WORLD FOOD PROGRAM REPORTS ON USAID-FUNDED JUNIOR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 002659

SIPDIS


FROM THE US MISSION TO THE UN AGENCIES IN ROME

USAID FOR DCHA/AA WINTER AND DCHA/FFP LANDIS, CRUMBLY AND
LAURENT
STATE IO FOR DAS MILLER, IO/EDA BEHREND AND KOTOK, AND IO/S
PODOLSKY AND LUCHI
USDA FAS FOR U/S PENN, CHAMBLISS AND TILSWORTH
STATE PRM FOR A/S DEWEY, KNUDSON AND BROTHERS-JACKSON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ADRC WFP
SUBJECT: WORLD FOOD PROGRAM REPORTS ON USAID-FUNDED JUNIOR
PROFESSIONAL OFFICERS (JPOS)

REF: ROME 001469

SUMMARY
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1. FOLLOWING HER MEETING IN WASHINGTON, DC, WITH USAID
FOOD FOR PEACE OFFICER CARELL LAURENT, WFP HUMAN RESOURCES
OFFICER ANNA COPE REPORTED TO US PROGRESS IN WFP'S EFFORTS
TO SECURE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM USAID TO FUND
ADDITIONAL WFP JPOS. THE MEETING, WHICH OCCURRED ON JULY
1, 2004, WAS A CONTINUATION OF DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN WFP AND
USAID REGARDING WAYS IN WHICH USAID COULD ASSIST IN
INCREASING THE NUMBER OF AMERICANS BROUGHT INTO THE UN
SYSTEM AS PERMANENT EMPLOYEES VIA WFP'S JUNIOR PROFESSIONAL
OFFICER (JPO) PROGRAM. IT WAS A FOLLOW-UP TO PREVIOUS
DISCUSSIONS (MOST RECENTLY DURING THE WFP EXECUTIVE BOARD
MEETING MAY 24-28) BETWEEN WFP AND USAID. MS. COPE WAS
ENCOURAGED BY THE MEETING AND REPORTED THAT SHE AND MS.
LAURENT AGREED UPON CONCRETE NEXT STEPS IN THE PROCESS. AS
ENUNCIATED, INCREASING AMERICAN CITIZEN EMPLOYMENT IN THE
UN SYSTEM REMAINS AN IMPORTANT PRIORITY OF BOTH THE USG AND
THE U.S. CONGRESS. END SUMMARY.

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BACKGROUND
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2. THERE HAS BEEN STRONG GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF JPOS
WITHIN WFP, AS FOLLOWS: 1996, 51 JPOS; 1997, 72 JPOS; 1998,
71 JPOS; 1999, 94 JPOS; 2000, 99 JPOS; 2001, 103 JPOS. IN
TERMS OF U.S. SUPPORT, THERE HAS BEEN INCREASING SUPPORT,
THANKS IN MEASURE TO INPUT FROM THE CONGRESSIONAL HUNGER
CENTER (CHC) AND THEIR MICKEY LELAND HUNGER FELLOWS
PROGRAM, AS WELL AS LONG-TERM CONTRIBUTIONS BY STATE/PRM
AND USDA/FAS. OVER THE PERIOD 1998-2004, U.S.-SPONSORED
NUMBERS ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1998, 1 JPO; 1999, 2 JPOS; 2000, 2
JPOS, 2001, 5 JPOS; 2002, 6 JPOS; 2003, 7 JPOS; 2004, 3
JPOS (TO DATE). NOTE: IN 2003, OF THE 7 U.S.-FUNDED JPOS,
3 WERE SPONSORED BY STATE/PRM, 3 FROM CHC AND ONE FROM
USDA/FAS.

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WFP JPOS STILL WIN-WIN
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3. PER REFTEL, WE BELIEVE WFP'S JPO PROGRAM OFFERS
OPPORTUNITIES FOR BOTH WFP AND THE USG. THE JPO PROGRAM
ALLOWS THE USG TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF AMERICAN CITIZENS
REPRESENTED IN THE UN SYSTEM, WHILE WFP BENEFITS FROM AN
INFUSION OF NEW IDEAS, ENERGY, APPROACHES AND EXCELLENT
HUMAN RESOURCES.


4. WFP REPORTS THAT DURING THE MEETING, THE ORGANIZATION
CONFIRMED THAT IT HAS THE HIGHEST RETENTION RATE OF JPOS
WITHIN THE UN SYSTEM (67 PERCENT) AND POINTED OUT THAT USG-
FUNDED JPOS HAD A RETENTION RATE OF 100 PERCENT LAST YEAR.

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THE ROAD AHEAD
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5. IN ADDITION, ACCORDING TO WFP, THE FOLLOWING CONCRETE
STEPS WERE AGREED TO DURING THE MEETING:

- AS THE STATE DEPARTMENT'S BUREAU OF POPULATION, REFUGEE
AND MIGRATION (STATE/PRM) ALREADY FUNDS WFP JPOS,
USAID/DCHA/FFP WILL CONTACT THE BUREAU'S MS. STACI
BROTHERS-JACKSON TO REVIEW STATE/PRM'S FILE OF APPLICANTS
FOR THE PROGRAM.

- USING THIS FILE, USAID/DCHA/FFP WILL IDENTIFY A SHORTLIST
OF CANDIDATES WITH THE FOLLOWING QUALIFICATIONS: MASTERS
DEGREE, TWO UN LANGUAGES (ENGLISH AND ONE ADDITIONAL
LANGUAGE AT INTERMEDIATE LEVEL),PLUS SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE IN
NUTRITION/PUBLIC HEALTH/FOOD/DEVELOPMENT/GEOGRAPHY.

- USAID/DCHA/FFP WILL PROVIDE WFP WITH A LIST OF THE
AGENCY'S PRIORITY COUNTRIES AND ISSUE AREAS. WFP WILL USE
THIS INFORMATION IN DEVELOPING TARGETED JOB DESCRIPTIONS.
WFP UNDERSTOOD THAT VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS MAPPING AND
VULNERABLE GROUPS AFFECTED BY HIV/AIDS WERE TWO OF THE MORE
IMPORTANT PRIORITY ISSUES FOR USAID/DCHA/FFP.

- WFP WILL PROVIDE COST ESTIMATES BASED ON ACTUAL COSTS FOR

ROME 00002659 002 OF 002

POSITIONS INTO THE
CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.

- WFP WILL ACCEPT FROM USAID/DCHA/FFP EARLY PAYMENT FOR THE
USAID-FUNDED JPO POSITIONS. THIS SHOULD ALLOW
USAID/DCHA/FFP TO MEET THE DEADLINES OF ITSQSCAL BUDGET.

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COMMENT FROM THE AMBASSADOR
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6. I AM ENCOURAGED BY THE PROGRESS IN SECURING ADDITIONAL
USG-FUNDED JPOS FOR THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM FROM USAID. AS
I HAVE STATED BEFORE, INCREASING AMERICAN CITIZEN
EMPLOYMENT AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE UN SYSTEM IS A PRIORITY
NOT ONLY FOR THE IO BUREAU AND THIS MISSION, BUT ALSO FOR
THE USG AND THE U.S. CONGRESS. THIS IS A STEP FORWARD IN
MAKING THAT GOAL A REALITY. INVOLVING THE CONGRESSIONAL
HUNGER CENTER HAS PAID STRONG DIVIDENDS. I WOULD STRONGLY
ENCOURAGE THAT THE CONCERNED AGENCIES DECIDE ON A MINIMUM
LEVEL OF JPO SUPPORT FOR WFP AND BUDGET ACCORDINGLY. WFP
HAS BECOME THE PREMIER UN AGENCY IN HUMANITARIAN DISASTER
RESPONSE, A SUBJECT OF ENORMOUS IMPORTANCE TO THE UNITED
STATES. IN MY VIEW, THE USG SHOULD BE AT LEAST MATCHING
DENMARK, JAPAN AND CANADA, WHICH FUNDED 15, 13 AND 12 WFP
JPOS RESPECTIVELY IN 2003.
HALL

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2004ROME02659 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED