G/TIP PROGRAM: FIRST MONITORING REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT AU PRINCE 000430 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR G/TIP FOR BJFLECK S/CRS SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR INR/IAA WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: BR KCRM KWMN PREL PHUM HA SUBJECT: G/TIP PROGRAM: FIRST MONITORING REPORT REF: A. 07 STATE 144596 ¶B. PORT AU PRINCE 336 PORT AU PR 00000430 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. Summary: The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP) awarded the Pan-American Development Foundation (PADF) a USD 250,850 grant to support an anti-trafficking program in Haiti from September 30, 2007 through October 1, 2008. Due to extensive staff turnover at PADF's Haiti office, Poloff initiated the mandated six-month assessment one month early. After a slow start marred by inadequate staffing, PADF has successfully re-launched the project. PADF must more effectively support its local GOH partner, the Office of National Migration (ONM),and also re-engage the anti-TIP NGO Solidarite Fwontalye (SF),in order to increase the chances of the project's success. End summary. ¶2. The cable follows the reporting guidance as outlined in reftel. ¶3. PROJECT ASSESSMENT ¶A. Poloff held discussions with the following individuals on March 5: Noelcin Joseph, Mayor of Ouanaminthe Jean Claude Jean, Division Inspector, Haitian National Police (HNP),Ouanaminthe Elifete Charles, Regional Coordinator, Office of National Migration (ONM),Ouanaminthe Perardh Monestine, Director, Solidarite Fwontalye (SF) Andre Ibreus, Solidarite Fwontalye Joanis Daniece, Solidarite Fwontalye Jean Leonard, Solidarite Fwontalye Kenal Senatus, Solidarite Fwontalye Jean Winston, Solidarite Fwontalye Josette Poisson, Director, Radio Massacre, Ouanaminthe Herve Razafimbahiny, PADF Acting Director for Protecting Human Rights and Acting Director for G/TIP Project, Port-au-Prince Herve Joseph, PADF G/TIP Project Coordinator, Cap Haitien ¶B. The following benchmark/assessment items are from PADF's work plan of scheduled activities within the first five months of the project. START-UP AND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES --Mobilize and hire staff: Accomplished despite office and project staff turnover. --Set up coordination and procure equipment: Accomplished. --Submit work plan: Accomplished. --Meet with current TIP groups in Ouanaminthe: Accomplished, but SF claims to not have enough information to submit a proposed contract for services and service providers. --Hold regular oversight meetings with U.S. Embassy officer: Accomplished. --Submit quarterly evaluation of portfolio and progress to date: Accomplished. --Organize local and national databases: NOT Accomplished. PADF wants to drop this part of the project since SF, the SF sister organization in the Dominican Republic, and other human rights organizations along the Haitian-Dominican border have already developed such a database. PADF believes that organizing another database would duplicate efforts. Post recommends that G/TIP wait until this coalition of human rights organizations releases its report and database before determining the validity of PADF's assessment. --Draft/adapt contracts and agreement templates: PARTIALLY Accomplished. Radio Massacre has a contract for anti-trafficking service announcements and programming. No other contracts have been signed. PORT AU PR 00000430 002.2 OF 003 --Confirm partnership with Solidarite Fwontalye, ONM, and the Ouanaminthe Mayor's Office: NOT Accomplished. Solidarite Fwontalye, ONM, and the mayor's office all report inadequate contact with PADF and with each other. Now that PADF has a project coordinator in Cap Haitien, PADF must increase efforts to forge relationships with these entities in Ouanaminthe, as well as relationships among the entities themselves. --Confirm partnership with the Migration Action Committee (MAC): NOT Accomplished. Since there already exists a coalition of human rights monitoring committees along the border that focuses on anti-trafficking issues, PADF believes that forming a MAC would represent a duplication of efforts. ACTIVITY COMPONENTS --Public Forums: NOT Accomplished. --Public Service Announcements on TIP: NOT Accomplished. --Design and Distribute 2000 pamphlets: NOT Accomplished. --Renovation of ONM building in Ouanaminthe: NOT Accomplished, though the ONM facility in Ouanaminthe needs equipment, supplies, and budgetary support more than building renovations. --Training ONM Staff in Cap Haitien and Ouanaminthe: PARTIALLY Accomplished. PADF conducted a training session in December, but the session was more geared toward solidifying how to proceed with the project. Staff turnover at PADF hindered further collaborative developments. In addition, the director of the ONM office in Cap Haitien, who has oversight of the Ouanaminthe office, died suddenly in January, further impeding PADF's implementation of the project. --ONM Capacity Building: NOT Accomplished. See discussion above. In addition, the ONM office in Ouanaminthe needs equipment and supplies, which are not slated for delivery until the seventh month of the project but are urgently needed now. The ONM office in Ouanaminthe submitted a list of needed equipment and supplies on March 5. The ONM office in Ouanaminthe requested budgetary support in order to pay two years back-rent in arrears in addition to its current rent. The rent is $2,055 per year, for a total of $6,165 due in rent. PADF believes that the budgetary support is justified and crucial to the project. (Note: Many GOH buildings were destroyed during the political and social instability that accompanied ex-President Jean Bertrand Aristide's departure in 2004. The Haitian National Police, housed in a rented school building, is also in arrears in rent and faces eviction. End note.) --Capacity Building for MAC: NOT Accomplished, and perhaps not applicable. ¶C. Despite the negative impact on the project schedule of the staff turnover at PADF's Haiti office, PADF with added effort should be able to successfully execute all phases of the project. The current staff in their acting capacities has successfully revamped project management, despite the need for permanent replacements for its country and G/TIP project directors, among other senior staff. PADF is also instituting new management systems. Both the staff turnover and new management systems at PADF reflect its efforts to manage and execute projects in accordance with its growing portfolio. ¶D. PADF operates in an environment with insufficient infrastructure, pervasive poverty, economic stagnation, and corruption. Ouanaminthe does not have paved roads, landline telephone service, or electricity. Despite Ouanaminthe's bustling cross-border trade with Dajabon, Dominican Republic, the city is engulfed by grinding poverty and offers few opportunities for economic advancement. Corrupt officials on both sides of the border benefit from contraband trade and trafficking-in-persons. Due to habitual neglect by the PORT AU PR 00000430 003.2 OF 003 Government of Haiti (GOH),public institutions often do not receive financial, logistical, or technical help from authorities in Port-au-Prince. This project can effect long-term change and develop local capacity only if it can strengthen the operational capacity of local institutions and secure adequate financing for them. ¶E. When a new G/TIP project coordinator based in Cap Haitien (located 1.5 hours west of Ouanaminthe) is hired, PADF's capacity to execute the project should improve. PADF may also need to hire a technical assistant for the project to improve coordination in Ouanaminthe. As mentioned above, PADF's head office is revamping its financial and personnel management systems in order to enhance its performance and capacity to execute projects. ¶F. G/TIP should consider allowing PADF to reprogram some funding to support ONM's Ouanaminthe office, since this is the GOH entity officially tasked with the responsibility to discourage illegal migration and to assist repatriated migrants. ¶G. PADF's project attempts to foster GOH cooperation with NGOs and social-welfare agencies to improve their ability to identify, refer, and provide services to restaveks and other Haitian children exploited as domestic servants. (Note: "Restavek" is a Creole term derived from the French words "rester avec," meaning "to stay with." Restavek is a label for the thousands of children who move from the countryside into urban areas to work as domestic laborers. The informal practice has existed in Haiti for decades, and is directly related to the country's poverty and lack of economic alternatives (ref B). End note.) ¶H. Due to events sometimes out of its control, PADF's execution of the project got off to a rocky start. However, with the addition of staff and the new staff overcoming the learning curve, PADF should be able to successfully complete the project. The major factors that may determine whether the project is a viable candidate for continued funding are PADF's success in fostering working relationships between GOH institutions and human rights NGOs, and whether the ONM office in Ouanaminthe can secure GOH support. Ellickson-Brown