IDLO ASSEMBLY OF STATES MEETING: JUNE 28, 2005

UNCLAS ROME 002308

SIPDIS


FROM THE U.S. MISSION TO THE UN AGENCIES IN ROME

IO/S FOR LISA SPRATT AND IO/EDA FOR SHARON KOTOK
USAID FOR GC/HAIMAN
CAIRO FOR USAID DIRECTOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID AORC KJUS KISL IDLO
SUBJECT: IDLO ASSEMBLY OF STATES MEETING: JUNE 28, 2005


1. Summary: the International Development Law
Organization (IDLO) held its triennial Assembly of States
meeting on June 28. Among the resolutions and
recommendations adopted, one changed the frequency of
meetings to biennial vice triennial, while another called
upon member states to examine the possibility of regular
contributions to the core budget of the organization.
France was elected chair of the next Assembly (2007).
End summary.


2. The International Development Law Organization held
its triennial Assembly of States meeting on June 28. The
meeting, held on the premises of the Food & Agriculture
Organization (FAO),was attended by 17 of the 18 member
states. After the adoption of the agenda, opening
addresses were given by the Chair of the Assembly
(Austria),the Chair of the Board of Directors (a retired
AmCit lawyer) and by IDLO Director General William (Bill)
Loris. Included in the morning session was a review of
an external evaluation of IDLO, carried out in 2004 by a
Swedish management consultant and a Norwegian law
professor and based on a 2004 request of NORAD (Norwegian
aid agency) and SIDA (Swedish aid agency).


3. The idea behind the evaluation was to "assess the
relevance and quality" of IDLO programs with a view
toward providing a basis for the future direction of the
organization. Basic conclusions were that IDLO has been
expanding for the last few years and needs to do a better
job of defining itself, its 'market' and what it wants to
accomplish. That type of focus adds the benefit of
making the organization more attractive to potential
donors. Loris responded to the evaluation in his
presentation of IDLO's strategy paper for the years 2005

2007. IDLO has already made some strides through
strategic planning and a SWOT analysis, Loris said. They
will continue to concentrate on rule of law issues, good
governance and other goals of the Millennium Declaration,
specifically judicial reform, business, commercial and
financial law, and public international trade and
intellectual property law. IDLO will also focus on how
to channel the organization's strengths and intellectual
expertise through the use of other "delivery mechanisms"
(distance learning, etc.) thereby expanding their reach
and reputation. Naturally, Loris said, this will take
resources in addition to strategic planning, in order to
build an efficient and effective infrastructure.


4. The presentation of the organization's finances
provided a picture of expansion, both in revenues as well
as expenses. The overall budget for 2005 is
approximately seven million dollars. Revenues exceeded
expenses for the three years 2002 2004, but IDLO will
show a slight deficit for 2005. The deficit does not
take into account any spending from the endowment fund,
currently valued at about 15 million dollars (the
endowment received a hefty $2 million donation in 2004
from the Gates Foundation). Revenues continue to grow as
do expenses as the organization expands its mission.
About two thirds of the revenues are program-specific,
with about one-third unrestricted. That balance and the
organization's perceived need for more core
(unrestricted) funding were emphasized during the budget
presentation and throughout the day (see para 6 below
regarding the Italian proposal for assessed
contributions). IDLO will also continue to solicit
donations from both inside and outside government
(including individuals and corporations).


5. The Assembly adopted three resolutions calling on IDLO
to focus its efforts in support of the Millennium
Declaration (including USDEL-suggested wording changes
which put the focus on the Declaration rather than the
unadopted Millennium Development Goals); calling on the
UN to seek ways to cooperate with IDLO and take advantage
of the organization's expertise; and calling on IDLO to
report the details of all non-governmental contributions.
A fourth resolution was adopted which increases the
frequency of Assembly meetings from once every three
years to once every two years. The Assembly briefly
debated a French proposal for annual meetings before
deciding on a biennial approach (USDEL supported biennial
meetings). The Assembly also adopted four
recommendations: laying out a set of principles for legal
and technical assistance; expressing support for IDLO
alumni associations; encouraging states to become member
nations of IDLO; and encouraging Egyptian and Australian
support for the IDLO training centers in Cairo and

Sydney.


6. Finally, the Assembly adopted two declarations. The
first was simply an expression of thanks to IDLO
supporters. The second, a late addition from the Italian
delegation, was a proposal for member states to study the
possibility of regular, assessed contributions. The
draft included a categorization table ranging from a
minimum contribution of less than 100,000 euros for some
states to a maximum of over 500,000. USDEL, supported by
Australia and others, spoke against the proposal and
reiterated U.S. support of program-specific funding while
recognizing the valuable work of the organization.
Compromise language was eventually agreed on, deleting
the entire second article of the declaration (which
contained the categorization table) and asking only that
states 'examine the possibility' of making a regular
contribution to IDLO, something that the Department is
already doing.


7. France, the only candidate, was elected Chair of the
next Assembly in 2007. Georgia was admitted as a new
member state.


8. Comment: given the importance now given in the
development community to rule of law and good governance
and considering the growth of IDLO over the past few
years, triennial meetings are far too infrequent to exert
any member state influence over the day to day operations
of the organization. We can envision a day (soon) when
the Assembly will meet at least annually.
Notwithstanding IDLO's repeated appeals for additional
unrestricted funding, the organization is in better
financial shape than most comparable intergovernmental
bodies. In addition, the 2004 external evaluation helped
the organization to focus on its core values and mission.
As a result, IDLO has both feet firmly planted on the
bandwagon of the Millennium Declaration goals,
particularly those focused on rule of law and good
governance. Program successes, particularly in
Afghanistan (post-Taliban training of judicial sector
personnel),have brought the organization increased
notoriety and resources. We believe IDLO could be a
valuable partner in the promotion of U.S. foreign policy
goals related to development.

CLEVERLEY


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2005ROME02308 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED