UNCLAS PANAMA 000524

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR IO (RACHEL LEATHAM), WHA/CEN, WHA/PPC, AND
WHA/PD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID KDEM KPAO PGOV PREL UNAUS NGO PM
SUBJECT: PANAMA: UNDEF PROJECT PROGRESS REPORT

REF: STATE 19781


1. (U) Panama's United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF)
project is ready to launch pending disbursement of the grant
funds, Foundation for the Development of Civil Liberties
Executive Director Angelica Maytin told Poloff on April 3.
The two-year project to develop a public corruption risk
index would be modeled on a similar index created by
Transparency International in Colombia. (Note: The project
sponsor, the Foundation for the Development of Civil
Liberties, is Panama's chapter of Transparency
International.) The Colombian index proved very successful,
and some of the experts who helped develop and implement that
model would participate in the Panama project, said Maytin.


2. (U) While waiting for fund disbursement, the Foundation
had worked closely with its Colombian counterparts to prepare
for the launch of the project. Once the funds were received,
the foundation would recruit personnel to coordinate the
project as well as select a firm to carry out the corruption
risk surveys to be used to form the index, said Maytin. She
estimated that, upon disbursement of the funds, the
foundation would need one month to begin work, and another
8-12 months before the first index would be published.


3. (U) Maytin said the project had met with positive
reactions by the GOP. The Foundation had reached out to the
Comptroller General's office and the Ministry of the
Presidency, and both entities agreed to cooperate with the
project, stated Maytin. The Foundation also appeared to have
a good relationship with UNDEF, although Maytin expressed
some frustration at the delay in receiving the approved
funds. Overall, the Foundation seemed to be well prepared to
implement the UNDEF project.

ARREAGA