US embassy cable - 05ROME877

UNCLAS  ROME 000877 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME 
 
STATE FOR IO/EDA 
USAID FOR DCHA, OFDA GOTTLIEB AND LAURA POWERS 
 
 
USDA FOR FAS HUGHES 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH/USAID 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER 
USEUCOM FOR ECJ4 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, EAGR, PREF, SENV, UN, FAO 
SUBJECT: REVIEW OF FAO's EMERGENCY PROGRAMS 
 
REF: (A) 04 ROME 1370, (B) 04 ROME 2298, AND (C) 05 ROME 
0764 
 
1. Summary.  At a March 1 briefing, FAO's assistant 
director general for technical cooperation, Henri 
Carsalade gave a general review of FAO's programs in 2004 
and challenges for 2005.  He also provided an update on 
FAO's continuing efforts to control desert locusts in 
north and west Africa, funding requirements, the avian 
flu situation, and FAO's response to the tsunami.  FAO 
raised some $229 million in 2004 for its emergency 
programs  only five years earlier its budget was $15 
million.  We believe that FAO has a special niche, with 
technical and coordination expertise to facilitate the 
transition from relief to rehabilitation in acute and 
complex emergencies, but its systems for emergency work 
are struggling to catch up with its broadening mandate 
and growing programs. End Summary. 
 
2. Carsalade opened the briefing to donor permreps by 
stating that funding for emergencies in 2004 reached its 
highest level ever at $229 million  more than three 
times the level of funding in 2003.  FAO played an active 
role in responding to three key emergencies: the desert 
locust crisis, the avian flu, and the tsunami.  FAO's 
response to these acute emergencies and ongoing complex 
emergencies, primarily in Africa, has been more creative 
than past interventions where FAO delivered seeds and 
tools, he said. This has required closer cooperation 
between FAO's Emergency Division and its technical 
l 
divisions. FAO recently signed a memorandum of 
understanding with Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP) 
to take advantage of the latter organization's expertise 
in logistics and field operations.  After six months of 
delay, FAO has put on line a Financial Project Management 
Information System, a web-based system that records 
current financial information on emergency activities. 
It has also put forward in November 2004 a proposal to 
increase its revolving emergency fund (SFERA  Special 
Fund for Emergency and Relief Activities) from $2 million 
to $20 million and an emergency trust fund of $80 
million.  (Note: The difference between the two funds is 
that the former would be used to get emergency operations 
underway in advance of any donor commitments, whereas the 
latter is used after commitments are made but before 
funds land in the bank.  A separate cable will be 
prepared that reports on proposed and actual changes 
within FAO to improve emergency operations.  End note.) 
 
 
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FAO's Emergency Programs: Expanding and Diversifying 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
3. Anne Bauer, director of FAO's emergency division, gave 
more details on funding.  FAO's ongoing emergency 
operations portfolio is valued at $277 million, of which 
$229 million has been received from donors.  The largest 
donor is the European Commission, mainly for desert 
locust operations.  In 2004, the USG contributed $8.8 
million toward FAO's programs, and in terms of overall 
funding was not a major contributor.  Nearly 55 percent 
of the portfolio is targeted toward relief programs in 
Africa.  FAO's mandate in responding to emergencies has 
grown from solely providing inputs to a more holistic 
response to complex emergencies and rehabilitation with 
the goal of protecting and restoring agricultural 
livelihoods and exiting from emergency food aid. 
 
4. To illustrate the diversity of FAO's programs, Ms. 
Bauer cited a few examples.  In Iraq, FAO is the lead UN 
agency for agriculture and water resources and FAO's 
emergency unit has a $35 million program to restore 
veterinary services for livestock and improve irrigation. 
Working with UNDP, FAO is helping to integrate former 
combatants into agricultural programs in Afghanistan. 
Protection of livelihoods is the main focus of its 
program in Sudan, though FAO is also collaborating on a 
Dutch-financed land rights program.  FAO sent rapid 
response missions to the Caribbean in the aftermath of 
the hurricanes of 2004.  With donor funding, FAO provided 
boats, seeds, fertilizer, and tools to the most needy in 
 
Haiti and Grenada.  FAO is adjusting its programming in 
southern Africa to be more relevant to the needs of those 
afflicted with HIV/AIDS.  For example, FAO is starting a 
junior farming program in schools and programs in general 
that teach labor conservation methods in agriculture. 
 
5. When questioned on further information on WFPFAO 
cooperation, Carsalade highlighted how the operations for 
the two agencies complement each other.  He explained 
that over the last three years much effort was devoted to 
defining the principles of cooperation.  FAO needs to do 
a better job of tapping into WFP's "formidable" logistics 
capability, he added.  In the past, it wasn't a concern, 
but as FAO's role in emergencies evolved into larger and 
different programs, cooperation using WFP's services has 
become a necessity.  Together the two organizations 
identified 100  150 areas for cooperation. 
 
6. For 2005, FAO's components of the UN's $1.7 billion 
consolidated appeal amount to $145.4 million, for largely 
forgotten complex emergencies in fourteen countries, most 
of which are in Africa.  To date, FAO has received no 
pledges from donors for programs in Chad, Congo, 
Ethiopia, Guinea, and Eritrea, using the briefing as a 
forum to request pledges from donors for those 
emergencies. 
 
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Locust Forecast for Sahel and Maghreb 
---------------------------------------- 
 
7. Technical experts from FAO's plant and animal 
protection department gave an upbeat prognosis on the 
desert locust situation in 2005.  In describing the 
worst-case scenario  one in which weather was favorable 
(rain and warmth) and control operations ineffective 
the invasion later this spring would be much less than 
last year.  Favorable weather conditions (for the 
locusts) have not materialized, however.  Control 
operations are on track, as FAO, the affected countries, 
and donors have had a year to get things right.  (For 
more on desert locust operations, please refer to ROME 
0764.) 
 
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Avian Flu: Outlook for 2005 
---------------------------------------- 
 
8. The outlook for the Avian Flu in 2005 is not 
favorable.  Outbreaks have occurred in ten countries, 
which will soon have significant economic and social 
impact.  Needs to control the outbreaks are estimated in 
the $100 million range.  FAO, as the lead agency in 
combating the Avian Flu, has programmed $7.5 million for 
18 projects, with funding coming from its own technical 
cooperation program and from donors.   The greatest 
concern is preventing it from turning into a pandemic. 
 
 
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Tsunami Relief Program and Action to Date 
 
SIPDIS 
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9. The current funding situation for FAO's tsunami-relief 
programs is sufficient.  FAO received $35 million in 
pledges ands funds for a proposed $28 million program. 
Its main emphasis is helping restore lost livelihoods of 
the surviving victims by coordinating relief efforts 
among NGOs and governments, helping governments 
prioritize their own projects, and providing direct 
assistance (e.g. repairing boats, restocking fish ponds, 
etc.).  In two months, FAO has deployed 70 technical 
experts to the region, purchased and distributed seeds, 
purchased fisheries equipment, which is expected to 
arrive in the region later this month, and contributed 
toward developing an early warning system. Carsalade 
stated FAO's response to the tsunami crisis drew on all 
of its capacity to act more quickly than ever before 
drawing on the experience it gained from other recent 
crises. 
 
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Comment 
----------------------- 
 
10. This presentation to donors of emergency programs was 
overdue (the last presentation was in March 2004), but as 
one senior FAO official put it, "it was impossible to 
hold it earlier as we had crisis upon crisis to deal 
with."  FAO's emergency unit has grown to become FAO's 
largest division.  Only five years ago its budget was 
less than $15 million; in 2004 it was $229 million. 
After the event, Carsalade admitted that his division was 
indeed experiencing some very real growing pains, but 
added that they were being addressed.  Emergency response 
requires a new mindset for FAO, and as important, new 
systems and procedures.  With the attention of FAO's 
director general focused on improving the organization's 
emergency operations - arguably FAO's most visible 
programs - we have observed other support departments 
pulled into the reform process. 
 
11. The briefing and program review highlighted another 
issue that needs further exploration: what is the most 
appropriate role for FAO in emergencies?  While the UN 
emergency relief and humanitarian organizations move 
toward joint services, FAO is building up its operational 
capacity.  In doing so, is FAO in some respects building 
redundant capacity, or is it indeed performing 
complementary functions badly needed?  Traditionally, 
many have thought that FAO's strengths lay in providing 
technical advisors, coordinating with NGOs and providing 
programmatic leadership, and helping governments 
prioritize.  We will want to assess how effectively FAO 
is administering its rapidly growing emergency 
operations.  The results have been less than optimal in 
FAO's initial operations confronting the locust crisis. 
 
HALL 
 
 
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	2005ROME00877 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED