EMBASSY AMMAN'S APPLICATION FOR HRDF GRANT FUNDS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 002561

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

FOR DRL/PHD,NEA/ARN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID KDEM KSEP PGOV PHUM
SUBJECT: EMBASSY AMMAN'S APPLICATION FOR HRDF GRANT FUNDS

REF: A. STATE 79965

B. AMMAN 1210

C. 02 AMMAN 5996

D. AMMAN 1432


1. Embassy Amman welcomes the opportunity to compete for
funds from the Department's Human Rights and Democracy Fund
(HRDF). The following proposals are tailored to criteria in
reftel, i.e. supporting critical mission human rights
priorities, relevance to foreign policy objectives, and
within Embassy Amman's proven capacity to administer funds to
assistance programs. In 2002, Post administered programs
with human rights components totaling over USD 19 million
through USAID and USD 100,000 through Public Affairs (reftel
B).


2. PROPOSED PROGRAMS


A. Supporting Family Guidance Center in Zarqa

i. Background

As reported in reftel C, The Family Guidance Center, directed
by long-time embassy contact Nadia Bushnaq, provides social
services to poor families in Zarqa. The Center provides a
range of services (mostly to women),such as guidance on how
to cope with spousal abuse and raising children in poverty.
The Center has psychiatrists and legal counsel on site and
operates a hotline. There are 40 employees, half of whom are
"field workers" performing outreach services throughout
Jordan. A USAID funded family planning physician regularly
meets women at the center.

The Center was registered in 1982 as a local NGO with the
Ministry of Social Development. Bushnaq, who has 25 years of
experience in social work, is directly involved with
administering funds, and the Center has a full-time financial
accountant and auditor. The Center produces an annual report
for the Ministry of Social Development. Since 2000, the
Center has received 100,000 from the Ministry of Planning for
a Women's development center; over 150,000 USD in E.U. funds
for an action plan against child abuse, volunteer youth
program and a senior citizen community service program; over
USD 100,000 from the Swiss Government to purchase a building
for the Center's activities; and USD 10,000 from the British
Council for human rights and family protection projects. In
addition, the Center works with USAID on family planning
programs. Bushnaq will maintain a separate account for the
DRL funds and will provide a financial report detailing how
the funds were used.

ii. Proposal for legal assistance program

The Center provides legal services for approximately 500
people, most of whom are women. Many of these women are
victims of abuse, divorcees, and widows. The Center
currently has a full-time attorney and part-time attorney to
assist the women with filing their cases and seeking redress
through the Jordanian courts. The Center also provides legal
counsel to poor families attempting to manage their financial
affairs.

Bushnaq would like to hire an additional attorney. This
attorney would be the Center's "field attorney" and would be
able to provide services to women beyond the Zarqa area.
Bushnaq said she could hire a competent attorney for this
position with an annual salary of USD 2000. With the new
attorney, Bushnaq anticipates the Center could provide legal
services to an additional 200 people in one year.

In addition, the Center's legal team is looking to enhance
available funds to pay for the fees associated with carrying
legal actions in the local courts. For example, a court
action for child support from a father who has abandoned his
family can cost a woman over USD 100 in court fees. These
high costs are often prohibitive for poor people. USD 5,000
would create a fund that could be used within 12 months of
receipt of funds. Thus, USD 7,000 will adequately fund this
program for one year.

iii. Proposal for democracy and human rights program
for young adults

Bushnaq is seeking to use the Center's Zarqa facilities to
provide discussions, activities and training courses on
democracy, human rights, and self-sufficiency. The program
would be aimed at young adults (age range 18-25),most of
whom come from poverty stricken neighborhoods in Zarqa.
Bushnaq envisions discussions, group exercises, and
organizing sporting events and field trips throughout Jordan.
All activities will carry an underlying human rights theme.
Participants would be able to engage in individual (or
marital) counseling if they choose to.

The curriculum would be geared toward enlightening the
participants on the negative effects of physical and verbal
abuse, and will encourage them to participate in and support
civic institutions. Post will work with Bushnaq in selecting
the curriculum and materials. Bushnaq estimates that she can
run the program with over 100 participants for approximately
USD 15,000. Costs include: hiring a full-time project
director, assistant, and full-time social worker; purchasing
curriculum materials such as books and videos; and outlays
for transportation and administrative costs.

iv. Post recommendation

Post strongly endorses funding both programs. The legal
services program will directly serve the needs of women who
have suffered human rights abuses such as rape and physical
abuse by facilitating opportunity for redress via the legal
system. This will serve the critical mission priorities and
foreign policy objectives of a) empowering women in Islamic
society, particularly those suffering from abuse and poverty,
and b) promoting use of Jordanian courts by people who
traditionally have not done so because of cultural or
financial reasons. Proper use of the courts by mainstream
society for redress of grievance is an essential component of
any democracy.

The democracy and human rights program for young adults will
serve a human rights priority by focusing on young adults,
particularly males, who have yet to become entrenched in
habits or behavior that is abusive and destructive to their
families. Post believes it will also be a window for us to
promote USG human rights and democracy goals through a
curriculum delivered by a credible, local organization.

The Center has good relations with the GOJ and Bushnaq is a
long-time embassy contact (she has participated in our
international visitors program). She has a proven track
record as an administrator of donor funds. PolOff has made
several visits to the Center in Zarqa, including one with
Senior Coordinator for International Women's Issues April
Palmerlee in October 2002 (reftel c). Based on our visits to
the Center and discussions with those who have received
services from the Center, we are highly confident the Center
would make outstanding use of HDRF funds.


B. Supporting human rights training for GOJ officials

i. Background

In January 2003, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs established
a Human Rights Directorate (reftel C). Subsequently, the
MFA's new Human Rights Coordinator contacted Post to inquire
about possible training opportunities for its diplomats in
the United States. We responded that we did not have funds
to pay for Jordanian diplomats to travel to the U.S. for such
training, and suggested the possibility of a training program
here.

ii. Proposal to train MFA diplomats on human rights law
and public policy

Post would like to organize a one-week seminar for MFA
diplomats interested in receiving human rights training. We
believe it will be most effective to bring expert/experts
from the United States human rights academic community as the
instructors and have them conduct the seminar at the Embassy.
The experts could come during the summer when their class
schedule in the US is presumably lighter. Cost estimates for
such a program: airfare (est. 2000 USD per traveler from
U.S.),200 USD per day honorarium, 200 USD per diem, and
approximately 1000 USD for materials and incidental expenses
lead to an estimate of 11,000 USD for two experts conducting
a five day seminar on human rights law and public policy.
Post will coordinate with Department on appropriate
candidates in US academia to conduct the training.

iii. Post recommendation

We highly recommend funding this program. The GOJ has
recently taken significant steps to establish an enhanced
human rights component (reftel D),and we have applauded
these efforts while prodding them to do more. Now, they are
asking for our help in training. This training would serve
the critical mission human rights priority and foreign policy
objective of enhancing the GOJ's capacity to move forward on
human rights issues that we regularly encourage them to
consider.

c. "Freedom of expression" training for Jordanian Judges

i. Background

The Jordanian Government recently rescinded Article 150 of
the Penal Code, which had granted the GOJ considerable
latitude in its discretion to prosecute journalists, editors
and publishers for publishing material that was considered,
inter alia, "harmful to the national unity". The repeal of
Article 150 is a step forward, and we could help the GOJ
build on this by offering training to the judiciary on
freedom of expression, specifically as it relates to the
press.

The judiciary should be encouraged to view freedom of
expression as a valuable right needed for a society to grow
and thrive politically and economically, as opposed to
viewing freedom of expression merely in a penal context. In
addition, the judiciary should be exposed to comparative
interpretations of freedom of expression in legal systems
throughout the world, and given background on how other
judiciaries and societies have dealt with this important
human right during various stages of development.

ii. Proposal for judicial training on freedom of
expression

We propose a three-day workshop for Jordanian judges
organized in partnership with a local NGO to discuss a) the
value of freedom of expression in society and b) comparative
interpretations of freedom of expression by judiciaries
worldwide. Linking freedom of expression and economic
development will be a key component of this workshop
(building on World Bank studies linking freedom of expression
with economic development.) Post will invite a judicial
expert and/or law professor from the U.S. to discuss the
comparative aspects of the workshop, and we will also include
a session focusing on Jordanian law to led by local legal
experts and freedom of expression advocates.

We anticipate the capacity to invite 10-15 judges to this
workshop, with an estimated cost of USD 8,000-15,000: USD
2000 per traveler from U.S., USD 200 per day honorarium, USD
200 per diem, and approximately USD 2000 for materials, and
miscellaneous expenses.

iii. Post recommendation

We highly recommend funding this program as the third of our
HRDF proposals. There is a compelling need to educate, and
convince, the GOJ and the judiciary of the need for a
healthy, developing right to freedom of expression in Jordan.
We believe the GOJ has taken affirmative, initial steps
toward enhanced freedom of expression through the repeal of
Article 150, and we should do what we can to help the GOJ
build on it.


3. (SBU) COMMENT. Post is very enthusiastic about
implementing the above programs. We have the experience,
contacts and resources to make these proposals successful.
We also believe that these programs will go far, on a
dollar-for-dollar basis, toward goals of assisting abused
women, encouraging and strengthening democratic institutions,
and encouraging the GOJ when they take initiatives to train
their officials on human rights issues.
GNEHM