CARITAS COMMITTED TO DPRK OPERATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000055

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT. FOR EUR/WE LARREA, DRL/IRF HEWETT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/15/2017
TAGS: SOCI KN KS XB PHUM KIRF VT
SUBJECT: CARITAS COMMITTED TO DPRK OPERATIONS

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CLASSIFIED BY: Peter G. Martin, POL/ECON CHIEF, VATICAN, STATE.

REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
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Summary
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1. (C) The Holy See's aid and development agency, Caritas
International, is committed to its programs in North Korea.
Caritas South Korea has assumed control of the program from
Caritas Hong Kong and is slowly overcoming transition problems.
Since 1995, some US$33 million has been spent on Caritas' DPRK
projects which include feeding programs and capacity building
for agriculture. DPRK officials have allowed Caritas to monitor
its programs ensuring transparency. Donor fatigue has slowed up
donations to Caritas appeals for North Korea. Caritas
International is preparing for eventual reunification of the
Korean peninsula. Caritas staff members are a good source of
information on the general situation of the population in the
DPRK.

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DPRK Programs by Koreans for Koreans
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2. (C) Filipino Father Cesario Sanedrin, Caritas International
(CI) officer in charge of Asia and Oceania (protect throughout),
said despite difficulties with the transfer of operations from
Caritas Hong Kong to Caritas South Korea (CSK),those in the
DPRK who relied on Caritas aid "would not be abandoned."
Sanedrin said that CI's operations in the DPRK had been the
personal domain of former Caritas Hong Kong staffer, Kathi
Zellweger. Zellweger now works in Pyongyang for the Swiss
Agency for Development and Cooperation. Her departure and the
transfer of responsibility for CI's DPRK program to CSK
threatened to scuttle operations in the north.


3. (C) Sanedrin said a recent change in the management at CSK
had aggravated the situation regarding CI work in the DPRK. The
former director had excellent contacts in the north and had
overseen several projects. Also problematic was the lack of
English-language skills among CSK staffers. Sanedrin said this
precluded efficient communication with other international aid
agencies and with CI headquarters at the Vatican. In an attempt
to remedy the situation, CI has asked Caritas Germany to send an
officer to CSK for a 6-month secondment. Further assistance to
CSK will be discussed at an upcoming meeting in Brussels of
Caritas officials from its European bureaus responsible for
Asia. CI's head of International Cooperation is about to lead
its annual mission to the DPRK, which should also help CI to
move forward in the North. Even with the many challenges it
faces in its transition, CI predicts greater acceptance of its
presence now since ethnic Koreans will have a greater role in
its programs.

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Twinning Programs
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4. (C) Running parallel to official CI operations in the DPRK
are "twinning" programs undertaken by individual Catholic
dioceses in South Korea. These initiatives target villages or
regions in the north and undertake aid and development
assistance. Other dioceses support the CI operations through
fundraising, and pass on the cas to CSK headquarters in Seoul.
Sanedrin provided us with documents indicting the international
response to its fun-raising campaigns for the DPRK. In the
period from July 1995 through September 2006 some US$33 million
was collected and disbursed for DPRK projects. Sanedrin added
that international "donor fatigue" was fast becoming a problem.
He cited the example of good media "PR" for the CI appeal for
victims of the Christmas 2005 tsunami in Asia, but lamented that
nothing of this sort exists for the DPRK where the lack of food
security threatens millions of people.

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Monitoring Built into Aid Agreements
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5. (C) We noted the recent decision by the UNDP to suspend
operations in the DPRK because of the misappropriation of aid.
When pressed about the possibility of DPRK authorities siphoning
off aid money and food for its own purposes, Sanedrin told us
that this was a major concern for CI. He noted that monitoring
was built in to any CI project discussion with DPRK authorities.
However, Sanedrin said that what is promised and what occurs
are often two different things in the DPRK. On a positive note,
he said that to date, CI's monitoring of its projects ensured
transparency and the arrival of aid to the intended recipients.


6. (C) According to Sanedrin, CI's vision of a reunited Korean
peninsula is the driving force behind its initiatives in the
DPRK. Sanedrin said that the first Caritas food aid shipment

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reached North Korea in 1995. Now Caritas is in the process of
shifting its involvement from humanitarian aid to more
development-oriented support, or from a "band aid" approach to
strengthening local livelihood and capacity. Programs include
distribution of virus-free seed potatoes, teaching more
efficient agricultural techniques, and providing heavy
agricultural equipment like tractors. CI will continue its
supplementary feeding programs for malnourished infants and
pregnant women.

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Comment
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7. (C) Caritas International's people on the ground and its
annual visits to the DPRK provide a reliable source of
information on the food security situation of the general
population - as was demonstrated when Kathi Zellweger ran the
operation. The change in project supervision management has
resulted in an information hiatus which should soon be remedied
with greater CI support for its fledgling South Korean team.
SANDROLINI