US embassy cable - 03ROME4879

UNCLAS  ROME 004879 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FROM FODAG 
 
STATE FOR IO A/S HOLMES, IO/EDA BEHREND, WHA/FO, 
WHA/USOAS 
USDA/FAS FOR U/S PENN, CHAMBLISS, GAINOR 
USAID FOR DCHA A/A WINTER, DCHA/FFP LANDIS, LAC A/A 
FRANCO 
NSC FOR JDWORKEN 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: AORC, EAGR, SENV, EAID, XK, XR, WFP, WHO 
SUBJECT:  LATIN AMERICAN INTEREST IN SCHOOL FEEDING 
 
 
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Summary 
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1.  Representatives of the Group of Latin American and 
Caribbean countries (GRULAC) met with Ambassador Tony 
Hall to express their strong support for school feeding 
initiatives.  They are concerned about declining U.S. 
funding for the McGovern-Dole International Food for 
Education Program, particularly in Latin America.  They 
expressed a desire to work together on this valuable 
initiative and wanted to draw attention to the problems 
they confront with "pockets of poverty" in their 
countries.  End summary. 
 
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Support and Concern for the School Feeding Initiative 
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2.  On October 10, Ambassadors Angel Sartori Arellano of 
Chile (currently president of GRULAC), Jose Pablo Moran 
of Peru and Mario Arvelo Caamano of the Dominican 
Republic and their relevant staff met with Ambassador 
Tony Hall and his staff at the United States Mission to 
the UN Agencies in Rome to discuss school feeding.  They 
expressed their thanks and appreciation to the U.S. for 
our funding of school feeding programs around the world. 
They noted that they were convinced of the merit of these 
programs in getting children to school, keeping them in 
school and helping them learn while they are there, but 
they were extremely concerned with the decline in U.S. 
funding for the programs. 
 
3.  In addition to the overall decline in resources (U.S. 
dollar (USD) 300 million in 2000 for the Global Food for 
Education Initiative (GFEI), USD 100 million in 2002 for 
the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education 
Program and a request for only USD 50 million in FY 
2004), they were specifically referring to the recent 
USDA/FAS announcements regarding the FY 2003 USD 100 
million grant recipients.  Of the 21 countries to receive 
grants, only 3 are Latin American (Bolivia, Guatemala and 
Nicaragua) and only Bolivia will be operated through the 
World Food Program (WFP).  The two others will be 
administered by the Private Voluntary Organizations 
(PVOs) Food for the Poor and Project Concern 
International, respectively. 
 
4.  During FY 2001 and FY 2002, Colombia, the Dominican 
Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, and Peru had all 
received funding for school feeding programs from GFEI. 
Needless to say, this cut is being perceived as 
particularly hard on Latin America.  WFP (in a brief 
passed along by the ambassadors) had attempted to 
describe the larger picture, i.e. declining WFP support 
from USDA and increasing support from USAID and overall 
U.S. funding for WFP projects in Latin America, such as 
the U.S. donation of USD 10 million out of USD 13 million 
received for their Central America Regional operation. 
 
5.  They requested that the USG reevaluate cuts to the 
school feeding program, especially in Latin America. 
They plan to alert their colleagues in Washington and New 
York, given their governments' strong support for these 
programs.  The Dominican Ambassador noted the impact of 
basic education and corresponding opportunities as a 
disincentive for economic migration to the US. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
"Let us sit down soon to eat with all those who haven't 
eaten" - Chilean Nobel Prize Laureate Pablo Neruda 
The Latin American School Feeding Network 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
6.  GRULAC used the opportunity to highlight their own 
 
commitment to school feeding initiatives in their 
countries and willingness to assist one another.  The 
Chilean Government and its National Network for Student 
Support, together with WFP and the 55,000 member American 
School Food Service Association (ASFSA), are creating an 
organization to support school feeding programs in the 
region.  The GOC is committing its own resources to the 
new organization, as well as hosting the organizing 
meeting in Santiago, March 22-26, 2004.  The inspiration 
for this Latin American School Feeding Network came at a 
1999 conference in Medellin, Colombia, and has received 
support from the First Ladies of the Americas Network. 
 
7.  The Chilean representative highlighted their desire 
to reach out and include the private sector in this 
effort, given the model used in the United States. 
Private companies, such as Land o' Lakes and Nestle, have 
recognized the importance of school feeding, as both a 
business opportunity and investment in their future 
workforce.  The Dominican Ambassador informed the group 
that education was becoming a larger priority for his 
government, with the education budget increasing to eight 
percent of the total and the Vice President serving as 
the Minister of Education. 
 
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"Pockets of Poverty" and related issues at WFP 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
8.  Finally, GRULAC expressed their concern that the WFP 
Strategic Plan and "concentration" would lead to the 
closing of development programs in Latin America.  This 
Strategic Plan is being discussed at the WFP Executive 
Board this week, and the USG supports WFP's efforts to 
concentrate its resources in the poorest, low-income food 
deficit countries.  This will inevitably lead to a 
dwindling WFP presence in Latin America, as it is 
receiving fewer resources for development activities from 
the U.S. and other donors.  While all Latin American 
countries have "pockets of poverty" that often contain 
chronically and occasionally acutely malnourished people, 
on par with African and Asian countries, most of their 
governments are able to better cope with these cases. 
 
9.  They specifically requested U.S. support for their 
efforts to obtain a more favorable result from the WFP 
Strategic Plan.  Ambassador Hall responded by stating 
that he could not guarantee U.S. support on the issue of 
WFP's concentration, but that he would continue to 
advocate for a strong school feeding program and 
communicate their concerns back to Washington. 
 
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Conclusion - Ambassador Hall's personal comment 
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10.  I believe the McGovern-Dole Program, and WFP's 
Global School Feeding Campaign, are worthy of strong USG 
support.  It is a good investment of resources in 
achieving our priorities related to combating terrorism, 
promoting economic development and achieving humanitarian 
goals.  I was able to tell my Latin American colleagues 
of my work in Congress to establish the program and 
convince them of my personal commitment.  They are hoping 
that the US will continue to be a generous funder, and an 
active supporter, of school feeding in Latin America. 
Given our strategic interests in GRULAC's support for 
other USG priorities in the multilateral context, I hope 
that we can respond positively.  The bottom line is that 
this is a high priority for the group, given that it was 
the first time they had requested a formal meeting and 
that their Ambassadors do not work on WFP or FAO issues 
normally, as they serve bilaterally as well. 
 
BRAKEL 
 
 
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 2003ROME04879 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED