UN PREPARES TO BEGIN FOOD MONITORING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000132 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR J. FRAZER LONDON FOR C. GURNEY PARIS FOR C. NEARY NAIROBI FOR T. PFLAUMER AND FOR DCHA/OFDA/ARO FOR RILEY, MYER AND SMITH, REDSO/ESA/FFP FOR SENYKORR USAID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA FOR HAJJAR, KHANDAGLE AND MARX, DCHA/FFP FOR LANDIS, BRAUSE, SKORIC AND PETERSEN, AFR/SA FOR POE AND COPSON, AFR/SD FOR ISALROW AND WHELAN PRETORIA FOR FFP DISKIN AND OFDA BRYAN STATE FOR AF/S DELISI AND RAYNOR ROME PLEASE PASS TO FODAG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL EAGR ZI SUBJECT: UN PREPARES TO BEGIN FOOD MONITORING REF: A. 02 STATE 219741 ¶B. 02 HARARE 2214 ¶1. SUMMARY: Systematic UN monitoring of humanitarian assistance flows in Zimbabwe appears--finally--to be on the verge of proceeding. Two of the expatriate staff who will conduct this effort are on the ground, and plan shortly to open the first of five offices. Limited monitoring will begin in February, although it is unclear how successful the new unit will be in monitoring government-controlled food deliveries. END SUMMARY. -------------- INITIAL NEGOTIATIONS DELAYED START UP -------------- ¶2. On January 9, PolOff spoke with George Olesh, head of the UN Relief and Recovery Unit (RRU) Relief and Information Verification Office (RIVO) to discuss its status. The RIVO was created to provide regular, unbiased reports on food aid distributions by both donors and government. Serious discussions between the UN and donors began several months ago, and the EU agreed to partially fund the office, but final contract resolution was bogged down in EU bureaucracy, and until the final document was signed with the EU in early January 2003, the UN RRU only had a verbal agreement. The rest of the RRU funding came from the U.S. Britain, Sweden, and Canada. In early November, donors were concerned about RRU management and its ability to handle an additional caseload such as the RIVO. In addition to the funding constraints, the RRU was extremely understaffed with three people doing the work of seven. (See Reftels). ¶3. Without a firm commitment from the EU, which the RRU received verbally in late November/early December, the RRU could not initiate hiring from the main UN Volunteers office in Bonn, Germany. RIVO finally received two of the requested six International UN Volunteers field monitors (UNVs) in mid-December--a Malawian woman who previously worked in Myanmar, and a Kenyan man who was in East Timor. To date, these two new expatriate staff members have been working exclusively in Harare to get them up to speed on the situation and also because the unit just received on/about January 10 the two vehicles it purchased in October. According to Olesh, the vehicles will be licensed and insured by the end of next week and Olesh plans to take the UNVs to Mutare soon thereafter. (NOTE: The vehicles had been stuck at the Beitbridge border post since early December. END NOTE.) Olesh told us he will need to ask Bonn for additional CVs to review for the remaining four slots. RIVO has only just begun advertising for local hire positions. -------------- MODUS OPERANDI -------------- ¶4. The RIVO plans to set up its first field office in Mutare in Manicaland, near the Mozambique border. Olesh told us they decided on Mutare because of the extensive cross-border traffic, the nearby commercial farms and displaced farmworkers, an increase in cholera and malaria in the area, and a provincial governor who is more inclined to work with the UN than her counterparts in other provinces. Olesh indicated that if Governor Oppah Muchinguri cooperates and facilitates the acquisition of office space, the collection of Grain Marketing Board information, and the disclosure of GOZ food-for-work programs, the RIVO might be able to use the Manicaland experience as positive leverage in other provinces. For each office, the RIVO needs to install office equipment, procure transportation and information technology (VHF radios, phone and internet connections, satellite phones, digital cameras),and recruit program and support staff. The RIVO plans to open offices in Masvingo (February/March),Bulawayo (January/February),and Chinhoyi (February/March) and to deploy the UNVs at the provincial level to work in collaboration at the district level with all stakeholders in monitoring beneficiary targeting and assessment, data collection, verification and monitoring of humanitarian assistance flows. -------------- MANY OBSTACLES TO SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM -------------- ¶5. Olesh told us that one of the biggest challenges his office will face in the field is assuaging the concerns of government officials that the RRU/RIVO are conducting subversive activities. To guard against this, the RIVO will be as open and transparent as possible, providing provincial governors with exhaustive documents explaining the RIVO's purpose and activities. Lower level government officials will receive a one-page tri-fold color pamphlet conveying the same information. The RRU hopes that a continued dialogue and field presence will facilitate the release of government data. ¶6. According to the UN RRU RIV Section Workplan 2003 distributed to government and donor stakeholders, the RIVO faces many obstacles to accomplishing its sensitive tasks given the difficult operating environment within many parts of rural Zimbabwe. Among these are the scale of the crisis, polarization, distrust between donors and government, reluctant collaboration of government with NGOs and donors, poor transparency of government food policies, personnel security, lack of international media presence, and sensationalized local media reporting. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶7. It seems the long-awaited "independent" capacity for monitoring food aid flows in Zimbabwe is finally ready to proceed. The UN/RRU RIVO represents the best mechanism available under the circumstances for obtaining objective, reliable information on this important subject. The obstacles to successful unit operations are real in the highly charged and controlled operating environment in Zimbabwe today. The UN believes it has the mandate to monitor all food deliveries--including those provided by government--but the GOZ will not be an enthusiastic partner in this endeavor. However, with the collective support of the greater UN and international donor community and close collaboration with established international and local NGO networks already engaged in similar monitoring activities, we are hopeful that the unit will be able to proceed with its sensitive task. (See septel for government reaction to donor suggestions for UN monitoring of GMB food deliveries.) END COMMENT. SULLIVAN