US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT3022

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 003022 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, EAID, KU, IZ 
SUBJECT: UNAMI DONOR MEETING IN KUWAIT HIGHLIGHTS UN 
PROGRAMS IN SOUTHERN IRAQ 
 
 
1.  Summary:  During a meeting of donor and neighboring 
countries to Iraq organized by the United Nations Assistance 
Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), EmbOffs heard about the various 
programs run by the UN, with a specific focus on the 
activities being carried out by UN agencies in southern Iraq. 
 While the UN representatives encouraged donor countries to 
give more money, specifically to the UN Trust Fund for Iraq, 
they also pointed out that what was needed was better 
contacts and cooperation with the new Iraqi administration. 
In attendance were representatives from over ten donor 
countries and neighboring countries, and the UNAMI organizers 
suggested turning the briefing into a regular monthly meeting 
in Kuwait.  One issue raised by the UNAMI organizers was 
whether the UNAMI work should be targeted to specific regions 
or areas in Iraq, or spread evenly throughout the entire 
country.  End Summary. 
 
UN Holds Meeting to Describe Assistance Projects 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
2.  By invitation from UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP 
Resident Representative Moez Doraid, Econ Counselor and 
Officer attended a meeting at the UN compound in Kuwait on 
July 2 convened "to highlight the UN humanitarian and 
reconstruction operations in Iraq."  Representatives from the 
embassies and missions of donor countries and neighboring 
countries to Iraq were invited, with about twenty people 
total in attendance.  The UK, France, Australia, Denmark, 
Japan, India, and Iran were among the countries represented. 
The GOK was represented by a Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
staff member.  As Doraid explained at the outset, the purpose 
of the meeting was to explain to donor and neighboring 
countries how the various UN agencies were providing 
assistance in Iraq. 
 
Clusters: UN Gets More Focused on Iraq Assistance 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
3.  Daniel Ruiz of UNAMI and Robert Goodwin of UN-Habitat 
described the UN's new "Cluster Model for Iraq", which is 
designed to focus assistance to Iraq by sector and need 
instead of by which UN agency can provide the assistance. 
The seven clusters, and the agencies that would contribute to 
their objectives, are as follow: 
 
-- Agriculture, Food Security, Environment and Natural 
Resource Management : FAO, UNDP, WFP 
-- Education and Culture : UNESCO, UNICEF 
-- Electoral Assistance (to be completed by 12/31/05) 
-- Governance and Human Development : UNDP, HRO 
-- Health and Nutrition : WHO, UNICEF 
-- Infrastructure Rehabilitation : UNICEF, HABITAT 
-- Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons and Durable 
Solutions : UNHCR, IOM 
 
Each cluster has a coordinator appointed by the lead agency 
as well as a full-time Cluster Assistant. 
 
 
Capsule Descriptions of Activities by UN Agencies 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
4.  Following Ruiz's description of the new cluster model, 
representatives from a number of UN agencies gave very brief 
presentations on their specific agency's activities in Iraq. 
Maman Sidikou of UNICEF explained that his agency's current 
focus is on secondary and higher education, with the goal 
being the strengthening of education at all levels while 
preserving the cultural heritage of Iraq.  The UNDP's 
representative described that agency's 2004 Iraq Living 
Conditions Survey (see http://www.iq.undp.org/ilcs.htm), 
which found that 1.5 million Iraqi households were still 
without proper sanitation, among other findings.  Kannan 
Nadar of UNICEF ran through its involvement in the various 
clusters, including work on health and nutrition, learning 
and development, and water and sanitation.  The UNHCR's 
representative explained that the problems it sees include a 
lack of shelter and documentation, lack of employment 
opportunities and hostility from local communities.  Robert 
Goodwin of UN HABITAT said that his agency's assistance was a 
mix of about 25% technical assistance and 75% direct housing 
rehabilitation assistance.  An additional 1.6 million housing 
units are needed, he said, adding that his agency's housing 
projects are creating thousands of jobs throughout Iraq.  Ugo 
Bot of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) 
explained that his agency's main tasks include migration 
management support, property claims assistance, and 
recruitment of professional Iraqi expats to come back to Iraq 
and provide reconstruction assistance.  He added that most of 
the internally displaced persons in Iraq are centered around 
the marsh areas and the Iraq-Iran border in the south.  (For 
the full presentations and other material from this meeting, 
please see http://www.undp-kuwait.org/downloads/undonors .htm) 
 
Looking Ahead: Monthly Meetings, More Donor Input 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
5.  Looking ahead, Daniel Ruiz of UNAMI said that until the 
new Iraqi government was fully able to coordinate 
reconstruction and assistance activities itself, UNAMI would 
continue to play that role and would try to better coordinate 
and facilitate the activities of other aid agencies as well. 
He specifically asked for assistance in developing an 
information management system to track reconstruction 
assistance efforts in the south, a project which currently 
needs $200,000 in additional funding.  He also said that 
security of UN personnel in Iraq remained a major concern of 
the UN Secretariat and that Kuwait would therefore remain, 
for the time being, the logistical base for UNAMI.  He closed 
by asking donor countries to think about and provide input on 
how UN aid should be deployed in Iraq, and whether it should 
be spread around the whole country or more narrowly focused. 
The sessions's organizers suggested that this meeting of 
donor and neighboring country representatives could be a 
useful monthly gathering.  They said they would put together 
a proposal for the group's consideration. 
 
6.  Basra minimize considered. 
 
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Visit Embassy Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
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TUELLER