US embassy cable - 04ROME2643

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 002643 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FROM THE US MISSION TO THE UN AGENCIES IN ROME 
 
USAID FOR DCHA/AA WINTER DCHA/FFP LANDIS AND CRUMBLY 
STATE IO/EDA FOR BEHREND AND KOTOK 
 
E.O. 12958:   N/A 
TAGS: EAID, ADRC, WFP 
SUBJECT:  UPDATE ON WFP DEVELOPMENT EVALUATION 
 
REF: (A) ROME 001135, (B) 03 ROME 000198 (C) 02 ROME 005511 
 
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SUMMARY 
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    1.  THE FIELD PHASE OF THE JOINT EVALUATION OF THE UN WORLD 
FOOD PROGRAM'S (WFP) ENABLING DEVELOPMENT POLICY (EDP) IS 
NEARLY COMPLETE.  THE NEXT AND FINAL PHASE OF THE 
EVALUATION IS TO BE CONCLUDED IN DECEMBER 2004.  DESPITE 
PROGRESS TO DATE ON THE EVALUATION ITSELF, AS WELL AS 
MISSION EFFORTS TO HIGHLIGHT THE FINANCIAL STRAIN UNDER 
WHICH THE EVALUATION IS BEING CONDUCTED (REFTEL A), THE US 
HAS YET TO FULFILL ITS FINANCIAL OBLIGATION.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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FIELD STUDY PHASE NEARLY COMPLETED 
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2.  THE EVALUATION IS CURRENTLY IN ITS SECOND OR FIELD 
PHASE.  THIS PHASE, WHICH BEGAN IN MARCH 2004, IS SCHEDULED 
TO CONCLUDE IN JULY 2004. 
 
3.  THE CORE ACTIVITY OF THE EVALUATION IS TO TAKE PLACE 
DURING THIS 5-MONTH PERIOD AND INVOLVES COUNTRY STUDIES IN 
THE FOLLOWING SEVEN COUNTRIES: ETHIOPIA, MALI AND 
MOZAMBIQUE IN AFRICA; BANGLADESH AND PAKISTAN IN ASIA; AND 
BOLIVIA AND HONDURAS IN LATIN AMERICA. 
 
4.  THE INITIAL FULL COUNTRY STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN 
ETHIOPIA IN MARCH AND APRIL.  THE EXPERIENCES, 
METHODOLOGIES AND OVERALL EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE GATHERED IN 
ETHIOPIA WERE THEN PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED AT A WORKSHOP OF 
COUNTRY TEAM LEADERS FROM THE REMAINING SIX COUNTRIES. 
THIS WORKSHOP WAS HELD IN ROME, ITALY, APRIL 27-28, AND WAS 
DESIGNED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE REMAINING COUNTRY TEAMS 
WOULD FOLLOW A COMMON APPROACH AND WORK TOWARDS COMPARABLE 
    RESULTS. 
 
5.  EACH OF THE REMAINING DRAFT COUNTRY REPORTS WILL BE 
SUBMITTED TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE SEVEN DONOR NATIONS 
THAT MAKE UP THE EVALUATION'S STEERING COMMITTEE, WHICH 
INCLUDES THE US, BY THE END OF THIS MONTH.  IN MID- 
SEPTEMBER, A TECHNICAL MEETING WILL BE HELD AT WFP'S ROME 
HEADQUARTERS ALONG WITH A BRIEFING FOR REPRESENTATIVES OF 
THE 36 MEMBER STATES THAT COMPRISE THE WFP EXECUTIVE BOARD. 
 
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FINAL PHASE - SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2004 
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6.  THE FINAL PHASE OF THE EVALUATION, THE SYNTHESIS PHASE, 
WILL COVER THE 4-MONTH PERIOD FROM SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2004. 
IT WILL BE DURING THIS CONCLUSIVE PHASE THAT THE PREVIOUS 
TWO PHASES' FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS WILL BE USED TO PRODUCE 
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
7.  EVALUATORS ANTICIPATE THAT A CONSOLIDATED DRAFT OF THE 
SYNTHESIS REPORT COULD BE AVAILABLE BY THE SECOND HALF OF 
NOVEMBER.  IF THIS IS THE CASE, A WORKSHOP COULD BE 
SCHEDULE FOR SOMETIME IN EARLY DECEMBER TO DISCUSS THE 
DRAFT WITH A BROADER AUDIENCE, WHICH COULD INCLUDE: KEY 
STAKEHOLDERS, RESEARCHERS AND SPECIALISTS ON FOOD AID IN 
DEVELOPMENT. 
 
8.  THE FINAL REPORT WILL BE COMPLETE AND READY FOR 
DISTRIBUTION BY THE END OF 2004. 
 
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WFP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AT A CROSSROADS - WHY THIS 
EVALUATION IS TIMELY 
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9.  HISTORICALLY, THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN A STRONG 
SUPPORTER OF WFP'S DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO, HAVING 
CONTRIBUTED U.S. DOLLARS (USD) $903.24 MILLION OVER THE 
DECADE 1993-2002. BUT OVERALL DONOR SUPPORT FOR WFP'S 
DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES HAS ERODED. A PARTIAL SNAPSHOT OF 
WFP DEVELOPMENT FUNDING OVER THE PAST DECADE IS AS FOLLOWS: 
1993, USD $661.5 MILLION; 1996, USD $404.9 MILLION; 1999, 
USD $267.6 MILLION; AND 2002, USD $203 MILLION. 
 
10.  THIS REVIEW (THE FIRST INDEPENDENT EVALUATION OF WFP 
SINCE 1994) IS ANALYZING BOTH THE STATUS OF WFP PROGRESS 
RELATED TO ENGAGING HOST COUNTRY GOVERNMENTS AND 
INSTITUTIONS IN THE PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT 
OF ITS DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTIONS AND THE DEGREE TO WHICH 
WFP AND ITS UN SISTER AGENCIES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO 
EFFECTIVELY LINK TOGETHER FOOD AID AND FOOD SECURITY 
STRATEGIES. 
 
ROME 00002643  002 OF 002 
 
THE US PAYMENT, BUT TO 
DATE, HAS NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL. PAYMENT NEEDS TO BE MADE TO 
THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNT:  BUNDESKASSE TRIER - AUBENSTELLE 
BONN, EINZELPLAN 23, LANDESZENTRALBANK BONN, UNITED STATES: 
1112 3003 2949. 

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COMMENT FROM AMBASSADOR HALL 
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12.  ROGER AND LAUREN:  WHEN I CAME TO ROME IN SEPTEMBER 
2002, THERE WAS CARPING AMONG A NUMBER OF PERMANENT 
REPRESENTATIONS AS TO U.S. TARDINESS (ARREARS) IN MEETING 
ITS FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS TO FAO. WITH WONDERFUL SUPPORT 
FROM IO, WE HAVE MANAGED TO MAKE THIS GRUMBLING A THING OF 
THE PAST. ON THE WFP EVALUATION, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MORRIS 
WAS QUITE KEEN FROM DAY ONE THAT THE U.S. PLAY AN IMPORTANT 
ROLE, AND WE AGREED. GIVEN THE RELATIVELY MODEST AMOUNT OF 
FUNDING REQUESTED, A TIMELY INPUT FROM USAID WOULD NOW 
ENABLE OUR OECD PARTNERS AND US TO BRING THE EVALUATION TO 
A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION ON SCHEDULE. I UNDERSTAND THAT ALL 
THE OTHER OECD DONORS HAVE ALREADY PAID THEIR 
CONTRIBUTIONS. REGARDS, TONY. 
HALL 
 
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 2004ROME02643 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED