it might be cut 
significantly in the coming years. 
 
16.  Given the success of WFP's school feeding program in 
Uganda, any reduction in McGovern-Dole would have 
significant adverse effects in Uganda.  Travelers raised 
this issue with WFP and GOU representatives with an eye 
towards encouraging them to begin considering alternative 
funding mechanisms for the program.  It is apparent that 
WFP and the GOU have not developed alternative potential 
sources of funding for the school feeding program in the 
event that McGovern-Dole funds are not available in the 
future. 
 
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CONCLUSIONS AND COMMENT 
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17.  Overall, travelers were encouraged by the 
implementation of the pilot project between UNHCR and WFP. 
It was clear that both organizations respect each other's 
comparative advantage in this endeavor and are open to 
strengthening the collaboration.  Some logistical 
challenges were apparent, but this is to be expected in the 
transition period and should not present an obstacle to 
further implementation of the MOU. 
 
18.  Travelers are concerned about WFP's, UNHCR's and the 
GOU's preparedness for any reduction in McGovern-Dole 
funding and will encourage WFP in Kampala, Rome, and 
Washington to strategize for such an occurrence. 
 
19.  Mission members have encouraged WFP Kampala to inform 
both UNHCR and the IPs of any potential break in the food 
pipeline in a timely manner. 
 
20. PRM and Refcoord Kampala cleared on this message. 
 
HALL 
 
 
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2003ROME04411 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED