DONORS DEMARCHE ON HUMANITARIAN SPACE

UNCLAS HARARE 000644 SENSITIVE SIPDIS ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL EAID ZI SUBJECT: DONORS DEMARCHE ON HUMANITARIAN SPACE REF: HARARE 615 ¶1. (U) Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Goche refused to meet with UN and donor reps to discuss humanitarian space (reftel) because, he said, he was fully occupied as a ZANU-PF negotiator in the South African facilitated power sharing talks with MDC factions. On July 29, Dutch Ambassador Jos Weterings delivered a demarche on behalf of the donor community to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Joey Bimha. The demarche (text e-mailed to AF/S and PRM/AFR) stressed the urgency of a blanket reauthorization of NGOs and the GOZ's responsibility to protect IDPs. Weterings reported that Bimha took the demarche seriously and promised to discuss it with the relevant authorities. ¶2. (SBU) IOM and CRS representatives told Emboffs on July 30 that their contacts had told them the NGO ban would be lifted this week. ¶3. (SBU) COMMENT: The GOZ will likely soon allow NGOs to resume humanitarian activities, but will seek to exert increased control by providing selective authorization only to "well-behaved" NGOs and/or by closely controlling activities at a local level. The donor community is currently united in its insistence on full and complete humanitarian access. As severe food insecurity increases in the coming weeks and months, it will grow more and more difficult to maintain a united front in the face of a restricted opening of humanitarian space. END COMMENT. MCGEE