REVIEW OF FAO's EMERGENCY PROGRAMS

UNCLAS ROME 000877

SIPDIS


FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME

STATE FOR IO/EDA
USAID FOR DCHA, OFDA GOTTLIEB AND LAURA POWERS


USDA FOR FAS HUGHES
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH/USAID
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER
USEUCOM FOR ECJ4

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID EAGR PREF SENV UN FAO
SUBJECT: REVIEW OF FAO's EMERGENCY PROGRAMS

REF: (A) 04 ROME 1370, (B) 04 ROME 2298, AND (C) 05 ROME
0764


1. Summary. At a March 1 briefing, FAO's assistant
director general for technical cooperation, Henri
Carsalade gave a general review of FAO's programs in 2004
and challenges for 2005. He also provided an update on
FAO's continuing efforts to control desert locusts in
north and west Africa, funding requirements, the avian
flu situation, and FAO's response to the tsunami. FAO
raised some $229 million in 2004 for its emergency
programs only five years earlier its budget was $15
million. We believe that FAO has a special niche, with
technical and coordination expertise to facilitate the
transition from relief to rehabilitation in acute and
complex emergencies, but its systems for emergency work
are struggling to catch up with its broadening mandate
and growing programs. End Summary.


2. Carsalade opened the briefing to donor permreps by
stating that funding for emergencies in 2004 reached its
highest level ever at $229 million more than three
times the level of funding in 2003. FAO played an active
role in responding to three key emergencies: the desert
locust crisis, the avian flu, and the tsunami. FAO's
response to these acute emergencies and ongoing complex
emergencies, primarily in Africa, has been more creative
than past interventions where FAO delivered seeds and
tools, he said. This has required closer cooperation
between FAO's Emergency Division and its technical
l
divisions. FAO recently signed a memorandum of
understanding with Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP)
to take advantage of the latter organization's expertise
in logistics and field operations. After six months of
delay, FAO has put on line a Financial Project Management
Information System, a web-based system that records
current financial information on emergency activities.
It has also put forward in November 2004 a proposal to
increase its revolving emergency fund (SFERA Special
Fund for Emergency and Relief Activities) from $2 million
to $20 million and an emergency trust fund of $80
million. (Note: The difference between the two funds is
that the former would be used to get emergency operations
underway in advance of any donor commitments, whereas the
latter is used after commitments are made but before
funds land in the bank. A separate cable will be
prepared that reports on proposed and actual changes
within FAO to improve emergency operations. End note.)


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FAO's Emergency Programs: Expanding and Diversifying
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3. Anne Bauer, director of FAO's emergency division, gave
more details on funding. FAO's ongoing emergency
operations portfolio is valued at $277 million, of which
$229 million has been received from donors. The largest
donor is the European Commission, mainly for desert
locust operations. In 2004, the USG contributed $8.8
million toward FAO's programs, and in terms of overall
funding was not a major contributor. Nearly 55 percent
of the portfolio is targeted toward relief programs in
Africa. FAO's mandate in responding to emergencies has
grown from solely providing inputs to a more holistic
response to complex emergencies and rehabilitation with
the goal of protecting and restoring agricultural
livelihoods and exiting from emergency food aid.


4. To illustrate the diversity of FAO's programs, Ms.
Bauer cited a few examples. In Iraq, FAO is the lead UN
agency for agriculture and water resources and FAO's
emergency unit has a $35 million program to restore
veterinary services for livestock and improve irrigation.
Working with UNDP, FAO is helping to integrate former
combatants into agricultural programs in Afghanistan.
Protection of livelihoods is the main focus of its
program in Sudan, though FAO is also collaborating on a
Dutch-financed land rights program. FAO sent rapid
response missions to the Caribbean in the aftermath of
the hurricanes of 2004. With donor funding, FAO provided
boats, seeds, fertilizer, and tools to the most needy in

Haiti and Grenada. FAO is adjusting its programming in
southern Africa to be more relevant to the needs of those
afflicted with HIV/AIDS. For example, FAO is starting a
junior farming program in schools and programs in general
that teach labor conservation methods in agriculture.


5. When questioned on further information on WFPFAO
cooperation, Carsalade highlighted how the operations for
the two agencies complement each other. He explained
that over the last three years much effort was devoted to
defining the principles of cooperation. FAO needs to do
a better job of tapping into WFP's "formidable" logistics
capability, he added. In the past, it wasn't a concern,
but as FAO's role in emergencies evolved into larger and
different programs, cooperation using WFP's services has
become a necessity. Together the two organizations
identified 100 150 areas for cooperation.


6. For 2005, FAO's components of the UN's $1.7 billion
consolidated appeal amount to $145.4 million, for largely
forgotten complex emergencies in fourteen countries, most
of which are in Africa. To date, FAO has received no
pledges from donors for programs in Chad, Congo,
Ethiopia, Guinea, and Eritrea, using the briefing as a
forum to request pledges from donors for those
emergencies.

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Locust Forecast for Sahel and Maghreb
--------------


7. Technical experts from FAO's plant and animal
protection department gave an upbeat prognosis on the
desert locust situation in 2005. In describing the
worst-case scenario one in which weather was favorable
(rain and warmth) and control operations ineffective
the invasion later this spring would be much less than
last year. Favorable weather conditions (for the
locusts) have not materialized, however. Control
operations are on track, as FAO, the affected countries,
and donors have had a year to get things right. (For
more on desert locust operations, please refer to ROME
0764.)

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Avian Flu: Outlook for 2005
--------------


8. The outlook for the Avian Flu in 2005 is not
favorable. Outbreaks have occurred in ten countries,
which will soon have significant economic and social
impact. Needs to control the outbreaks are estimated in
the $100 million range. FAO, as the lead agency in
combating the Avian Flu, has programmed $7.5 million for
18 projects, with funding coming from its own technical
cooperation program and from donors. The greatest
concern is preventing it from turning into a pandemic.


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Tsunami Relief Program and Action to Date

SIPDIS
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9. The current funding situation for FAO's tsunami-relief
programs is sufficient. FAO received $35 million in
pledges ands funds for a proposed $28 million program.
Its main emphasis is helping restore lost livelihoods of
the surviving victims by coordinating relief efforts
among NGOs and governments, helping governments
prioritize their own projects, and providing direct
assistance (e.g. repairing boats, restocking fish ponds,
etc.). In two months, FAO has deployed 70 technical
experts to the region, purchased and distributed seeds,
purchased fisheries equipment, which is expected to
arrive in the region later this month, and contributed
toward developing an early warning system. Carsalade
stated FAO's response to the tsunami crisis drew on all
of its capacity to act more quickly than ever before
drawing on the experience it gained from other recent
crises.

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Comment
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10. This presentation to donors of emergency programs was
overdue (the last presentation was in March 2004),but as
one senior FAO official put it, "it was impossible to
hold it earlier as we had crisis upon crisis to deal
with." FAO's emergency unit has grown to become FAO's
largest division. Only five years ago its budget was
less than $15 million; in 2004 it was $229 million.
After the event, Carsalade admitted that his division was
indeed experiencing some very real growing pains, but
added that they were being addressed. Emergency response
requires a new mindset for FAO, and as important, new
systems and procedures. With the attention of FAO's
director general focused on improving the organization's
emergency operations - arguably FAO's most visible
programs - we have observed other support departments
pulled into the reform process.


11. The briefing and program review highlighted another
issue that needs further exploration: what is the most
appropriate role for FAO in emergencies? While the UN
emergency relief and humanitarian organizations move
toward joint services, FAO is building up its operational
capacity. In doing so, is FAO in some respects building
redundant capacity, or is it indeed performing
complementary functions badly needed? Traditionally,
many have thought that FAO's strengths lay in providing
technical advisors, coordinating with NGOs and providing
programmatic leadership, and helping governments
prioritize. We will want to assess how effectively FAO
is administering its rapidly growing emergency
operations. The results have been less than optimal in
FAO's initial operations confronting the locust crisis.

HALL


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2005ROME00877 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED