AMEMBASSY BELGRADE'S ROLLING POLICY AGENDA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 000897

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE, DOJ FOR CARL ALEXANDRE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AMGT KSPR SR
SUBJECT: AMEMBASSY BELGRADE'S ROLLING POLICY AGENDA

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1. (U) Summary: Embassy Belgrade's interagency process -
the "Rolling Policy Agenda" (RPA) - is the way we develop
policy, the mechanism by which we oversee foreign
assistance, and the vehicle by which we implement the
Mission Performance Plan (MPP). Centered on seven
interagency teams, each with a thematic focus closely
linked to an MPP strategic goal, the RPA ensures broad-
based participation and buy-in in decision-making,
equitable division of responsibilities among agencies, and
efficient dissemination of information. Active
participation in the RPA by the Embassy Front Office
injects discipline into the process and stimulates action.
Nearing the two-year anniversary of its implementation, the
RPA process has significantly improved inter-agency
cooperation and stimulated "bottom-up" policy initiative at
this post. End Summary.

ONE MISSION, ONE POLICY, ONE PLAN


2. (U) Two years ago, this Embassy developed the RPA to
instill better coordination among its dozen agencies in
both republics of Serbia and Montenegro. The RPA process
was envisaged as a way to brainstorm initiatives across
agency lines, to review and oversee the mission's numerous
assistance programs, and to ensure that the mission carries
out the ambitious goals it sets through the yearly MPP
process.


3. (U) The core of the RPA process consists of seven
interagency teams that represent our top Mission
priorities. Each of these teams is closely linked to an
MPP Strategic Goal. For example, the Democratization RPA
team manages work that would fall under the MPP's
"Democracy and Human Rights" Strategic Goal; the
Management, Security and Infrastructure RPA team handles
work relevant to the MPP's "Overseas and Domestic
Facilities" Strategic Goal. One exception is that three
RPA teams cover the MPP's "Regional Stability" Strategic
Goal -- one team on regional cooperation between Serbia and
Montenegro, one on addressing vulnerable regions within
Serbia, and one charged with military and defense issues.
Since all RPA teams have a public diplomacy component, they
all include representation from the Public Affairs section.

HOW IT WORKS


4. (U) Each interagency team has a Coordinator, a Deputy
Coordinator, and an Entry Level (EL) Officer who serves as
a team "secretary." All three of these delegates represent
different agencies or sections, ensuring broader
information flow and efficient division of
responsibilities. For example, the Economic Development
RPA team's coordinator is from the Economic section, the
deputy is from USAID, and the secretary is from the
Consular Section. Each secretary is assigned to a team
that is outside his or her normal portfolio in order to
provide our EL officers broader exposure to the work of the
mission, experience in inter-agency policy-making, and
regular interaction with the Ambassador. In addition to
these standing RPA "officers," other American and local
employees of the Mission with an interest or role in the
subject matter handled by the RPA team participate in its
work. Membership is flexible and adapted to the projects
at hand.


5. (U) RPA teams meet for one hour with the Ambassador and
Deputy Chief of Mission once every seven weeks (on a weekly
rotating basis) to review policy and make recommendations.
While these meetings take place at the Embassy, members
from the Consulate in Podgorica participate via DVC. The
teams also meet on an ad-hoc basis between these sessions
to brainstorm, prepare agendas for the coming weeks, review
policy or assistance issues, and agree on recommendations
for the Front Office.

BOTTOM-UP APPROACH


6. (U) One of the positive results of the RPA process is
that it has created a dynamic bottom-up approach to policy
within the mission. The RPA process depends on the active
participation and expertise of officers, specialists and
locally employed staff (who are encouraged to participate
actively) within the mission. It eliminates barriers
between agencies, establishes buy-in from the working-level
at the earliest stages, and provides the Front Office with
well-formulated policy recommendations that have already
been fully coordinated among our various agencies. The RPA
process also injects discipline into the MPP process -- the
MPP has become a living document, one that the RPA teams
design, implement, and update throughout the year. By the

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time MPP season arrives, RPA teams have by and large
determined the mission's goals and strategies through their
agendas and policy decisions. The secretaries produce
concise records of decisions made by the RPA teams, which
are then placed in "shared folders" accessible to employees
throughout the Mission.

RPA SUCCESSES


7. (U) The RPA has worked well at this post, and we can
point to dozens of concrete success stories. Of great help
has been the RPA teams' review and preparation of our
annual assistance budgets and their oversight of all new
significant assistance initiatives in both republics of
SAM. We can cite other recent successes as well. The Rule
of Law RPA team, which tackles issues within the MPP's "Law
Enforcement and Judicial Systems" Strategic Goal, has had
several recent successes. This RPA coordinated policy on a
high-profile murder case of three American-citizen
brothers. Drawing on members' expertise, particularly from
the Consular section and the Department of Justice, the
team synchronized its efforts to communicate with the
American family and to move the investigation and legal
case forward. The RPA team also created a special working
group to coordinate the mission's anti-corruption efforts;
the group brings together members from the Economic,
Political and Consular sections, USAID, and the Department
of Justice's Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development,
Assistance and Training (OPDAT). These are just some
examples of the RPAs' interagency efforts at work.

POLT