LETTER TO U/SYG KENZO OSHIMA, UNDP ADMINISTRATOR

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; UNCLASSIFIED 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 > 2003ROME00832 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED