UNMIN CHIEF MARTIN ASKS FOR U.S. HELP WITH HIS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 000615 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/22/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV UN NP SUBJECT: UNMIN CHIEF MARTIN ASKS FOR U.S. HELP WITH HIS BUDGET Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) In a recent meeting with the Ambassador, UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) Chief Ian Martin asked for U.S. assistance in restoring cuts the UN's Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions (ACABQ) had made in UNMIN's budget. The cuts would eliminate nearly half of UNMIN's planned civil affairs officers in the field. Martin suggested, and Tamrat Samuel from the UN Department of Political Affairs in New York seconded, that the cuts could come from elsewhere in UNMIN's budget and asked for U.S. support in the Fifth Committee to have the posts restored. The Ambassador recognized the importance of UNMIN field deployment and agreed to ask Washington to support the request. Martin Concerned About Cuts In UNMIN's Draft Budget -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Ian Martin, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Representative and head of the United Nations Mission in Nepal, recently asked the Ambassador for U.S. help in having certain cuts in UNMIN's budget restored. Martin's original funding request had been for USD 91,523,300. After a meeting in New York of the ACABQ, which Martin had attended, the Advisory Committee had recommended a total that was approximately USD 3 million less (USD 88,822,000). Overall, Martin said he was pleased with the budget. He recognized it was the job of the ACABQ to find savings. His difficulty was with the Advisory Committee's decision to cut the number of civil affairs officers in the field from 25 to 10. Martin stated he knew that he did not need to convince the Ambassador of the importance of UNMIN having a robust presence in the field as Nepal prepared for Constituent Assembly elections. U.S. Help Requested -------------- ¶3. (C) The UNMIN Chief suggested, and Tamrat Samuel from the UN Department of Political Affairs in New York (who was present along with Martin's political advisor John Norris) seconded, that the cuts could come out of other areas of UNMIN's proposed budget. He planned to pass on several suggestions in that regard, to include elimination of certain office equipment, to UN Headquarters. In the meantime, he requested that the Ambassador convey Martin's concern about the cuts and resulting limits on UNMIN field deployment to the Department. Martin noted that the U.S. was represented in the Fifth Committee, which was charged with reviewing the ACABQ decision. The Ambassador agreed that maximizing UNMIN field deployment was important to the ongoing peace process and agreed to convey the request. Comment -------------- ¶4. (C) Mission Kathmandu understands that the Fifth Committee is favorably inclined toward Martin's proposals, which would field as many UNMIN personnel as possible. A robust UNMIN presence on the ground is a critical element of UN support to Nepal's peace process. MORIARTY