US embassy cable - 05ROME2819

UNCLAS  ROME 002819 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FROM US MISSION TO THE UN AGENCIES IN ROME 
 
USAID FOR AA/DCHA WINTER, DCHA/FFP LANDIS 
STATE FOR PRM/GORJANCE, IO/EDA KOTOK 
GENEVA FOR USAID/KYLOH 
BRUSSELS FOR LERNER 
NSC FOR JMELINE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, EAGR, AORC, WFP 
SUBJECT: WFP SECURITY COST SURGE BEGS CENTRAL UN FUNDING 
 
REF: ROME 3949 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED  PLEASE HANDLE 
ACCORDINGLY 
 
1. SUMMARY.  The World Food Program (WFP) has 
briefed USUN Rome on security activities being taken 
in the field to ensure that food aid is not 
disrupted.  Those activities include augmenting 
field security staff and equipment, providing 
country security assessments, and coordinating 
closely with the United Nation's new Department of 
Safety and Security Services (UNDSS) in New York and 
in the field.  Despite taking prudent security 
measures with UNDSS, WFP occasionally experiences 
disruptions in food aid operations due to security 
considerations.  The UN General Assembly's failure 
in December 2004 to approve central funding for 
UNDSS out of regular program funds is negatively 
impacting WFP's budget, thus reducing its capacity 
as an efficient humanitarian assistance provider. 
WFP assessed security payments to the UN have almost 
tripled over the past 5 years to an estimated $23 
million for 2006/07.  The UN should be encouraged to 
reexamine the question of central funding for UN 
security costs.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. WFP security personnel have briefed USUN Rome on 
the security measures WFP is taking in the field to 
complement the fieldwork provided by the Office of 
the UN Security Coordinator (UNSECOORD) successor, 
the Department of Safety and Security Services 
(UNDSS), established in December 2004.  These 
briefings began following recent USG reports, 
substantiated by WFP, that UNDSS is not yet able to 
deploy enough personnel to assess and provide timely 
clearances for dangerous areas before UN operations 
can begin.  Other UN agencies including the UN High 
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), World Health 
Organization (WHO), and the UN Children's Fund 
(UNICEF) also have had to obtain their own security 
resources to conduct these activities. 
 
3. Given its mandate to provide humanitarian 
assistance around the globe and consistent with 
plans approved by its Executive Board, WFP in recent 
years has enhanced its security capability in 
accordance with operational requirements and other 
existing UN resources in an attempt to avoid a 
diminution or delay in the delivery of food aid. 
See reftel for details. 
 
4. WFP provides field level security for more than 
8,000 field staff and over $2 billion in food 
commodities and employs 54 security professionals, 
including a headquarters staff of 4.  Its security 
measures are closely coordinated with and approved 
by UNDSS in New York.  Other UN organizations, 
principally the UNHCR, UN Development Program 
(UNDP), WHO, UN Food and Agricultural Organization 
(FAO), and UNICEF, also coordinate with UNDSS 
regarding their own measures to obtain resources for 
conducting assessments and clearing areas where 
humanitarian assistance is required. 
 
5. The UN's increased recognition of the importance 
of security, coupled with General Assembly's failure 
in December 2004 to approve central funding for 
UNDSS out of its regular budget, are negatively 
impacting WFP's budget, thus reducing its capacity 
as an efficient humanitarian assistance provider. 
At the same time that WFP's total investment in the 
security and safety of its own staff around the 
world has more than doubled (from $31 million in 
2002/3 to$64 million in 2004/5), its allocated UNDSS 
assessment for field related security costs has also 
grown dramatically, from $6.5 million for 2002/03, 
to $13.2 million for 2004/05, and an estimated $22.6 
for 2006/07, which could rise to as high as $24 
million thereafter. 
 
6. Given these high security costs, WFP is 
conferring closely about the nature of the assessed 
costs invoiced by UNDSS, particularly UNDSS 
headquarters costs.  With regard to field security, 
 
UNDSS allocates costs to UN agencies on a headcount 
basis.  Because UNDSS security staff work mostly in 
capital cities and WFP's workforce is outside 
capital cities, WFP is not benefited to the degree 
other UN agencies are from the presence of UNDSS 
security forces.  Finally, WFP and UNDSS are 
discussing other UNDSS improvements, including 
greater decentralization. 
 
7. Comment: From our point of view, the question of 
central funding for UN security costs should be 
reexamined.  While the UNDSS is being reinforced 
considerably, security costs are still based on 
minimum requirements that exclude much-needed funds 
for security-related IT development, emergency 
medical response capability, and security data 
analysis.  Central funding appears to be an 
equitable solution for such needs.  The current 
system unfortunately requires that some donor 
contributions intended for food be redirected by WFP 
to cover security costs, which means that less of 
each dollar given actually makes it to the intended 
beneficiaries. 
 
CLEVERLEY 
 
 
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	2005ROME02819 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED