OECD: PARTNERSHIP FOR DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE PDG)- COUNCIL

UNCLAS PARIS 003014 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS FROM USOECD PARIS STATE FOR E, EEB, EUR, F AND S/P, NSC FOR STEVE NEWHOUSE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON ETRD OECD SUBJECT: OECD: PARTNERSHIP FOR DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE PDG)- COUNCIL APPROVES ESTABLISHING PDG ADVISORY UNIT ¶1. (SBU) The OECD Council on July 12 agreed to the establishment at the OECD of an Advisory Unit (AU) for the proposed Partnership for Democratic Governance (PDG) The decision was taken as an "A" point - consensus having been reached prior to the Council meeting, with no discussion by Permanent Representatives. This consensus was obtained as a result of an extensive review on July 3 by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and on July 10 by the Executive Committee (ExCom) and follow-up discussions with the two countries, the Netherlands and Austria, that had maintained reserves following the ExCom deliberations. ¶2. (SBU) Next steps will be implementation of the decision, including recruitment for positions in the newly established AU, further refining of the terms of reference for the AU, and ensuring full financial support from other contributors (currently Australia and the U.S. have made formal pledges totaling 4.6 million USD, and we understand that Canada will soon announce a substantial contribution). The Secretariat hopes to complete the job descriptions and begin advertising for the AU positions by the end of July in order to ensure that the process of establishing the unit moves forward quickly in the fall when the PDG itself is rolled out. Another key element is the need to develop a public affairs element as part of the PDG rollout strategy. The Secretariat has appealed to us to coordinate the rollout to maximize the impact and clarity of our statements. ¶3. (U) USOECD wishes to express its appreciation for the excellent support provided by OECD posts in ensuring today's positive decision. Special thanks to Embassies Brussels, The Hague and Vienna whose efforts enabled us to avoid a potentially dilatory discussion in Council. We look forward to working with OECD posts as the decision is implemented in the fall and the PDG gets up and running. Morella