SOMALIA -- SPECIAL SELF-HELP AND DEMOCRACY, HUMAN

UNCLAS NAIROBI 003620 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/E, AF/EPS, AF/RSA STATE PAS USAID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PGOV PREL PHUM SO KE SUBJECT: SOMALIA -- SPECIAL SELF-HELP AND DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS FUNDS: SUSPENSION OF PROGRAMS ¶1. The Regional Financial Management Center (USAID/Nairobi) has received budget allowance cables for $58,000 to fund the Somalia Self-Help (SSH) Program, and $30,000 to fund the Democracy and Human Rights Fund (DHRF) Program, for FY 2005. ¶2. Mission has over the past several years been unable to satisfactorily implement these programs for several reasons, including the following: limited or no access to Somalia, due to the high level of threat from terrorist organizations, to allow for proposal solicitation and assessment, recipient and project monitoring, and end-of- project evaluation and financial accounting purposes; lack of banking or funds transfer systems for financial implementation; and insufficient staff resources dedicated to Somalia at Embassy Nairobi. This combination of challenging factors has resulted in inadequate accountability. ¶3. At the current time, official accounting records are reflecting $78,092.31 in unaccounted-for funds relating to advances given to recipients during the past three fiscal years. The lack of accountability does not meet US Government minimum standards, and the challenges cited above, unlikely to be mitigated in the foreseeable future, will mean that these minimum standards will not be met with any future allocations of funds. ¶4. We hereby officially request that funds for the current year, totaling $88,000, be de-allowed back to the Bureau to be made available for other SSH and DHRF programs. In addition, until the environment in Somalia changes and Mission's ability for program implementation, monitoring and evaluation improves, we are suspending the Somalia SSH and DHRF programs. BELLAMY