LEBANON: U.S. NGOS READY TO ASSIST LEBANON WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIRUT 000907

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DRL/FO, NEA/FO, NEA/ELA, NEA/PI
NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/YERGER/GAVITO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2018
TAGS: EAID KDEM LE PGOV PHUM
SUBJECT: LEBANON: U.S. NGOS READY TO ASSIST LEBANON WITH
2009 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

Classified By: CDA Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) In a June 17 meeting with the Charge, Embassy
Beirut's U.S.-based civil society partners on electoral
reform presented their plans on their activities leading up
to the 2009 parliamentary elections. They will divide the
work among them to cover tasks such as providing technical
assistance, training, and education to the voters, local
civil society representatives, political parties, and
election officials. The U.S. partners also plan to include
smaller local organizations in their programs in order to
develop the capacity of Lebanese NGOs. They are interested
in extending USG funding to include the 2010 municipal
elections. Partners also mentioned that the EU and UN will
be involved in preparing for the elections. All agreed that
the time to start is now.


2. (C) The meeting included the Beirut directors of the
National Democratic Institute (NDI),International Republican
Institute (IRI),and the International Foundation for
Electoral Systems (IFES). Also present was the Beirut
Dirctor of USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (TI),
Katie Prudhomme, in addition to Emboffs repesenting USAID
and MEPI. End Summary.

VOTER/CIVIL SOCIETY EDUCATION,
DEVELOPING FEMALE CANDIDATES
--------------


3. (C) Joe Hall, resident director of the National
Democratic Institute (NDI),said his organization and the
leaders from the other U.S. civil society partners for
electoral reform in Lebanon met previously to discuss the
division of labor in preparation for the 2009 parliamentary
elections. Hall said NDI plans to provide coordination and
training to domestic election observers. NDI also wants to
provide hands-on technical assistance to local civil society
organizations that will serve as election observers. Hall
added that NDI also plans to continue its work with female
politicians in Lebanon on helping them become viable
candidates that can compete in 2009. NDI said that the cost
of its initiative would be approximately $3 million.

POLITICAL PARTY
DEVELOPMENT
--------------


4. (C) Sean Walsh, Lebanon Country Director for the
International Republican Institute (IRI),said IRI plans to
conduct three activities during the 2009 elections. It will
work with different political parties on development and
messaging. Also, IRI will provide research by conducting
polls and providing focus group information to political
parties. Walsh said IRI ultimately wants to develop a new
breed of political party activists and consultants to help
their respective parties on messaging and communications.
Walsh said IRI would require approximately $2 million to
carry out this mission.

PROVIDING THE GOL
WITH TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
--------------


5. (C) Richard Chambers, Beirut Chief of Party from the
International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES),said
his organization plans on working with the GOL's Ministry of
Interior (MOI) on providing assistance to election officials.
IFES will assist in the development and dissemination of
manuals and guidebooks that would define election employees'
individual roles and responsibilities while preparing for the
elections and, when the time comes, working in the over 5,800
polling stations throughout Lebanon. IFES will also work
with the different parliamentary committees involved in
drafting a new electoral law. Chambers added that IFES would
need approximately $5.5 million for its program.

BUILDING LOCAL
ORGANIZATION CAPACITY

BEIRUT 00000907 002 OF 003


--------------


6. (C) Hall said part of NDI's plan for supporting the 2009
elections will be to provide technical and financial support
to the Lebanese Association for Democratic Election (LADE)
and other local NGO's. LADE has been active in electoral
reform in Lebanon since 1996. Hall said what LADE needs
today is increased technological resources and capabilities,
as well as the ability to amass and organize large groups of
people to serve as local election observers. NDI will bring
in counterparts from around the Middle East region to advise
LADE on how to acquire the skills it needs to play a major
role in the 2009 elections.


7. (C) IRI has worked with the Lebanese Center for Policy
Studies (LCPS) and Statistics Lebanon in the past, according
to Walsh. LCPS manages IRI's focus group project, while
Statistics Lebanon provides polling data that IRI provides to
political parties. IRI would most likely work with the same
groups during the 2009 elections to help them build their
capacity and better develop their skills as an organization
before the parliamentary elections occur (Note: Both NDI and
IRI have worked with these groups in the past as part of MEPI
and DRL funded projects working through the Civil Campaign
for Electoral Reform--CCER. End Note.)

2010 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
--------------


8. (C) Hall said the donor community should attempt to
provide funding for elections assistance to carry through the
2010 municipal elections. Chambers said that the municipal
elections would occur, no matter the political impasse that
may exist within the larger GOL structure. Hall said the
municipal elections will be important because they could
serve as a base for the larger parties to choose a new class
of candidates to run in the 2013 parliamentary elections.


ADDITIONAL DONOR
CONTRIBUTIONS
--------------


9. (C) Chambers said the EU was planning to allocate $14
million towards elections assistance. Chambers added that
the EU planned to send an electoral assistance assessment
mission to Lebanon early in the fall. Some EU countries may
decide to either donate funds into a donor basket or to
conduct small scale projects bi-laterally, according to
Chambers. The UN will also help by providing technical
assistance to the Ministry of Interior.

DON'T WAIT TO LAST MINUTE
--------------


10. (C) Chambers emphasized that preparations must begin now.
The elections staff needs to begin training, observers need
to be identified and trained and in some instance polling
stations may need to have structural repairs completed in
order to develop them into feasible sites, he said.

COMMENT
--------------


11. (C) If donors decide to support key projects, such as
funding for ballot boxes or financing voter education drives,
there must be increased coordination among donor countries.
Therefore, Embassy Beirut plans on leading the effort to
organize the international donor community to begin joint
discussions on what each donor can do to make sure the 2009
elections are free, fair and transparent. The three US
partners have collectively determined what each of their
individual roles will be in this process and will provide
concept papers to post within two weeks to elaborate on their
plans.


12. (C) Through USAID, we hope to provide a robust assistance
package to these institutions that will also assist local
partners as well as the Lebanese electorate overall (Note:
USAID provided $1 million dollars in 2005, through the UN's
Development Program (UNDP),for parliamentary election

BEIRUT 00000907 003 OF 003


assistance. End Note.) In addition, DRL and MEPI have both
contributed to the larger U.S. partners in the past as well
as the smaller local ones such as LADE (through NDI funding),
LCPS, and Statistics Lebanon. We hope there may be
additional funding available through DRL, WAID/OTI, and MEPI
resources. End Comment.
SISON