AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT WFP'S STRATEGIC PLAN 2004-2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ROME 005076

SIPDIS


AIDAC

FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME

STATE FOR AS/PRM, PRM/P, EUR/WE AND IO/EDA
USAID FOR A/AID, AA/DCHA, AA/AFR, DCHA/FFP LANDIS, PPC/DP,
PPC/DC
USDA/FAS FOR CHAMBLISS/TILSWORTH/GAINOR
GENEVA FOR AMBASSADOR MOLEY, RMA AND NKYLOH/USAID
USUN FOR AMBASSADOR NEGROPONTE AND MLUTZ
USMISSION GENEVA FOR AMBASSADOR MOLRY AND USAID/KYLOH
BRUSSELS FOR USAID/LERNER
NSC FOR JDWORKEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID EAGR AORC PREF KUNR WFP UN
SUBJECT: AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT WFP'S STRATEGIC PLAN 2004-2007
AS APPROVED AT THE THIRD REGULAR SESSION OF THE WORLD FOOD
PROGRAM EXECUTIVE BOARD, ROME, OCTOBER 20-24, 2003

REF: (A) ROME 5035, (B) ROME 4996

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SUMMARY
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1. WFP'S EXECUTIVE BOARD APPROVED THE ORGANIZATION'S
STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE PERIOD 2004-2007, WITH THE CAVEAT
THAT THE SECRETARIAT WILL BE GUIDED BY THE CONSIDERATIONS
RAISED BY THE BOARD AS REFLECTED BY THE SUMMARY RECORD OF
THE DISCUSSION. THE BOARD RECOGNIZED THAT IT IS A LIVING
DOCUMENT THAT INCLUDES REFERENCE TO WORK IN PROGRESS AND
WORK TO BE INITIATED DURING THE PLAN PERIOD. THE BOARD
AGREED THAT WFP SHOULD FOCUS ITS OPERATIONS ON ACHIEVING THE
FIVE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES OF: (A) SAVING LIVES IN CRISIS
SITUATIONS; (B) PROTECTING LIVELIHOODS IN CRISIS SITUATIONS
AND ENHANCING RESILIENCE TO SHOCKS; (C) SUPPORTING THE
IMPROVED NUTRITION AND HEALTH STATUS OF CHILDREN, MOTHERS
AND OTHER VULNERABLE PEOPLE; (D) SUPPORTING ACCESS TO
EDUCATION AND REDUCING GENDER DISPARITY IN ACCESS TO
EDUCATION AND SKILLS TRAINING; AND
(E) HELPING GOVERNMENTS ESTABLISH AND MANAGE NATIONAL FOOD-
ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. THE BOARD FAVORABLY NOTED THAT THE PLAN
REFLECTS A RESULTS-BASED APPROACH AND INCLUDES A RESOURCE
MOBILIZATION STRATEGY, AS WELL AS OTHER MEASURES TO ATTAIN
EFFECTIVE OPERATIONAL CAPACITY. WITHIN THE RESULTS-BASED
FRAMEWORK, A SET OF EXPECTED RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE
INDICATORS IS PROPOSED FOR EACH STRATEGIC PRIORITY, AGAINST
WHICH PROGRESS WILL BE MONITORED OVER THE PLANNING PERIOD.
FINALLY, THE BOARD ENDORSED THE PROPOSAL THAT BY 2007 AT
LEAST 90 PERCENT OF WFP'S UNDIRECTED MULTILATERAL
DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES FROM TRADITIONAL DONORS SHOULD GO TO
COUNTRIES THAT: A) ARE LEAST DEVELOPED OR HAVE AN EQUALLY
LOW INCOME; AND B) FACE A PROBLEM OF WIDESPREAD CHRONIC
MALNUTRITION MEASURED AS A RATE OF UNDER-FIVE STUNTING
GREATER THAN 25 PERCENT. END SUMMARY.

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U.S. POSITION
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2. THE UNITED STATES WAS LARGELY SUPPORTIVE OF THE STRATEGIC
PLAN. MOST OF THE PLAN LINKS WELL WITH THE NEW STRATEGY
BEING DEVELOPED BY THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT (USAID) IN MANAGING THE GOALS OF THE PUBLIC LAW
480 TITLE II FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. THE U.S. HAS BEEN A
LEADING VOICE ON THE BOARD THAT WFP SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT IT
DOES BEST, WHICH IS THE PROVISION EMERGENCY HUMANITARIAN
ASSISTANCE (I.E., WFP DELIVERED 68 PERCENT OF WORLDWIDE
EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE IN 2002). IN PARTICULAR, THE U.S
STRESSED THAT PRIMARY FOCUS SHOULD BE ON PRIORITIES ONE AND
TWO - SAVING LIVES AND PROTECTING LIVELIHOODS - AND THAT
PRIORITIZATION BECOMES INEVITABLE WHEN THERE ARE FUNDING
SHORTFALLS. FINALLY, SPEAKING AS AN EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER
(AS OPPOSED TO OUR ROLE AS THE ORGANIZATION'S PRINCIPAL
DONOR),USDEL APPLAUDED THE STRIDES MADE IN THIS DOCUMENT
(WORK-IN-PROGRESS) WHILE CAUTIONING THAT THE PLAN MAY BE
OVERLY AMBITIOUS.

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OTHER INTERVENTIONS
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3. IT WAS PROPOSED BY SWEDEN (AND ACCEPTED BY THE WFP
SECRETARIAT) THAT WFP SHOULD DECLARE ITS FORMAL SUPPORT FOR

SIPDIS
THE HUMANITARIAN PRINCIPLES OF HUMANITY, IMPARTIALITY,
NEUTRALITY AND INDEPENDENCE. WFP AGREED TO PRESENT A PAPER
TO THE BOARD (FEBRUARY 2004) REFLECTING THESE PRINCIPLES,

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OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN TO
BE CONSIDERED IN 2005.


4. ON WFP'S PROPOSAL THAT BY 2007 AT LEAST 90 PERCENT OF
WFP'S UNDIRECTED MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES FROM
TRADITIONAL DONORS SHOULD GO TO COUNTRIES THAT: A) ARE LEAST
DEVELOPED OR HAVE AN EQUALLY LOW INCOME; AND B) FACE A
PROBLEM OF WIDESPREAD CHRONIC MALNUTRITION MEASURED AS A
RATE OF UNDER-FIVE STUNTING GREATER THAN 25 PERCENT - SOME
MEMBERS (READ THE LATIN AMERICAN GROUP - GRULAC) - STATED
THAT THE ADOPTION OF THE INCOME CRITERIA WOULD PENALIZE AT
LEAST 11 LOW INCOME FOOD-DEFICIT COUNTRIES (LIFDCS). THEY
THEREFORE STRESSED THAT THE IDENTIFICATION OF COUNTRIES O
GREATEST NEED SHOULD BE BROADENED TO INCLUDE LIDCS WITH
INCOMES GREATER THAN THOSE OF LEAST DEVLOPED COUNTRIES OR
WITH A PREVALENCE OF CHILD STNTING GREATER THAT 25 PERCENT.
SOME MEMBERS STATE THAT POCKETS OF HUNGER ALSO EXIST IN
RELATIVELYWELL-OFF COUNTRIES AND FELT THAT THESE SHOULD
ALO BE ELIGIBLE FOR DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FROM WFP.


5. NOTE: USDEL'S POSITION ON THIS TOPIC IS GUIDED BY THE
U.S. FOOD AID AND FOOD SECURITY POLICY PAPER (1995) WHICH
CLEARLY PRESCRIBES THAT THE FOOD AID FROM THE UNITED STATES
SHOULD PRIMARILY BE FOCUSED ON SOUTH ASIA AND SUB-SAHARAN
AFRICA. MUCH LIKE THE WFP STRATEGY PAPER PRESENTED AT THIS
SESSION, THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT FOOD ASSISTANCE WOULD NOT
GO TO THE LATIN AMERICA (LAC) REGION. AS THE WFP STRATEGY
ACKNOWLEDGES IN SEVERAL PLACS, HIGHLY TARGETED FOOD AID
INTERVENTIONS WILL B REQUIRED FOR SOME COUNTRIES EVEN WHEN
THERE ARENO PRESSING NEEDS FOR LARGE TRANSFERS OF FOOD AID.
EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE AND NATIONAL SAFETY NETMEASURES
TO COMBAT MALNUTRITION WOULD STILL BE NCESSARY. MUCH AS
THE UNITED STATES CONTINUES TOPROVIDE TARGETED BILATERAL
DEVELOPMENT FOOD AID SSISTANCE THROUGHOUT THE LAC REGION,
WFP WOULD ALSO MAINTAIN PROGRAMS. HOWEVER THESE PROGRAMS
WOULD RELY UPON DIRECTED CONTRIBUTIONS FROM DONORS FOR THESE
ACTIVITIES. END NOTE.


6. AS EXPLAINED BY THE WFP SECRETARIAT, 90 PERCENT OF WFP'S
DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES WILL BE FOCUSED BY 2007 IN 36
COUNTRIES, 29 OF WHICH WILL BE LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
(LDCS). ON FAO'S LIST OF 84 LIFDCS, WFP COMMENTED THAT FAO
RELIED HEAVILY ON ESTIMATES OF PER CAPITA FOOD AVAILABILITY
- WITH THE DOWNSIDE THAT THESE AGGREGATES ARE TOO OFTEN
BASED ON INCOMPLETE DATA FOR BOTH FOOD PRODUCTION AND TRADE.
NOTE. FOR SOME COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY IN SUB-SAHARAN
AFRICA, PRODUCTION STATISTICS FOR CERTAIN SUBSISTENCE CROPS
TEND TO GET UNDERESTIMATED. FURTHERMORE, MUCH TRADE IN FOOD
ACROSS INTERNATIONAL BORDERS GOES UNRECORDED. FAO ATTEMPTS
TO ACCOUNT FOR SUCH DEFICIENCIES AND ARRIVE AT PLAUSIBLE
ESTIMATES BY RESORTING TO IMPUTATIONS BUT THIS DOES NOT
IMPLY THAT THE RESULTING PER-CAPITA FOOD AVAILABILITY
FIGURES ARE FREE FROM ERRORS. END NOTE.


7. SECRETARIAT ALSO POINTED OUT THAT THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION (WHO) WAS ON RECORD THAT "STUNTING" WAS AN
ESSENTIAL INDICATOR FOR MEASURING CHRONIC MALNUTRITION. WFP
STATED THAT UNICEF DATA FOR THE ANNUAL "STATE OF THE WORLD'S
CHILDREN REPORT" WOULD ALSO BE FIGURED INTO ITS COUNTRY
SELECTION CRITERIA ANALYSIS.


8. IN GENERAL, THE BOARD REQUESTED WFP TO PURSUE A FLEXIBLE
APPROACH TO THE QUESTION OF COUNTRY PRESENCE, WHICH SHOULD
BE SUITABLY MATCHED TO THE NATURE AND SCALE OF THE PROGRAM
TO BE MANAGED, TAKING ACCOUNT OF OTHER APPROACHES BEING
DEVELOPED ELSEWHERE IN THE UN SYSTEM. IN SOME SITUATIONS, A
SMALL OFFICE HEADED BY A WFP INTERNATIONAL OFFICER, EITHER

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ROPRIATE THAN A FULL
COUNTRY OFFICE. IN OTHERS, WFP'S PRESENCE MAY CONSIST OF AN
OFFICE MANNED BY A NATIONAL OFFICER WORKING FROM THE
PREMISES OF ANOTHER UN AGENCY OR, FOR EXAMPLE, A WFP
VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT MAPPING (VAM) UNIT WORKING WITHIN A
GOVERNMENT MINISTRY.

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WFP RESOURCE MOBILIZATION
--------------


9. THE BOARD RECOGNIZED THAT A PRO-ACTIVE RESOURCES STRATEGY
THAT BROADENS THE DONOR BASE AND ENGAGES THE PRIVATE SECTOR
WILL BE ESSENTIAL TO ACHIEVING THE OBJECTIVES SET OUT IN THE
STRATEGIC PLAN. MEMBERS LOOKED FORWARD TO INFORMAL
CONSULTATIONS EARLY IN 2004 TO FURTHER DISCUSS: THE
DEFINITION OF EMERGING AND TRADITIONAL DONORS; MECHANISMS
FOR ENCOURAGING EMERGING DONORS THROUGH LEVERAGING,
PARTICULARLY TWINNING ARRANGEMENTS; AND THE USE OF CASH
DONATIONS TO PURCHASE FOOD. THE BOARD EMPHASIZED THAT
PRIVATE SECTOR RELATIONS MUST BE CONDUCTED WITHIN THE
PURVIEW OF THE BOARD. THERE NEEDS TO BE DIALOGUE,
CONSULTATION AND REPORTS BACK TO THE BOARD ON INITIATIVES
WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR. IN THE SAME SPIRIT IT IS IMPORTANT
THAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR DONOR FULLY UNDERSTANDS THE ROLE AND
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BOARD.

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COMMENT
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10. THE BOARD FORTUNATELY CAME TO THE REALIZATION THAT "THE
PERFECT IS THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD," THAT THE 2004-2007
STRATEGIC PLAN IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, A LIVING DOCUMENT
WHICH WILL REQUIRE FURTHER CONSULTATION WITH THE MEMBERSHIP
AND DECISIONS BY THE BOARD AT AN APPROPRIATE TIME. AS THE
PERUVIAN DELEGATE SUMMED IT UP: "YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE IN
FAVOR OF THE PLAN, BUT ONLY AGREEABLE TO LIVING WITH THE
CAREFULLY CRAFTED COMPROMISE." HALL

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2003ROME05076 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED