NOMINATING REGIONAL IVP CANDIDATES IN SUPPORT OF

UNCLAS WELLINGTON 000461 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/FO, EAP/ANP, EAP/PD, ECA/PE/VRF, IIP/G/EA, R E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL OEXC SCUL KPAO NZ XV SUBJECT: NOMINATING REGIONAL IVP CANDIDATES IN SUPPORT OF SHARED OBJECTIVES IN THE PACIFIC ¶1. (SBU) A recent sub-PCC in Washington explored ways to enhance USG work in the Pacific Islands. U.S. influence in the Pacific is greatly constrained by a lack of public diplomacy resources, including very limited exchange opportunities. U.S. policies on global terrorism, good governance, the development of democratic institutions, climate change, and trade and economic development are often poorly understood, especially by mid-level officials who have had little exposure to the U.S. Yet the region's nations have twelve votes in the UNGA and in other important fora. ¶2. (SBU) Embassies Wellington, Canberra, Apia, Port Moresby and Suva believe that our outreach to the region would be greatly enhanced if the Department were to allocate more U.S. International Visitor program slots to our posts. Embassies Canberra and Wellington would devote the new slots to programs for host government officials, NGOs, and academics who work on Pacific Island issues. This would enhance their capabilities as well as increase our partnership with Australia and New Zealand in the PICs. For Suva and Port Moresby, which normally receive only 2 IV slots between them, the additional candidates would be drawn from future leaders and other candidates best able to help foster democratization, the rule of law, fiscal responsibility, environmental policies and economic development in Fiji, PNG, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and other PICs. ¶3. (SBU) ECA should also consider designing a Regional Program (RP) for PIC participants. While there is certainly great diversity among the needs of Pacific Island countries (which in turn affects these countries' bilateral relationship with the U.S.),they have many issues in common. Examples include capacity problems due to acute population pressures, lack of good governance tools and structures, disproportionate exposure to natural disasters and disease, and fragile economic structures relying on a very limited supply and range of endangered natural resources (principally fisheries). Regional Programs could introduce up and coming leaders in the PICs to U.S. approaches to these critical problems. Regionally-oriented programs would enhance cooperation with the U.S. and Australian and New Zealand participants in the program and help focus cooperation among the PICs on areas especially important to the United States. ¶4. (U) We see these proposals as a first step to an enhanced, cooperative program of "Transformational Diplomacy in the Pacific Islands." Posts will offer further ideas in future reporting on how we may better reach this overall goal. ¶5. (U) Embassies Canberra, Port Moresby, and Suva have participated in the drafting of this cable. McCormick