Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03ROME832
2003-02-27 15:45:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Rome
Cable title:  

LETTER TO U/SYG KENZO OSHIMA, UNDP ADMINISTRATOR

Tags:  EAID AORC PREF EAGR EU WFP UN 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 000832 

SIPDIS

AIDAC

FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME

USUN NEW YORK FOR AMBASSADOR NEGROPONTE AND CSERWER
USAID/W FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS, D/A SCHIECK, AA/DCHA
WINTER, AA/AFR NEWMAN AND DAA/AFR BROWN, DCHA/D/FFP LANDIS,
D/OFDA MCCONNELL, AA/GLOBAL PETERSON
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02 ROME 00832 01 OF 02 271638Z
STATE FOR IO A/S HOLMES, A/S PRM DEWEY, A/S AFR KANSTEINER,
AFR/EA, IO/EDA WINNICK
USMISSION GENEVA FOR AMBASSADOR MOLRY AND USAID/KYLOH
BRUSSELS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS AND USAID/LERNER
NSC FOR JDWORKEN AND AFRICA DIRECTORATE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID AORC PREF EAGR AORC PREF EAGR EU WFP UN EU EAID WFP UN
SUBJECT: LETTER TO U/SYG KENZO OSHIMA, UNDP ADMINISTRATOR
MALLOCH BROWN AND UNICEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CAROL BELLAMY
FROM AMBASSADOR TONY P. HALL ON THE PRESENT CRISIS IN THE
HORN OF AFRICA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 000832

SIPDIS

AIDAC

FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME

USUN NEW YORK FOR AMBASSADOR NEGROPONTE AND CSERWER
USAID/W FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS, D/A SCHIECK, AA/DCHA
WINTER, AA/AFR NEWMAN AND DAA/AFR BROWN, DCHA/D/FFP LANDIS,
D/OFDA MCCONNELL, AA/GLOBAL PETERSON
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02 ROME 00832 01 OF 02 271638Z
STATE FOR IO A/S HOLMES, A/S PRM DEWEY, A/S AFR KANSTEINER,
AFR/EA, IO/EDA WINNICK
USMISSION GENEVA FOR AMBASSADOR MOLRY AND USAID/KYLOH
BRUSSELS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS AND USAID/LERNER
NSC FOR JDWORKEN AND AFRICA DIRECTORATE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID AORC PREF EAGR AORC PREF EAGR EU WFP UN EU EAID WFP UN
SUBJECT: LETTER TO U/SYG KENZO OSHIMA, UNDP ADMINISTRATOR
MALLOCH BROWN AND UNICEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CAROL BELLAMY
FROM AMBASSADOR TONY P. HALL ON THE PRESENT CRISIS IN THE
HORN OF AFRICA


1. FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF A LETTER TO U/SYG KENZO OSHIMA, UNDP
ADMINISTRATOR MALLOCH BROWN AND UNICEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CAROL BELLAMY DATED FEBRUARY 27, 2003 FROM TONY P. HALL,
AMBASSADOR, U.S. MISSION TO THE UN AGENCIES, ROME. BEGIN
LETTER:

THE HONORABLE KENZO OSHIMA, U/SYG, UN OFFICE FOR THE
COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS (OCHA)
MARK MALLOCH BROWN, UNDP ADMINISTRATOR
CAROL BELLAMY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNICEF
UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK 10017-3505

DEAR UN COLLEAGUES,

I HAVE JUST RETURNED FROM A TRIP TO ETHIOPIA (FEBRUARY
15-21),A COUNTRY I VISITED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1984
DURING A DEVASTATING FAMINE THAT ULTIMATELY SAW OVER ONE
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03 ROME 00832 01 OF 02 271638Z
MILLION PEOPLE DIE OF STARVATION AND RELATED CAUSES. I HAD
THE GOOD FORTUNE THIS TIME TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY USAID
ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR ROGER WINTER (WHO FOR MANY YEARS
ABLY MANAGED THE U.S. COMMITTEE FOR REFUGEES),AND WE WERE
ABLE TO VISIT A NUMBER OF RURAL SITES IN EAST SHEWA, OMOMIYA
AND SOUTHERN NATIONS (SNNPR).

AS PER THE U.S. CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL (CDC)
(PRESENTLY ASSESSING THE NUTRITIONAL AND CONTAGIOUS DISEASE

STATUS IN FOUR ETHIOPIAN GEOGRAPHIC ZONES),THEY ESTIMATE
(FEBRUARY-JUNE 2003) 32,000 EXCESS DEATHS DUE TO DROUGHT
WILL OCCUR IN THE REVIEWED AREAS. IF THIS TREND IS PROJECTED
NATIONALLY, UNLESS VIGOROUS ACTION IS TAKEN NOW WITH THE UN
AGENCIES IN A LEADING ROLE, EXCESS DEATHS COULD REACH AS
HIGH AS 300,000 TO 500,000 PEOPLE BY THE END OF 2003.

I MUST BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT WE REPEATEDLY HEARD
THAT IN THIS CRISIS, EXCEPTING WFP, THE REST OF THE UN
ORGANIZATIONS IN ETHIOPIA "DO NOT HAVE A SENSE OF THE DEPTH
OF THE EMERGENCY AND ARE NOT DOING ENOUGH." THE TRUTH IS
POSSIBLY THAT IN ETHIOPIA THE UN AGENCIES ARE GEARED FAR
MORE TOWARD DEVELOPMENT THAN EMERGENCY RESPONSE. GIVEN THE
WIDESPREAD DETERIORATION IN THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION,
HOWEVER, THIS NEEDS TO BE ADJUSTED.

SPECIFICALLY, I WOULD ASK YOU TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER:

- NAMING A RESIDENT HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR TO FOCUS ON
IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY AND OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS OF UN
OPERATIONS IN RESPONDING TO THE PRESENT CRISIS IN BOTH
ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA;
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PAGE 04 ROME 00832 01 OF 02 271638Z

- PRIORITIZING ASSISTANCE TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A
NATIONWIDE NUTRITION SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM. WE ARE SIMPLY NOT
GETTING THE "WARNING" DATA WE NEED TO RESPOND AS REQUIRED;

- THE UN (AND THEIR PARTNER NGOS) SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
FOOD DELIVERIES (WHERE LARGE NUMBERS OF BENEFICIARIES OFTEN
WAIT FOR HOURS TO RECEIVE THEIR RATION) TO IMPART MOTHER-
CHILD CARE HEALTH TRAINING AND NUTRITION EDUCATION MESSAGES.
IN PARTICULAR, FEEDING SITES SHOULD SERVE AS FOCAL POINTS
FOR IMMUNIZATIONS AGAINST MEASLES AND OTHER CONTAGIOUS
DISEASES SUCH AS TYPHUS, RELAPSING FEVER, MENINGITIS.

IN MY MANY YEARS IN CONGRESS, I FULLY ENDORSED
APPROPRIATIONS FOR UN AGENCIES AND AM HONORED TO BE
REPRESENTING MY COUNTRY TO THE UN AGENCIES ON FOOD AND
AGRICULTURE HERE IN ROME. FOR ME, ETHIOPIA IS UNIQUE AMONG
AFRICAN COUNTRIES FOR HAVING NEVER BEEN COLONIZED. IT IS
TRULY BLESSED WITH A RICH CULTURE, HISTORY AND TRADITIONAL
KNOWLEDGE. BUT THIS PRESENT CRISIS, UNLESS DEFTLY HANDLED,
COULD SETBACK YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT GAINS. WE ALL NEED TO
INTENSIFY OUR EFFORTS.

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED PTQ5097

PAGE 01 ROME 00832 02 OF 02 271638Z
ACTION AID-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AF-00 AGRE-00 CIAE-00 USNW-00 DODE-00
SRPP-00 EB-00 EUR-00 UTED-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00
IO-00 VCE-00 NEA-00 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OES-00 OIC-02
PER-00 TEST-00 SA-00 PRM-00 SAS-00 /002W
-------------- 3C79B1 271639Z /38
P 271545Z FEB 03
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY
SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8499
INFO AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
AMEMBASSY ASMARA
EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
IGAD COLLECTIVE
USEU BRUSSELS 3151
USMISSION GENEVA

UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 000832

SIPDIS

AIDAC

FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME

USUN NEW YORK FOR AMBASSADOR NEGROPONTE AND CSERWER
USAID/W FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS, D/A SCHIECK, AA/DCHA
WINTER, AA/AFR NEWMAN AND DAA/AFR BROWN, DCHA/D/FFP LANDIS,
D/OFDA MCCONNELL, AA/GLOBAL PETERSON
STATE FOR IO A/S HOLMES, A/S PRM DEWEY, A/S AFR KANSTEINER,
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02 ROME 00832 02 OF 02 271638Z
AFR/EA, IO/EDA WINNICK
USMISSION GENEVA FOR AMBASSADOR MOLRY AND USAID/KYLOH
BRUSSELS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS AND USAID/LERNER
NSC FOR JDWORKEN AND AFRICA DIRECTORATE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID AORC PREF EAGR AORC PREF EAGR EU WFP UN EU EAID WFP UN
SUBJECT: LETTER TO U/SYG KENZO OSHIMA, UNDP ADMINISTRATOR
MALLOCH BROWN AND UNICEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CAROL BELLAMY
FROM AMBASSADOR TONY P. HALL ON THE PRESENT CRISIS IN THE
HORN OF AFRICA

I AM MOST OPEN TO DISCUSSING THIS PERSONALLY IN
GREATER DETAIL WITH EACH OF YOU AND CAN BE REACHED HERE IN
ROME AT 39-06-4674-3500. SINCERELY, AMBASSADOR TONY P.
HALL. END OF LETTER.


2. US MISSION ROME WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF USUN NEW YORK COULD
PASS THIS TEXT ALONG TO OUR RESPECTIVE UN COLLEAGUES.


3. ORIGINAL SIGNED LETTER TO EACH WILL FOLLOW. HALL

UNCLASSIFIED

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2003ROME00832 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED