US embassy cable - 04ROME2659

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 002659 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FROM THE US MISSION TO THE UN AGENCIES IN ROME 
 
USAID FOR DCHA/AA WINTER AND DCHA/FFP LANDIS, CRUMBLY AND 
LAURENT 
STATE IO FOR DAS MILLER, IO/EDA BEHREND AND KOTOK, AND IO/S 
PODOLSKY AND LUCHI 
USDA FAS FOR U/S PENN, CHAMBLISS AND TILSWORTH 
STATE PRM FOR A/S DEWEY, KNUDSON AND BROTHERS-JACKSON 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID, ADRC, WFP 
SUBJECT:  WORLD FOOD PROGRAM REPORTS ON USAID-FUNDED JUNIOR 
PROFESSIONAL OFFICERS (JPOS) 
 
REF: ROME 001469 
 
SUMMARY 
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1.  FOLLOWING HER MEETING IN WASHINGTON, DC, WITH USAID 
FOOD FOR PEACE OFFICER CARELL LAURENT, WFP HUMAN RESOURCES 
OFFICER ANNA COPE REPORTED TO US PROGRESS IN WFP'S EFFORTS 
TO SECURE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM USAID TO FUND 
ADDITIONAL WFP JPOS.  THE MEETING, WHICH OCCURRED ON JULY 
1, 2004, WAS A CONTINUATION OF DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN WFP AND 
USAID REGARDING WAYS IN WHICH USAID COULD ASSIST IN 
INCREASING THE NUMBER OF AMERICANS BROUGHT INTO THE UN 
SYSTEM AS PERMANENT EMPLOYEES VIA WFP'S JUNIOR PROFESSIONAL 
OFFICER (JPO) PROGRAM.  IT WAS A FOLLOW-UP TO PREVIOUS 
DISCUSSIONS (MOST RECENTLY DURING THE WFP EXECUTIVE BOARD 
MEETING  MAY 24-28) BETWEEN WFP AND USAID.  MS. COPE WAS 
ENCOURAGED BY THE MEETING AND REPORTED THAT SHE AND MS. 
LAURENT AGREED UPON CONCRETE NEXT STEPS IN THE PROCESS.  AS 
ENUNCIATED, INCREASING AMERICAN CITIZEN EMPLOYMENT IN THE 
UN SYSTEM REMAINS AN IMPORTANT PRIORITY OF BOTH THE USG AND 
THE U.S. CONGRESS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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BACKGROUND 
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2.  THERE HAS BEEN STRONG GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF JPOS 
WITHIN WFP, AS FOLLOWS: 1996, 51 JPOS; 1997, 72 JPOS; 1998, 
71 JPOS; 1999, 94 JPOS; 2000, 99 JPOS; 2001, 103 JPOS.  IN 
TERMS OF U.S. SUPPORT, THERE HAS BEEN INCREASING SUPPORT, 
THANKS IN MEASURE TO INPUT FROM THE CONGRESSIONAL HUNGER 
CENTER (CHC) AND THEIR MICKEY LELAND HUNGER FELLOWS 
PROGRAM, AS WELL AS LONG-TERM CONTRIBUTIONS BY STATE/PRM 
AND USDA/FAS.  OVER THE PERIOD 1998-2004, U.S.-SPONSORED 
NUMBERS ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1998, 1 JPO; 1999, 2 JPOS; 2000, 2 
JPOS, 2001, 5 JPOS; 2002, 6 JPOS; 2003, 7 JPOS; 2004, 3 
JPOS (TO DATE).  NOTE:  IN 2003, OF THE 7 U.S.-FUNDED JPOS, 
3 WERE SPONSORED BY STATE/PRM, 3 FROM CHC AND ONE FROM 
USDA/FAS. 
 
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WFP JPOS  STILL WIN-WIN 
------------------------- 
 
3.  PER REFTEL, WE BELIEVE WFP'S JPO PROGRAM OFFERS 
OPPORTUNITIES FOR BOTH WFP AND THE USG.  THE JPO PROGRAM 
ALLOWS THE USG TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF AMERICAN CITIZENS 
REPRESENTED IN THE UN SYSTEM, WHILE WFP BENEFITS FROM AN 
INFUSION OF NEW IDEAS, ENERGY, APPROACHES AND EXCELLENT 
HUMAN RESOURCES. 
 
4.  WFP REPORTS THAT DURING THE MEETING, THE ORGANIZATION 
CONFIRMED THAT IT HAS THE HIGHEST RETENTION RATE OF JPOS 
WITHIN THE UN SYSTEM (67 PERCENT) AND POINTED OUT THAT USG- 
FUNDED JPOS HAD A RETENTION RATE OF 100 PERCENT LAST YEAR. 
 
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THE ROAD AHEAD 
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5.  IN ADDITION, ACCORDING TO WFP, THE FOLLOWING CONCRETE 
STEPS WERE AGREED TO DURING THE MEETING: 
 
- AS THE STATE DEPARTMENT'S BUREAU OF POPULATION, REFUGEE 
AND MIGRATION (STATE/PRM) ALREADY FUNDS WFP JPOS, 
USAID/DCHA/FFP WILL CONTACT THE BUREAU'S MS. STACI 
BROTHERS-JACKSON TO REVIEW STATE/PRM'S FILE OF APPLICANTS 
FOR THE PROGRAM. 
 
- USING THIS FILE, USAID/DCHA/FFP WILL IDENTIFY A SHORTLIST 
OF CANDIDATES WITH THE FOLLOWING QUALIFICATIONS:  MASTERS 
DEGREE, TWO UN LANGUAGES (ENGLISH AND ONE ADDITIONAL 
LANGUAGE AT INTERMEDIATE LEVEL), PLUS SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN 
NUTRITION/PUBLIC HEALTH/FOOD/DEVELOPMENT/GEOGRAPHY. 
 
- USAID/DCHA/FFP WILL PROVIDE WFP WITH A LIST OF THE 
AGENCY'S PRIORITY COUNTRIES AND ISSUE AREAS.  WFP WILL USE 
THIS INFORMATION IN DEVELOPING TARGETED JOB DESCRIPTIONS. 
WFP UNDERSTOOD THAT VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS MAPPING AND 
VULNERABLE GROUPS AFFECTED BY HIV/AIDS WERE TWO OF THE MORE 
IMPORTANT PRIORITY ISSUES FOR USAID/DCHA/FFP. 
 
- WFP WILL PROVIDE COST ESTIMATES BASED ON ACTUAL COSTS FOR 
 
ROME 00002659  002 OF 002 
 
POSITIONS INTO THE 
CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. 
 
- WFP WILL ACCEPT FROM USAID/DCHA/FFP EARLY PAYMENT FOR THE 
USAID-FUNDED JPO POSITIONS.  THIS SHOULD ALLOW 
USAID/DCHA/FFP TO MEET THE DEADLINES OF ITSQSCAL BUDGET. 
 
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COMMENT FROM THE AMBASSADOR 
--------------------------- 
 
6.  I AM ENCOURAGED BY THE PROGRESS IN SECURING ADDITIONAL 
USG-FUNDED JPOS FOR THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM FROM USAID.  AS 
I HAVE STATED BEFORE, INCREASING AMERICAN CITIZEN 
EMPLOYMENT AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE UN SYSTEM IS A PRIORITY 
NOT ONLY FOR THE IO BUREAU AND THIS MISSION, BUT ALSO FOR 
THE USG AND THE U.S. CONGRESS.  THIS IS A STEP FORWARD IN 
MAKING THAT GOAL A REALITY.  INVOLVING THE CONGRESSIONAL 
HUNGER CENTER HAS PAID STRONG DIVIDENDS.  I WOULD STRONGLY 
ENCOURAGE THAT THE CONCERNED AGENCIES DECIDE ON A MINIMUM 
LEVEL OF JPO SUPPORT FOR WFP AND BUDGET ACCORDINGLY.  WFP 
HAS BECOME THE PREMIER UN AGENCY IN HUMANITARIAN DISASTER 
RESPONSE, A SUBJECT OF ENORMOUS IMPORTANCE TO THE UNITED 
STATES.  IN MY VIEW, THE USG SHOULD BE AT LEAST MATCHING 
DENMARK, JAPAN AND CANADA, WHICH FUNDED 15, 13 AND 12 WFP 
JPOS RESPECTIVELY IN 2003. 
HALL 
 
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2004ROME02659 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED