US embassy cable - 03RANGOON78

UNCLAS RANGOON 000078 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP AND INL 
BANGKOK FOR NAS 
DEA FOR OF AND OFF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR, BM, Ethnics 
SUBJECT: EVALUATION OF THE WA ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT 
PROJECT 
 
REF: A. 02 RANGOON 0114 
     B. UNVIE VIENNA 0285 
     C. 02 RANGOON 1547 
 
1.  This is an action message.  See paragraph 7. 
 
2.  Summary: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has 
invited the USG to participate in the final evaluation of the 
Wa Alternative Development Project.  We have been the prime 
movers behind this project.  If possible, we should plan to 
participate in the evaluation.  End Summary. 
 
3.  The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has invited 
the United States and other major donors to the Wa 
Alternative Development Project to participate (at their own 
expense) in the project's final evaluation.  UNODC has 
contracted for two international and one independent Burmese 
experts to conduct the evaluation from March 7 to April 3, 
2003.  Donor experts (one each) would complement that team. 
 
4.  We recommend that the USG accept the invitation.  The 
United States has been the prime donor for the Wa Alternative 
Development Project.  While other donors (Italy, Germany, and 
Japan) have lately stepped in to pick up some of the 
financial burden, the United States has contributed about 
two-thirds of the project's $11 million cost over the past 
four years.  Simple prudence dictates that we ensure that 
those funds were well spent. 
 
5.  Secondly, there may be lessons to be learned from the 
project, which appears to have done relatively well in an 
extraordinarily short period, despite the stress induced by 
cuts in donor support in 2001.  Through the end of 2002, the 
project had hit its targets for opium reduction, health, and 
education, and was opening up a new phase (through the 
construction of a Japanese financed canal in the Nam Kar 
basin) that may allow it to entirely close the food deficit 
in the project area.  That is a fairly remarkable performance 
for a project that was executed under extraordinarily 
difficult circumstances. 
 
6. Thirdly, UNODC has proposed extending and expanding its 
alternative development projects in Burma as part of its next 
five year plan, starting in 2004.  That plan calls for 
extending the Wa Alternative Development Project through 2008 
and expanding its coverage to areas in the Wa territories 
north of Pang Sang and into areas controlled by the Kokang 
Chinese.  Both areas are major centers of opium production 
and operations in them will require a major expansion of 
UNODC's budget in Burma.  Before the United States commits 
support for that effort, we should be certain that the 
current approach is both appropriate and effective. 
 
7. Action requested: Designation of a U.S. expert to 
participate in UNODC's evaluation of the Wa Alternative 
Development Project from March 7 to April 3, 2003. 
McMullen