GERMANY CONFIRMS $3 BILLION PLEDGE FOR FOOD

UNCLAS BERLIN 001513 SENSITIVE STATE FOR EEB/TPP (CLEMENTS, RYAN, LURIE),OFFICE OF THE COUNSELOR (PLOWDEN),IO/HS (HAGEN, TUMINARO),EUR/CE (SCHROEDER) USDA FOR FAS OFSO (YOUNG),ONA (DOUVELLIS),OCRA (SALMON, NENON),FODAG (HEINEN) SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR ECON EAID ETRD SUBJECT: GERMANY CONFIRMS $3 BILLION PLEDGE FOR FOOD SECURITY REF: SECSTATE 120804 ¶1. (SBU) In separate interactions with officials at the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV),Embassy reinforced the importance the U.S. and other partners place on putting the L'Aquila food security principles into action, including by ensuring accountability in tracking donor resources and pursuing a coordinated approach to country-led food security plans, as per reftel. ¶2. (SBU) Christophe Eichen of BMZ's Agriculture Division confirmed that Germany planned to contribute $3 billion in support of food security initiatives over three years, 2010-2012. He cautioned, however, that approval by Germany's parliament ("Bundestag") was still needed. When pressed on details such as regional priorities, funding mechanisms, timing, and whether the pledge represented purely "new" money, however, Eichen told Econoff he could not provide specifics. The German delegation hopes to provide more clarity at the December 3-4 G-8 technical meeting in Rome, he explained, where Steffen Schmidt, Head of BMZ's Rural Development and Global Food Security Unit, would represent BMZ. Ms. Heike Henn of the German Embassy in Kigali will attend the December 7-8 meeting in Rwanda. ¶3. (SBU) According to Niklas Schulze Icking, Deputy Head of the International Food and Agriculture Organizations, World Food Affairs, and Sustainable Development Office, BMELV, Ms. Astrid Jakobs de Padua (Head of the same office),will represent BMELV in Rome. No one from BMELV, however, is expected to attend the December 7-8 meetings in Rwanda. Niklas stated that BMELV does not engage in direct bilateral food assistance negotiations, but coordinates its agricultural funding programs through a special trust fund managed through its Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) office in Rome. Regarding its overall L,Aquila commitments, Niklas said Germany expects to abide by its pledge of $3 billion over 3 years, with an estimated $600 million going to agricultural development-related activities. MURPHY