DARFUR - NGOS REQUEST USAID/OFDA ASSISTANCE TO EXPAND UN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000765 SIPDIS AIDAC SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/SPG, PRM, AND ALSO PASS USAID/W USAID FOR DCHA SUDAN TEAM, AFR/SP NAIROBI FOR SFO NSC FOR PMARCHAM, MMAGAN, AND TSHORTLEY ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU USUN FOR TMALY BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI SU SUBJECT: DARFUR - NGOS REQUEST USAID/OFDA ASSISTANCE TO EXPAND UN OPERATIONS KHARTOUM 00000765 001.2 OF 002 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- (U) The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS),and the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) provide crucial services to the non-governmental organization (NGO) community and enable the humanitarian response in Darfur. During the visit of the Director of USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) to Darfur, NGOs identified several areas where USAID/OFDA assistance could assist in expanding individual UN agency programs. USAID/OFDA plans to review the NGO's requests and encourage other donors to contribute to these critical UN programs. End Summary. -------------- WANTED: EXPANSION OF OCHA PRESENCE -------------- ¶1. (U) In an April 22 meeting with the Khartoum-based NGO Steering Committee, NGOs stated that as long as OCHA does not have a presence in areas outside of the Darfur state capitals it will not be able to sufficiently serve as a buffer between the Sudanese government and the NGOs. Currently, OCHA has offices in El Fasher, El Geneina, and Nyala but does not have staff based in areas outside the state capitals. According to NGOs, this limited presence diminishes OCHA's ability to coordinate the humanitarian response. In the meeting, NGOs agreed that a weekly or biweekly rotation of OCHA staff to areas outside the state capitals would be sufficient to establish relations with local authorities, monitor conditions affecting relief organizations, and coordinate interagency assessment trips to rural areas. The USAID/OFDA Director requested that the NGO Steering Committee submit their list of priority sites for regular OCHA visits to the USAID/OFDA staff in Khartoum who would then discuss the list with OCHA. ¶2. (U) The USAID/OFDA Director also met with OCHA representatives in all three Darfur state capitals. In North and West Darfur states, OCHA emphasized the difficulty in establishing remote offices due to UN safety and security requirements for offices and compounds. In South Darfur, OCHA stated that plans to open offices in Kass, Gereida, and Ed Daein were postponed after the security incidents in Gereida and ongoing insecurity in other areas of South Darfur. OCHA had planned to set up an office with one expatriate staff, one national staff, and two vehicles in these locations. According to OCHA/Khartoum, a major constraint to expanding OCHA presence is staffing. OCHA/Khartoum told the USAID/OFDA Director that in its four offices, one-third of all staff are seconded from other agencies. OCHA has 25 international seconded staff and 40 core staff and national staff dedicated to Darfur operations. OCHA/Khartoum also indicated that their funding for 2007, with an estimated USD 9 million budget, is still uncertain. In Fiscal Year 2006, USAID/OFDA provided USD 3 million towards OCHA's USD 6 million total budget for Darfur. -------------- -------------- UNHAS: DONOR SUPPORT NEEDED TO UNCLOG BOTTLENECK ROUTES -------------- -------------- ¶3. (U) As humanitarian space continues to shrink, humanitarian agencies are dependent on air transport, particularly helicopter routes from state capitals to internally displaced person (IDP) settlements in remote areas. The USAID/OFDA Director met with NGOs in Darfur to assess the effectiveness of UNHAS services, which USAID/OFDA funds. NGOs in all three states noted that the current helicopter routes were insufficient to adequately staff and supply offices in remote areas in addition to accessing new areas of need. USAID/OFDA staff note that revising the current UNHAS helicopter and fixed wing aircraft schedule may be enough to improve access to the areas NGOs need to visit regularly, but would still not allow NGOs to reach areas in Jebel Marra during the hot season that require a particular type of helicopter to assure safe lift-off. The USAID/OFDA Director requested that NGOs compile a list of bottleneck routes that could be supported with additional helicopter resources or a revised UNHAS schedule that accommodates the identified needs. ¶4. (U) The USAID/OFDA Director notes that while investing in air transport is expensive, it is crucial to maintaining operations in Darfur, particularly in underserved areas outside of the state capitals. Maintaining humanitarian services in remote areas will prevent IDPs from migrating into the already crowded urban centers in Darfur, and avert additional stress on the town infrastructure, KHARTOUM 00000765 002.4 OF 002 water tables, and natural resources. -------------- UNDSS: NGO SECURITY LIASON NEEDED -------------- ¶5. (U) UNDSS provides biweekly security briefings, security assessments and analysis, and crisis management to the NGO community. However, NGOs report that the briefings vary in quality, lack analysis, and provide unclear instructions for field operations. In addition, NGOs cited the need to establish personal relationships with the UNDSS officers in order to ensure that they have a reliable channel of communication. To address these ongoing problems, the NGOs requested that UNDSS deploy a security officer dedicated to liaising with NGOs. USAID/OFDA understands that UNDSS has already hired a staff person to serve as the NGO liaison. -------------- USAID/OFDA NEXT STEPS -------------- ¶6. (U) The UN continues to play a critical role in humanitarian operations in Darfur. Without the services being provided by OCHA, UNDSS, and UNHAS the humanitarian operation in Darfur would essentially come to a halt. USAID/OFDA stands ready to assist the UN to continue operations that enable the NGOs to implement life-saving programs and expand operations to meet the growing humanitarian needs in Darfur. ¶7. (U) USAID/OFDA will review NGO requests for priority sites to establish an OCHA presence and will discuss this list with OCHA in the coming weeks. USAID/OFDA will also review the NGO list of bottleneck routes for UNHAS and discuss options with UNHAS to expand operations or adjust flight schedules. USAID/OFDA plans to review funding for UNDSS and work with the agency to facilitate the deployment of an NGO security liaison. POWERS