TANZANIA'S 2005 DHRF ALLOCATION REQUEST

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000188

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/RA, AF/E
PLEASE PASS USAID FOR AFR/SD/DG

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID TZ
SUBJECT: TANZANIA'S 2005 DHRF ALLOCATION REQUEST

REF: STATE 4389


1. Summary: Embassy Dar es Salaam's Democracy Team requests
an allocation of 50,000 USDOLS to fund DHRF programs in
FY05. 2005 is an election year in Tanzania, so Embassy Dar
es Salaam should be a strong voice promoting continued
democratization. Our support for civic and voter education
programs is especially crucial in this election year, even
as we maintain our longstanding support for human rights and
good governance.


2. Multiparty democracy is still new in Tanzania and
therefore the stakes will be very high in the October 2005
general elections, when every elective office in the country
will be in play, and a new president will be chosen.
(Incumbent President Mkapa is constitutionally barred from
running again.) There is a history of election-related
conflict in the semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago.
Hence, much of our electoral assistance, funded through ESF,
and that of other donors, has focused on Zanzibar. DHRF has
given us the flexibility to address other crucial
democratization needs that might otherwise have been
neglected, particularly on mainland Tanzania. One FY04 DHRF
grantee will be holding workshops in Dar es Salaam for
religious leaders on civic and peace education. Another FY
04 DHRF grantee sponsored legal and human rights education
for the blind and visually impaired. If FY 05 funding could
be made available quickly, we might be able to fund projects
supporting voter education, prior to the October 30
elections. However, timing is an issue.


3. While Tanzania faces a short-term, extraordinary need for
electoral assistance, longstanding, intractable human rights
issues also persist. We would like to fund a proposal to
establish a public research library committed to the
protection and promotion of human rights and principles of
good governance; Tanzanian human rights organizations still
lack an information base. We would also like to fund
programs to help the media enhance their knowledge on issues
pertaining to democracy, human rights and good governance.
Another option is to build on recent DHRF programs that have
used theater projects to educate rural communities about the
dangers of Female Genital Mutilation.


4. We understand that DHRF funding is extremely limited.
Embassy Dar es Salaam has funded successful programs with
previous year DHRF allocations. We have the opportunity to
build on these past successes; this year we also have the
unique opportunity to strengthen democratic institutions and
civic education in advance of the 2005 elections. At the
very least, Embassy Dar es Salaam seeks to maintain this
program at past levels of funding, with no reductions. For
these reasons, the Mission Democracy Team requests a FY05
DHRF allocation of 50,000 USDOLS.

OWEN