US embassy cable - 05DARESSALAAM702

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000702 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR AF/E, AF/RSA, AND S/GAC 
PLEASE PASS USAID FOR GH/OHA 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: KHIV, EAID, SOCI, TBIO, KSCA, TZ 
SUBJECT:  CHIEFS OF MISSION DISCUSS PEPFAR, DONOR 
COORDINATION, HIV/AIDS STRATEGIC PLANNING 
 
 
1.  Charge on March 23 hosted a lunch for Chiefs of 
Mission of donor countries resident in Dar es Salaam with 
substantial HIV/AIDS programs.  Present were Chiefs of 
Mission from Canada, UK, Germany, Norway, Japan, Ireland, 
and Denmark.  Chiefs of Mission from The Netherlands and 
Sweden were invited but were unable to attend. 
 
2.  Charge began the working lunch with a description of 
our PEPFAR program, and a brief summary of our Five Year 
Strategy.  Charge outlined our programs in prevention, 
care, and treatment, provided details on our level of 
cooperation with the GOT, and described our work with 
various partner organizations and civil society.  Charge 
shared a copy of our draft Five Year Strategy with each 
COM, and made a strong pitch for close cooperation and 
coordination of our activities in combating HIV/AIDS, to 
avoid duplication of effort and to optimize overall use 
of donor funding. 
 
3.  COMs reacted very positively to this initiative, and 
expressed appreciation for the level of detailed 
information provided.  All indicated a strong interest in 
closer coordination of our activities, particularly in 
strategic planning over the next five years.  We agreed 
to meet on a regular basis, perhaps every 4-6 months, to 
review program details. 
 
4.  Several donors (UK, Denmark, Norway, and Ireland) 
noted that they provide primarily budget support to the 
Ministry of Health, Tanzanian AIDS Commission, or other 
GOT entities in support of Tanzania?s National Care and 
Treatment Plan.  They cautioned against creation of 
?parallel systems? through PEPFAR, and urged that PEPFAR 
focus on supporting existing systems and building 
capacity.  Interestingly, the Danish Ambassador said that 
even though his Government provides budget support, he 
felt the absorptive capacity of the GOT is reaching its 
limits, and that working with other organizations was 
important.  The Japanese Ambassador reiterated this view. 
 
5.  The Canadian High Commissioner voiced concerns that 
with all the donor assistance in HIV/AIDS, other 
components of the Tanzanian health care delivery system 
may be ignored, or could start to deteriorate.  The 
German Ambassador seconded this view, and urged building 
the capacity of institutions such as the Medical Stores 
Department, which would have important consequences for 
the entire system. 
 
6.  All COMs agreed to study our Five Year Strategy in 
light of their own HIV/AIDS programs, and to look for 
areas of duplication that can be eliminated.  We agreed 
to meet again to compare notes, and try to identify those 
program or geographic areas where there are significant 
gaps, and to discuss jointly how we might address these 
gaps.  We all agreed to continue coordination of our 
long-term strategies and to consult on a regular basis. 
 
OWEN