US embassy cable - 04ROME1399

UNCLAS ROME 001399 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME 
 
STATE FOR G, E, OES/PCI, PRM/P AND IO/EDA 
INFO USAID FOR A/AID, DCHA/FFP LANDIS, DCHA/OFDA MENGHETTI 
INFO GENEVA FOR RMA AND NKYLOH/USAID 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, EAGR, PREF, UNDP, WFA 
SUBJECT: UNDP WORLD ALLIANCE OF CITIES AGAINST POVERTY FORUM 
 
1. SUMMARY.  THE WORLD ALLIANCE OF CITIES AGAINST POVERTY (WACAP) 
HELD ITS 4TH FORUM IN ROME FROM MARCH 31 THROUGH APRIL 2, 2004. 
ITS PURPOSE WAS TO EXAMINE HOW ELECTED MUNICIPAL REPRESENTATIVES 
    MIGHT SHARE AND SEEK WAYS OF ACHIEVING MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT 
GOALS (MDGS) AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.  ON THE WHOLE, THE INTERVENTIONS 
WERE INFORMATIVE AND BUILT GREATER AWARENESS IN DEVELOPING AND 
DEVELOPED STATES ABOUT DEVELOPMENT GOALS, PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS 
AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. AS THE DESIGNATED SCOREKEEPER FOR THE MDGS, UNDP IS TASKED WITH 
SPREADING AWARENESS WITHIN THE UN SYSTEM TO WORK COHERENTLY WITH 
HOST GOVERNMENTS TO MONITOR, ANALYZE AND REPORT ON MDGS.  UNDP 
FACILITATES NATIONAL MDG REPORTS, WHICH ARE BEGINNING TO PROVIDE 
DATA ON PROGRESS ACHIEVED TOWARD THE MDGS.  AS SUCH, THE REPORTS 
MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO COMPARE DATA BETWEEN REGIONS, COUNTRIES AND 
SECTORS.  CURRENTLY, 52 COUNTRIES HAVE PRODUCED MDG STATUS 
REPORTS.  BY THE END OF THE YEAR, APPROXIMATELY 100 ARE EXPECTED. 
RECOGNIZING THAT MDGS CANNOT BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT THE CONTRIBUTION 
OF MUNICIPALITIES, UNDP ALSO HELPED TO CREATE THE WORLD ALLIANCE 
OF CITIES AGAINST POVERTY (WACAP), WHICH CURRENTLY HAS 155 MEMBER 
CITIES.  THE FORUM INCLUDED PARTICIPANTS FROM 95 COUNTRIES 
REPRESENTING 140 CITIES, 13 ASSOCIATIONS OF CITIES, AND ABOUT 80 
PARTICIPANTS FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS. 
 
3. SELECTED INTERVENTIONS.  THE PLENARY SESSION BEGAN WITH A WELL- 
RECEIVED SPEECH BY WALTER VELTRONI, MAYOR OF ROME, WHO SPOKE ABOUT 
ROME'S ANTI-POVERTY PROGRAMS, ENCOURAGED ATTENDEES TO PERSEVERE 
DESPITE THE DIFFICULT CHALLENGES OF THE MDGS, AND TRANSFORM THE 
IMPOSSIBLE TO THE POSSIBLE. 
 
4. UNDP ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR BRUCE JENKS CALLED FOR A SPECIAL 
FOCUS ON AFRICA AND ENCOURAGED DEVELOPED COUNTRIES TO DO MORE, 
PARTICULARLY CONSIDERING THE DECREASE BY 50 PERCENT IN OFFICIAL 
DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE (ODA) DURING THE LAST DECADE. 

5. EUSEBIO LEAL, UN GOODWILL AMBASSADOR, OPINED THAT RICH 
COUNTRIES SHOULD INCREASE ODA AND END AGRICULTURAL POLICIES THAT 
DESTROY THE MARKETS OF POOR COUNTRIES, E.G., REDUCE AGRICULTURAL 
SUBSIDIES.  BECAUSE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS PROVIDE BASIC SERVICES, 
CITIES ARE APPROPRIATE ENTITIES TO BUILD POLITICAL WILL FOR BETTER 
EDUCATION, WATER AND WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE, AND OTHER 
SERVICES. 
 
6. FAROUK TEBBAL, OF UN HABITAT, MENTIONED THAT TODAY ABOUT ONE- 
THIRD OF THE WORLD'S POOR ARE URBAN DWELLERS, AND WITHIN 5 TO 10 
YEARS OVER 50 PERCENT WILL BE POOR.  IN AFRICA, THE TWO MOST 
SERIOUS CHALLENGES ARE RAPID URBANIZATION AND GROWING POVERTY. 
 
7. WFP DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SHEILA SISULU DISCUSSED WFP'S 
WORK IN TERMS OF MDGS, NOT ONLY THOSE THAT PERTAIN TO POVERTY AND 
HUNGER, BUT ALSO TO MDGS GROUNDED IN GENDER EQUALITY, NUTRITION, 
AND HIV/AIDS ISSUES.  MS. SISULU WAS ENCOURAGED BY THE PRESENCE OF 
THE FORUM'S PARTICIPANTS AND OBSERVED, "ONLY WITH A BROAD 
PARTNERSHIP OF CITIZENS, CITIES, GOVERNMENTS AND INTERNATIONAL 
ORGANIZATIONS [CAN] WE HOPE TO MEET THE MDGS." 
 
8. PETER SCHATZER, CHIEF OF IOM, EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT MANAGING 
URBAN MIGRATION AND POLICIES THAT ARE CONGRUENT WITH DEVELOPMENT 
AND LAND USE. 
 
9. IAN MCCLELLAN, ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR, UNOSAT, GAVE AN 
INTERESTING PRESENTATION ON USING SATELLITE IMAGERY TO MITIGATE 
DISASTERS.  UNOSAT WAS CREATED BY THE UNITED NATIONS INSTITUTE FOR 
TRAINING AND RESEARCH (UNITAR) AND IS EXECUTED BY THE UNITED 
NATIONS OFFICE FOR PROJECT SERVICES (UNOPS) TO PROVIDE GEOGRAPHIC 
    INFORMATION TO UN ORGANIZATIONS, GOVERNMENTS, AND IMPLEMENTING 
PARTNERS TO RESPOND TO HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND INCORPORATE 
GEOGRAPHIC MAPPING TO DISASTER REDUCTION AND PREVENTION SCENARIOS. 
UNOSAT CAN PROVIDE GIS TURNKEY SOLUTIONS AND SERVICES, INCLUDING 
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 
 
10. A FEW INTERVENTIONS WERE STRAIGHTFORWARD REQUESTS FOR 
ASSISTANCE BY STAKEHOLDERS FROM THE DEVELOPING WORLD TO THE 
DEVELOPED WORLD. 
 
11. COMMENT.  MOST ALL OF THE INTERVENTIONS WERE PREPARED 
SPEECHES, AND THE FORUM DID NOT GENERATE MUCH DIALOGUE AMONG 
PARTICIPANTS.  NEVERTHELESS, THE INTERVENTIONS WERE INFORMATIVE 
AND BUILD GREATER AWARENESS IN DEVELOPING AND DEVELOPED STATES 
ABOUT DEVELOPMENT GOALS, PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS AT THE LOCAL 
LEVEL.  WITH APPROPRIATE LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL 
EFFORTS, MUCH CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED DURING THE 10 YEARS REMAINING TO 
ACHIEVE THE MDGS.  WE SHARE THE HOPE AND ARE WORKING TOWARD THE 
DAY WHEN NO ONE WILL BE CONDEMNED TO GO HUNGRY.  HALL 
 
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	2004ROME01399 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED