US embassy cable - 03ROME637

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 000637 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME 
 
STATE FOR AS/PRM DEWEY, A/S AFR KANSTEINER, U/S LARSON, 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  00637  01 OF 02  142052Z 
AFR/SA, PRM/P, EUR/WE AND IO/EDA 
USAID FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS, AA/DCHA WINTER, AA/AFR, 
D/DCHA/FFP LANDIS, PPC/DP, PPC/DC 
USDA/FAS FOR U/S PENN, MCHAMBLISS AND RTILLSWORTH 
GENEVA FOR RMA AND NKYLOH/USAID 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER 
USUN FOR AMBASSADOR NEGROPONTE 
NSC FOR JDWORKEN 
OMB FOR TSTOLL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, EAGR, AORC, PREF, KUNR, EAGR, AORC, PREF, KUNR, EU, WFP, UN, EU EAID, WFP, UN 
SUBJECT:  WFP'S SURGING FOOD AID REQUIREMENTS FOR 2003 - 
REPORT OUT ON WFP'S RESOURCES CONSULTATION OF FEBRUARY 7, 
2003 
 
REF:  (A) ROME 000589, (B) 2000 ROME 04690 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1. WFP'S PROJECTED 2003 NEEDS (ALL PROJECTS AND OPERATIONS) 
ARE ESTIMATED AT 4.8 MILLION TONS (MTS), VALUED AT U.S. 
DOLLARS 2.4 BILLION (NOT INCLUDING ANY IRAQ RESPONSE IN THE 
EVENT OF CONFLICT). WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF HIGH PROFILE AND 
NEEDY OPERATIONS, 2003 IS EXPECTED TO PUT CONSIDERABLE 
STRAIN ON WFP'S ABILITY TO ADDRESS THE FOOD AID REQUIREMENTS 
PARTICULARLY OF LESS HIGH-PROFILE, YET NO LESS NEEDY 
EMERGENCIES. ON A NOTE OF GOOD NEWS, TWELVE EUROPEAN DONORS 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  00637  01 OF 02  142052Z 
INCREASED THEIR COMMITMENT TO WFP BY U.S. DOLLARS (USD) 
154.24 MILLION, LED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION (PLUS USD 53 
MILLION) AND THE UK (PLUS USD 68.1 MILLION). AMBASSADOR HALL 
CONFIRMED THE ADMINISTRATION'S COMMITMENT TO HELP MEET 
EMERGENCY NEEDS WORLDWIDE AND SUGGESTED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 
A OECD-CONSTITUTED HUMANITARIAN LIAISON WORKING GROUP (HLWG) 
IN ROME TO DISCUSS MATTERS OF COMMON HUMANITARIAN CONCERN. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
WFP RESOURCES CONSULTATION - FEBRUARY 7, 2003 - SNAPSHOT OF 
2002 CONTRIBUTIONS 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
2. ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE FIRST REGULAR SESSION OF THE WFP 
EXECUTIVE BOARD (FEBRUARY 7), EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JIM MORRIS 
PROVIDED A REVIEW FOR THE DONOR COMMUNITY OF 2002 
CONTRIBUTIONS AND ANTICIPATED WFP FOOD AID NEEDS FOR 2003. 
IN 2002, DONOR CONTRIBUTIONS EQUALED USD 1.805 BILLION, 
TOWARDS WHICH THE U.S. CONTRIBUTED USD 928.7 MILLION (51.4 
PERCENT). NOTE. IN 2001, THE U.S. CONTRIBUTION, USD 1.2 
BILLION, CONSTITUTED 62 PERCENT OF WFP'S TOTAL 
CONTRIBUTIONS. END NOTE. 
 
3. TWELVE EUROPEAN DONORS INCREASED THEIR COMMITMENT TO WFP 
BY USD 154.24 MILLION, LED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION (PLUS 
USD 53 MILLION) AND THE UK (PLUS USD 68.1 MILLION). THE ONLY 
"BLACK SHEEP" WERE FRANCE (MINUS USD 21.7 MILLION) AND SPAIN 
(MINUS USD 1.3 MILLION). NOTE: THIS IN US MISSION'S VIEW 
DEMONSTRATES A GREATER EUROPEAN ACCEPTANCE OF BURDEN SHARING 
WITHIN THE FOOD AID REALM. END NOTE. 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        ROME  00637  01 OF 02  142052Z 
 
4. AMONG NON-EUROPEAN DONORS, CANADA (PLUS USD 9.3 MILLION); 
INDIA (PLUS USD 8.1 MILLION); OMAN (PLUS USD 2 MILLION) AND 
SAUDI ARABIA (PLUS USD 2.0 MILLION) - SIGNIFICANTLY 
INCREASED THEIR DONATION LEVELS COMPARED TO 2001. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
WFP'S 2003 REQUIREMENTS - "AWASH" IN EMERGENCIES 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
5. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS (EMOPS) WILL TARGET 39.2 MILLION 
BENEFICIARIES, AND WILL REQUIRE AN INPUT OF ALMOST 2.4 
MILLION TONS. PROJECTED REQUIREMENTS FOR PROTRACTED RELIEF 
AND RECOVERY OPERATIONS (PRROS) WILL INCREASE SUBSTANTIALLY, 
UP FROM 1.2 MILLION TONS THIS YEAR TO 1.6 MILLION TONS FOR 
2003. THIS IS DUE IN PART TO THE EXPANDING PRRO PORTFOLIO, 
NOW NUMBERED AT 36 OPERATIONS WORLD-WIDE, AND IS A RESULT OF 
DRAMATICALLY INCREASED RELIEF NEEDS IN SELECTED OPERATIONS 
SUCH AS ANGOLA, IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE 2002 PEACE ACCORD. 
AFGHANISTAN, NORTHERN UGANDA, DR CONGO, WEST AFRICA COASTAL, 
GREAT LAKES/BURUNDI, TAJIKISTAN, CENTRAL AMERICA REGIONAL 
AND SRI LANKA - REQUIRE LARGE PRRO FOOD AID INPUTS. 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ0314 
 
PAGE 01        ROME  00637  02 OF 02  142052Z 
ACTION SSO-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AF-00    AID-00   ANHR-00  EUR-00   E-00     UTED-00 
      TEDE-00  IO-00    NSCE-00  OIC-02   OMB-01   SS-00    TEST-00 
      PRM-00   SAS-00     /003W 
                  ------------------369894  142254Z /38 
P 142005Z FEB 03 
FM AMEMBASSY ROME 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8288 
INFO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE 
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 
AMEMBASSY BEIJING 
AMEMBASSY SEOUL 
AMEMBASSY TOKYO 
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 
AMEMBASSY BERN 
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY 
USDA FAS WASHDC 2538 
USEU BRUSSELS 3116 
USMISSION GENEVA 
 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 000637 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME 
 
STATE FOR AS/PRM DEWEY, A/S AFR KANSTEINER, U/S LARSON, 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  00637  02 OF 02  142052Z 
AFR/SA, PRM/P, EUR/WE AND IO/EDA 
USAID FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS, AA/DCHA WINTER, AA/AFR, 
D/DCHA/FFP LANDIS, PPC/DP, PPC/DC 
USDA/FAS FOR U/S PENN, MCHAMBLISS AND RTILLSWORTH 
GENEVA FOR RMA AND NKYLOH/USAID 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER 
USUN FOR AMBASSADOR NEGROPONTE 
NSC FOR JDWORKEN 
OMB FOR TSTOLL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS:  EAID, EAGR, AORC, WFP, UN, PREF, KUNR, EU 
 
SUBJECT:  WFP'S SURGING FOOD AID REQUIREMENTS FOR 2003 - 
REPORT OUT ON WFP'S RESOURCES CONSULTATION OF FEBRUARY 7, 
2003 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
AMBASSADOR HALL'S AFFIRMATION OF CONTINUING U.S. SUPPORT TO 
WFP 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
6. AMBASSADOR TONY HALL, IN RESPONDING FOR THE U.S 
DELEGATION, AFFIRMED THAT WFP CONTINUES TO BE AN IMPORTANT 
PARTNER IN ENSURING THAT MILLIONS OF CHILDREN AROUND THE 
WORLD HAVE A MEAL EVERY DAY. HE CONFIRMED THAT THE USAID FY 
2003 TITLE II PLEDGE OF U.S. DOLLARS 200 MILLION FOR WFP HAD 
BEEN SIGNED ON JANUARY 24 AND U.S. DOLLARS 5 MILLION GRANTED 
THIS PAST WEEK TO PARTIALLY SUPPORT THE WFP IRAQ EMOP AND 
SPECIAL OPERATION (SO). HALL DREW THE BOARD'S ATTENTION TO 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  00637  02 OF 02  142052Z 
PRESIDENT BUSH'S FEBRUARY 1 RADIO ADDRESS TO THE NATION 
WHERE THE PRESIDENT COMMENTED THAT MORE THAN 60 PERCENT OF 
INTERNATIONAL EMERGENCY FOOD AID COMES AS A GIFT FROM THE 
PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES. HE CITED THE PRESIDENT'S 
ANNOUNCED INTENTION IN 2004 TO REQUEST MORE THAN ONE BILLION 
DOLLARS TO MEET EMERGENCY FOOD NEEDS WORLDWIDE, AND A 
PROPOSED U.S. DOLLAR 200 MILLION "FAMINE FUND" TO BRING 
ASSISTANCE TO AFRICA AND OTHER REGIONS FACING STARVATION. 
 
7. AMBASSADOR HALL ALSO NOTED THAT THERE EXISTS IN BOTH 
GENEVA AND NEW YORK AN OECD-CONSTITUTED HUMANITARIAN LIAISON 
WORKING GROUP (HLWG) TO DISCUSS MATTERS OF COMMON CONCERN 
AMONGST DONORS AND OCCASIONALLY WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF 
RELEVANT PARTS OF THE VARIOUS UN SECRETARIATS. IN JULY 2000, 
THE NETHERLANDS (REF B), PROPOSED THE ESTABLISHMENT IN ROME 
OF AN HLWG TO HAVE A MORE FORMALIZED OPPORTUNITY AMONG THE 
MAIN DONORS TO DISCUSS IN A FRANK, OPEN AND CONSTRUCTIVE 
ATMOSPHERE ABOUT HUMANITARIAN AND OTHER CROSSCUTTING ISSUES 
WITH POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS ON HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS. SUCH A 
BODY WOULD ALLOW MEMBERS TO CONSULT EACH OTHER ON 
HUMANITARIAN POLICIES AND CO-ORDINATE RESPECTIVE ACTION. 
HALL PROPOSED THAT THE TIME HAS INDEED COME TO BRING TO 
FRUITION THIS TYPE OF ENTITY IN ROME. NOTE: AT PRESENT, ONLY 
LIMITED TIME IS DEVOTED TO HUMANITARIAN QUESTIONS - MOSTLY 
AT WFP - AND OFTEN IN AN AD HOC MANNER. END NOTE. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
8. 2003 WILL BE A YEAR OF MOUNTING HUNGER CRISES. 38 MILLION 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        ROME  00637  02 OF 02  142052Z 
PEOPLE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA FACE STARVATION. WFP HAS 
RATCHETED UP ITS BUDGETARY NEEDS ESTIMATES BY U.S. DOLLARS 
600 MILLION OVER THE 2002 LEVEL (WITHOUT FACTORING IN IRAQ). 
CLEARLY, THE NUMBERS ARE OVERWHELMING THE SYSTEM AND 
STRETCHING WFP'S COPING CAPACITY TO SOMEWHERE NEAR THE 
BREAKING POINT. HALL 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
> 
 2003ROME00637 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED