TANZANIA: PRESIDENT'S HUMAN RIGHTS ROUNDTABLE AT

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 001287 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT AF/E FOR B OJIKUTU, AF/RSA FOR MHARPOLE ALSO FOR G, DRL/SEA AND NSC/DEMOC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV TZ SUBJECT: TANZANIA: PRESIDENT'S HUMAN RIGHTS ROUNDTABLE AT 2007 UNGA REF: A. STATE 125456 ¶B. DAR ES SALAAM 01267 ¶C. STATE 108924 ¶D. STATE 088465 Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) Integrated into the Democracy and Good Governance goal of post's Mission Strategic Plan is the advancement of human rights, through efforts to establish a more accountable, representative and effective government based on rule of law, transparency and democratic pluralism. To advance this strategy, Post has worked to facilitate the Government of Tanzania's efforts to reduce corruption, promote parliamentary independence, increase the capacity of civil society and increase awareness of protection of human rights, and the prevention of child labor and trafficking in persons. Mission Programs Promoting Human Rights -------------- ¶2. (U) In implementing USG-funded programs in country, the Mission partners with NGOs, community-based organizations and the Tanzanian government. These ongoing programs include: -- a multi-year project administered through NGOs to strengthen the Parliament's representative, lawmaking and oversight functions; -- a women's leadership workshop within the Parliament to increase the capacity of female government leaders; -- civic education programs for 1,000 citizens of Zanzibar and to hundreds of Masai women in northern Tanzania. -- increasing the effectiveness of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau through leadership training with the New York City Department of Investigation; -- implementing public expenditure tracking systems in eleven districts of Tanzania, enabling citizens to hold government accountable for public services. -- partnering with International Labor Organization (ILO) projects to withdraw children from exploitative labor situations. -- partnering with Government of Tanzania (GOT) officials and NGOs to raise awareness about trafficking in persons and encourage the prosecution of traffickers. -- Post's annual Democracy and Human Rights Fund program distributes small grants to local NGOs or community organizations. Examples include: musical programs and plays in villages aimed to prevent the recruitment of minors into child labor or trafficking situations, programs developing conflict resolution strategies with women from diverse political parties and radio programs to promote human rights. Public Diplomacy -------------- ¶3. (U) Ongoing public diplomacy initiatives to advance human rights include: -- support to the Government of Tanzania's anti-corruption efforts through workshops for government officials and journalists on the importance of "whistle blower" protection. -- enhancing the investigative skills of journalists through training workshops, round table discussions and the International Visitor Leadership Program. -- maintaining a frank dialogue with the local media associations on how press freedoms and responsibilities could be enhanced. -- publicizing the guiding principles on NGOs announced on Human Rights Day 2006 through press releases and interviews. GOT Human Democracy and Human Rights Priorities -------------- --- ¶4. (U) Tanzania's overall human rights record remains poor, with abuses occurring in past years by prison guards and the police, and with corruption in the judicial system not allowing human rights cases to be fully prosecuted. Also, freedom of the press has recently been limited through the passage of an Anti Corruption law in February 2007 that included a clause not allowing journalists to publish the names of persons who are under investigation or who might be investigated by the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB). ¶5. (U) The GOT encourages civic education among all voters--men, women and disabled persons. While the general elections on the Mainland in December 2005 were deemed fair by international observers, the October 2005 elections on the isles of Zanzibar to elect a president and members of the House of Representatives were marred by serious irregularities and violence. ¶6. (U) In 2003, the Government of Tanzania established a Human Rights Commission by statute and appointed a commissioner in 2004. Post supported the fledgling commission with a grant to purchase law books for the Commission's Human Rights library. The quasi-independent Commission is empowered to investigate alleged human rights abuses on the Mainland. In 2006, the law was amended by Parliament to extend the authority of the Human Rights Commission to the semi-autonomous isles of Zanzibar, thus opening a new chapter in the monitoring of human rights throughout the country. ¶7. (SBU) We are increasingly concerned by lack of will to fight corruption and recent steps to undercut voices in the press and the Parliament speaking out on corruption. The Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau, purportedly the government's most important instrument in the fight against corruption, sent a letter recently to the media threatening to apply a provision in the new Anti-Corruption Act that punishes (with fines and imprisonment) anyone who knows someone is being investigated. In a country with pervasive corruption, almost any level of any ministry can reasonably be suspected of being under investigation for corruption. The result has been a distinct chilling effect on investigative reporting and corruption stories in the press. ¶8. (SBU) At the same time, opposition members in Parliament have suffered draconian and arguably unconstitutional punishment for speaking out against corruption, with one MP banished for over four months from Parliament for calling for corruption investigations (Ref B). Government efforts to clamp down on the two principal means in this society for putting the spotlight on corruption--the press and Parliament--must become an increasingly prominent piece in our dialogue. GREEN