Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03AMMAN4337
2003-07-15 07:31:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

UNRWA PLANS EXTRAORDINARY, HIGH-LEVEL MEETING IN

Tags:  PREF PREL KPAL KWBG JO 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 004337 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/IPA, NEA/RA AND PRM/ANE
GENEVA FOR RMA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2013
TAGS: PREF PREL KPAL KWBG JO
SUBJECT: UNRWA PLANS EXTRAORDINARY, HIGH-LEVEL MEETING IN
GENEVA FOR SPRING 2004; HOPES TO ADDRESS FUTURE OF AGENCY

REF: AMMAN 3242

Classified By: DCM David Hale, per 1.5 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 004337

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/IPA, NEA/RA AND PRM/ANE
GENEVA FOR RMA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2013
TAGS: PREF PREL KPAL KWBG JO
SUBJECT: UNRWA PLANS EXTRAORDINARY, HIGH-LEVEL MEETING IN
GENEVA FOR SPRING 2004; HOPES TO ADDRESS FUTURE OF AGENCY

REF: AMMAN 3242

Classified By: DCM David Hale, per 1.5 (b) and (d).


1. (U) This is an action request; see para 8.


2. (C) Summary and action request: On July 7, UNRWA briefed
Amman-based donors and host government representatives on its
plans to hold an extraordinary, possibly ministerial-level
meeting in Geneva in spring 2004. While UNRWA initially
hoped to hold the meeting in November 2003, UNRWA agreed that
the November date was premature after donors argued that a
great deal of work would be required to plan an effective
meeting. UNRWA hopes that a high-level meeting held outside
the region will enable the cash-strapped agency to gain both
greater media and donor attention, and believes that a
political agenda, such as the discussion of the future of the
agency is required to attract such attention. To prepare for
this extraordinary meeting, UNRWA will hold regular "steering
committee" meetings of stakeholders in Jerusalem and Amman,
with the next meeting scheduled for late July. UNRWA will
finalize the agenda and dates for the Geneva extraordinary
meeting at the next major donors meeting, September 23-24 in
Amman. We are concerned that a spring 2004, high-level
meeting focused on UNRWA's future could be both premature and
disruptive to the Israel/Palestinian roadmap process, a
concern shared by host governments. Department's guidance
on the planned meeting is requested. End summary and action
request.

--------------
UNRWA Plans High-Level Policy Meeting
In Hopes of Attracting More Funds
--------------


3. (SBU) On July 7, UNRWA briefed Amman-based donors and
host government representatives on its plans to hold an
extraordinary, possibly ministerial-level meeting in Geneva.
Plans for a Geneva meeting were first announced by ComGen
Peter Hansen at UNRWA's May 21-22 meeting of major donors and
host governments (ref),without any reference to the
meeting's agenda or desired level of participation. At the
July 7 meeting, UNRWA External Relations Director Andrew
Whitley explained that the agency hopes a high-level meeting

held outside the region will enable UNRWA to gain both
greater media and donor attention, acknowledging that a very
different -- and possibly political -- agenda would be
required to attract such attention. According to Whitley,
UNRWA ComGen Hansen has suggested that an extraordinary,
high-level meeting should be used to develop a common vision
for UNRWA's future in light of renewed momentum toward peace.
UNRWA also hopes to showcase the "synergy" among UN agencies
and plans to hold workshops with Geneva-based UN agencies on
areas of mutual concern. (Comment: We have not seen
evidence of such synergy in the field, with the exception of
the West Bank and Gaza's Bertini assessment and report in
2002.) The Swiss Government has agreed to pay some of the
costs of this extraordinary meeting and has told us privately
that the specific amount remains under negotiation.


4. (SBU) While UNRWA initially hoped to hold the meeting in
November 2003 in place of the regularly scheduled September
major donors meeting, the agency agreed at the July 7 meeting
that the November date was premature and postponed the
extraordinary meeting until spring 2004. Donors and host
governments both expressed concern that UNRWA did not have a
specific enough agenda or sense of what it wanted to
accomplish in the extraordinary meeting to hold it in
November. (The only specific themes identified by UNRWA
were: how the West Bank and Gaza could move from conflict to
recovery and development; and the future of UNRWA in light of
renewed momentum toward peace.) Some donors, including
refcoord, also expressed concern that a November meeting
could be too early to assess the full impact of roadmap
implementation on UNRWA and its future.

-------------- --------------
Host Governments Fear Meeting Could Disrupt Roadmap
-------------- --------------


5. (C) Host government representatives later told refcoord
they also are concerned about the timing and agenda of the
planned extraordinary meeting. GOJ Department of Palestinian
Affairs Director General Abulkarim Abulhaija said the GOJ
worries that a high-profile, high-level meeting to discuss
UNRWA's future could in fact prove disruptive to the roadmap,
as refugees throughout the region would interpret it as
creating "facts on the ground" before all parties agree on a
solution to the refugee question. PLO Refugee Affairs
Representative Mohamed Abu Bakr echoed these concerns,
telling refcoord that UNRWA should "keep its distance from
politics," especially while roadmap implementation remained
"delicate."
--------------
UNRWA Resists Look at Agency Management
In Extraordinary Meeting
--------------


6. (SBU) At the July 7 UNRWA meeting, refcoord suggested
that UNRWA could use an extraordinary meeting to take a fresh
look at its governing and management structure and take stock
of management reforms to date. A strategic meeting on the
future of the agency must address management concerns, as new
policies cannot be implemented without appropriate management
procedures. If UNRWA believes it will be in the position to
address the future of the agency, it also should be in a
position to address the internal changes UNRWA must make,
such as decentralization of authority from headquarters to
the fields, in order to eventually phase out operations (and
presumably hand some over to local government authorities).
UNRWA External Relations Director Whitley bristled at the
suggestion, stating flatly that internal UNRWA management
procedures were not appropriate topics for a strategic policy
meeting.

--------------
UNRWA Will Begin Planning for Geneva Meeting
In Late July
--------------


7. (U) Whitley invited donors and host governments to
suggest topics for the extraordinary meeting and said the
agency would organize regular "steering committee" meetings
of stakeholders in Jerusalem and Amman to further develop
ideas for the Geneva meeting. Refcoord expressed concern
that not all host governments would be able to attend
meetings in Jerusalem, adding that host government
participation in the planning process would be crucial to the
success of a high-level policy meeting. Whitley noted
refcoord's concerns and said UNRWA would consider holding all
steering committee meetings in Amman. He hopes to hold the
next meeting in late July. Whitley added that UNRWA plans to
finalize the agenda and dates for the Geneva extraordinary
meeting at the next major donors meeting, scheduled for
September 23-24 in Amman.

--------------
Comment and Action Request
--------------


8. (C) UNRWA seems to be fishing for a "hook" to attract
media, higher-level representation and more funds to a future
donor meeting and has decided the roadmap provides precisely
such a hook. While we agree that UNRWA is in need of a
higher donor profile, we believe that a ministerial-level
meeting to discuss the post-roadmap future of the agency is
not the appropriate vehicle. Such a policy-focused meeting
is inappropriate for a UN implementing agency and would prove
unnecessarily provocative to the refugees and disruptive to
the political process. Unless donors and host governments
present formal positions on the planned spring 2004 meeting,
UNRWA will assume it has full stakeholder approval to move
ahead on a high-level, politically oriented meeting in
Geneva. Hansen's personal support for and involvement in
planning this meeting will make it particularly difficult to
turn off. We therefore request the Department's guidance on
whether a high-level UNRWA policy meeting would be
appropriate in spring 2004 and, if so, what topics the U.S.
would be prepared to accept on the agenda.


9. (U) ConGen Jerusalem cleared this message.
GNEHM