US embassy cable - 05DARESSALAAM188

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000188 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/RA, AF/E 
PLEASE PASS USAID FOR AFR/SD/DG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, TZ 
SUBJECT: TANZANIA'S 2005 DHRF ALLOCATION REQUEST 
 
REF: STATE 4389 
 
1. Summary: Embassy Dar es Salaam's Democracy Team requests 
an allocation of 50,000 USDOLS to fund DHRF programs in 
FY05.  2005 is an election year in Tanzania, so Embassy Dar 
es Salaam should be a strong voice promoting continued 
democratization.  Our support for civic and voter education 
programs is especially crucial in this election year, even 
as we maintain our longstanding support for human rights and 
good governance. 
 
2. Multiparty democracy is still new in Tanzania and 
therefore the stakes will be very high in the October 2005 
general elections, when every elective office in the country 
will be in play, and a new president will be chosen. 
(Incumbent President Mkapa is constitutionally barred from 
running again.)  There is a history of election-related 
conflict in the semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago. 
Hence, much of our electoral assistance, funded through ESF, 
and that of other donors, has focused on Zanzibar.  DHRF has 
given us the flexibility to address other crucial 
democratization needs that might otherwise have been 
neglected, particularly on mainland Tanzania.  One FY04 DHRF 
grantee will be holding workshops in Dar es Salaam for 
religious leaders on civic and peace education.  Another FY 
04 DHRF grantee sponsored legal and human rights education 
for the blind and visually impaired. If FY 05 funding could 
be made available quickly, we might be able to fund projects 
supporting voter education, prior to the October 30 
elections.  However, timing is an issue. 
 
3. While Tanzania faces a short-term, extraordinary need for 
electoral assistance, longstanding, intractable human rights 
issues also persist.  We would like to fund a proposal to 
establish a public research library committed to the 
protection and promotion of human rights and principles of 
good governance; Tanzanian human rights organizations still 
lack an information base.  We would also like to fund 
programs to help the media enhance their knowledge on issues 
pertaining to democracy, human rights and good governance. 
Another option is to build on recent DHRF programs that have 
used theater projects to educate rural communities about the 
dangers of Female Genital Mutilation. 
 
4. We understand that DHRF funding is extremely limited. 
Embassy Dar es Salaam has funded successful programs with 
previous year DHRF allocations.  We have the opportunity to 
build on these past successes; this year we also have the 
unique opportunity to strengthen democratic institutions and 
civic education in advance of the 2005 elections.   At the 
very least, Embassy Dar es Salaam seeks to maintain this 
program at past levels of funding, with no reductions.  For 
these reasons, the Mission Democracy Team requests a FY05 
DHRF allocation of 50,000 USDOLS. 
 
OWEN