Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BERLIN1937
2006-07-11 08:06:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Berlin
Cable title:  

GERMAN VIEWS ON S/P INITIATIVE, "PARTNERSHIP FOR

Tags:  EAID PGOV PREL KCOR KDEM KCRS KMCA KMPI GM 
pdf how-to read a cable
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 001937 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

S/P FOR TODD DEATHERAGE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2016
TAGS: EAID PGOV PREL KCOR KDEM KCRS KMCA KMPI GM
SUBJECT: GERMAN VIEWS ON S/P INITIATIVE, "PARTNERSHIP FOR
BETTER GOVERNANCE"


Classified By: EMIN Robert F. Cekuta for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 001937

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

S/P FOR TODD DEATHERAGE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2016
TAGS: EAID PGOV PREL KCOR KDEM KCRS KMCA KMPI GM
SUBJECT: GERMAN VIEWS ON S/P INITIATIVE, "PARTNERSHIP FOR
BETTER GOVERNANCE"


Classified By: EMIN Robert F. Cekuta for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: S/P Director Dr. Stephen Krasner consulted
with German officials June 29 on the "Partnership for Better
Governance" initiative (PBG). The PBG would be a
multilateral partnership to support the emergence of
democratic institutions in the developing world by
contracting to provide things like basic public services,
accountability mechanisms, and audits. Developing countries
would essentially hire the PBG either to help provide a
service, like tax collection, or to certify that a specific
state service already being provided is transparent and
effective. The goal would be to legitimate the external
provision of services and to further democratic consolidation
by offering both help and an international seal of approval
to reformers. While agreeing with Dr. Krasner that better
governance is a key to development, the German officials
raised questions about how to fit the initiative into
existing efforts, whether it would be part of current
multilateral structures or freestanding, and how to maximize
the initiative's legitimacy, especially given political
sensitivities about sovereignty in the developing world. End
Summary.

INTRODUCING THE PARTNERSHIP FOR BETTER GOVERNANCE
-------------- --------------


2. (C) S/P Director Dr. Stephen Krasner, S/P Special
Assistant Todd Deatherage, and S/P Member Philip Levy met
June 29 in Berlin with officials from the German Chancellery,
Foreign Ministry, and Development Ministry to discuss their
ideas for a Partnership for Better Governance (PBG). EMIN
and Emboff also participated in the meetings.


3. (C) Dr. Krasner explained that, in addition to our
continuing focus on elections, more needs to be done to help
consolidate democratic gains by building functioning,

transparent institutions. The PBG would coordinate and
legitimate the external provision of services that a
developing state has trouble providing, audit the delivery of
such services, and identify innovative accountability
mechanisms like citizen surveys that assess service
provision.


4. (C) The PBG could also act as a clearinghouse for
information, collecting stories about what works, propagating
best practices, and developing standards for the delivery of
state services. The idea would be to strengthen reformers in
developing countries by legitimating good governance choices.
For example, the PBG could certify that a police force met
standards of non-corruption, thereby offering a reformist
leader credible proof that his or her policies were working.


5. (C) The PBG members would be interested liberal
democracies in both the developed and developing worlds, as
well as key implementing organizations, like the UN, the
World Bank, and the IMF. The PBG would provide its services
on a contractual basis for a limited period, while
concurrently building the capacity of the developing country
to take over once the contract expires. This capacity
building function would be crucial because it would make the
developing country's progress sustainable.

INPUT FROM GERMANY
--------------


6. (C) German officials said they were open to the concept
of the PBG, but also raised several questions. These
questions fell into three broad categories.


7. (C) First, how would the PBG add value to existing good
governance efforts, both bilateral and multilateral? All of
our interlocutors pointed out that German development aid
already focuses heavily on good governance. As Foreign
Minister Steinmeier's Deputy Chief of Staff, Dieter Haller,
said, "This is something our political party foundations have
been doing for decades." Rolf Nikel, Deputy Director General
of the Chancellery, argued that much of what the PBG would do
is already being done, even if not coordinated, so Germany
would have to be convinced a new structure was necessary.
Michael Hofmann, Director General for Global Issues at the
Development Ministry, echoed this, but also saw a possible

BERLIN 00001937 002 OF 002


role for the PBG in information gathering and sharing.
Hofmann noted the development community needs more
information about good governance best practices. Markus
Ederer, Director of Policy Planning at the MFA, said it would
be important to avoid duplication of things already being
done and asked whether the PBG would be a kind of pledging
forum or a formal institution with its own capacity.


8. (C) Second, assuming a PBG is needed, would it be a new
institution or would it be embedded in an existing one? The
Development Ministry's Hofmann pointed out that the ad hoc
structure of the PBG might make it hard to integrate the
organization into the World Bank or the UN. If the PBG was
to be part of the UN, for example, then it would have to come
under the control of the "UN family," said Hofmann, which
would limit its flexibility. Several other interlocutors
pointed out, however, that creating a freestanding PBG might
lead to needless duplication of staff and technical resources.


9. (C) Third, how can we maximize the PBG's legitimacy,
especially considering sensitivities about sovereignty in the
developing world? Nikel, at the Chancellery, argued most
countries in the developing world are still very touchy about
anything that appears to limit their sovereignty. Hofmann,
at the Development Ministry, also emphasized the legitimacy
issue, noting that the topic was so sensitive, "it had taken
50 years just to reach a point where the World Bank could
start talking about good governance and corruption." Hofmann
emphasized it would be important to structure the PBG to
avoid provoking any kind of backlash in the developing world,
noting that there should be more transparency in good
governance, but that this should take the form of information
sharing among donors, rather than public efforts to shame
leaders into reforming. He added that allowing the PBG to
provide services might also be exploited by developing
country politicians who would try to blame the donor
countries if things went wrong. Hofmann also argued that the
roll-out of a possible PBG should include international
leaders who have a kind of personal legitimacy in the
developing world and that getting the right personalities
involved might be just as important as getting the right
countries to participate initially. All the interlocutors
also questioned why an ad hoc, voluntary structure would be
more legitimate than a global organization with as many
members as possible.


10. (C) Comment: The German officials Dr. Krasner met were
clearly interested in the PBG, but will need to be convinced
that such an initiative will fit well with Germany's current
development strategy. German development officials are proud
of their focus on governance and rule-of-law issues and
rarely miss an opportunity to highlight the extensive
contribution made in this field by the international offices
of Germany's political party foundations. To gain German
support, the PBG would need to be structured to accommodate
Germany's capacities and strong feelings on this issue, but
the Development Ministry in particular will be suspicious of
anything that appears to sideline the UN or World Bank.
Germany can also be expected to coordinate closely with other
big European donors, such as France, before deciding whether
to support this initiative. End Comment.


11. (U) This message was cleared with S/P after Dr.
Krasner's departure.
TIMKEN JR