SCENESETTER FOR VISIT OF CODEL MEEKS TO CARTAGENA AND

UNCLAS BOGOTA 001701 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OVIP PGOV EAID PHUM SNAR ECON PREL CO SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR VISIT OF CODEL MEEKS TO CARTAGENA AND TUMACO MAY 28-31, 2009 Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Your attendance at the presentation of the Afro-Colombian Inter-Sectoral Commission's recommendations to Colombian Vice President Santos sends a strong signal of US support for the legitimate aspirations of this long-suffering minority. In addition to attending this meeting, you will meet with the mayor of Cartagena, visit U.S. assistance initiatives in Cartagena, and on Saturday, explore the challenges of Tumaco. The Tumaco leg of your trip is particularly important, as you will be among the only U.S. Congressmen ever to visit this impoverished, violence-blighted region of Colombia, home to a significant Afro-descendent population. In Tumaco you will see first-hand the difficult security situation, meeting with both victims of violence and with security providers who will relate their challenges. Tumaco is a pilot area of the Embassy's Colombia Strategic Development Initiative (CSDI),and we plan to show you how we are working to reduce narco-trafficking that ultimately victimizes Americans in the US while simultaneously attacking the roots of violence and poverty in Colombia that allows narco-trafficking to thrive here. You should be aware that five of the eight members of the Afro-Colombian Afro-Colombian Congressional Caucus (Bancada) are currently under investigation for criminal activity; you should be wary of their attempts to use you for ends not specifically related to the plight of their community. End Summary. Afro-Colombian Commission Presentation of Recommendations -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) The Inter-Sectoral Commission for the Advancement of Afro-Colombians, chaired by Vice President Francisco Santos, will present its recommendations to the public on May 29. For the past year and a half, the Commission has met with over 4,000 representatives of the Afro-Colombian communities throughout the country. During the event Vice President Santos will sign agreements with Colombian political parties to create incentives to encourage greater Afro-Colombian political participation, and to encourage universities to create incentives that raise the numbers of Afro-Colombians in institutions of higher education. The agreement with political parties is focused in enforcing the rights of Afro-Colombians and by ensuring they are fairly represented in elections lists for the Senate, House of Representatives, regional assemblies and city councils. According to the 2005 census, Afro-Colombians make up 10.6% of the total population, but Afro-Colombian groups claim they account for 25% of all Colombians. The agreement with universities is focused in increasing access to higher education institutions, conducting assessments on competitiveness, and promoting affirmative action to fulfill the needs of Afro-Colombians at all levels of education. ¶3. (U) The Commission principal findings as to the causes of Afro-Colombian disadvantages are: -- Low participation and representation in political and institutional decision-making processes. - Restricted access to quality basic and higher education, which limits quality employment opportunities and perpetuates poverty. Unequal access to the labor market; employment focused on low-wage, low-specialization jobs. -- Racism and racial discrimination. -- Unequal access to social and economic development opportunities. -- Low self-recognition and recognition of the value of ethnic and cultural diversity. -- Low availability of information for the Afro-Colombian population, hindering development of adequate public policies adjusted to ethnic and territorial differences. ¶4. (U) The Commission's principal recommendations are: -- Increase political representation by providing incentives to political parties to favor the election of Afro-Colombian candidates. -- Increase access and create incentives for public and private institutions. Focus on inter-cultural education. Develop quota system for scholarships for higher education. Strengthen schools in Afro-Colombian municipalities. Creation of a National Award for Inclusion of Ethnic Diversity. -- Seek participation of Afro-Colombians in labor market that, at least, matches the percentage of Afro-Colombians in the country. Incorporate ethnic businesses in government procurement. -- Support legislative projects to penalize racism. -- Foster entrepreneurship amongst Afro-Colombian population. Create tax incentives for private sector companies who develop diversity policies. Create social responsibility certification for companies that develop diversity policies. Include Afro-Colombians in companies that have agreements to conduct business in Afro-Colombian territories. -- Special mention of inclusion of Afro-Colombians to the Armed Forces. -- Develop ethnic diversity promotion campaign. Re-write Afro-Colombian history. Create centers that promote Afro-Colombian cultural memory. -- Differentiated approach in governmental information system. Government information systems should be more inclusive of ethnic groups. The full text of the commission's findings will be available upon your arrival in Cartagena. ¶5. (U) USAID provided a grant to The Afro-Colombian Commission to fund 14 workshops in diverse municipalities. The Afro-Colombian Commission has also requested assistance delivering a public policy proposal to the GOC to create "sustainable" living conditions for Afro-Colombians. The total USAID support for the Afro-Colombian Commission is approximately USD 280,000. U.S. Assistance to Las Islas del Rosario -------------- ¶6. (SBU) USAID provides support for internally displaced persons and other vulnerable communities in Colombia. In Cartagena, you will visit Las Islas del Rosario. Through the Pan American Development Foundation, USAID has provided USD 240,000 to develop eco-tourism and other investment for Islas del Rosario and other municipalities in Bolivar and Sucre. The assistance has focused on health, education, psycho-social assistance, basic sanitation, income generation, and institution-strengthening. You met with representatives from the island and the project during one of your recent visits to Cartagena. U.S. Assistance to Tumaco, Narino -------------- ¶7. (U) Tumaco municipality, where you will spend Saturday, May 30, is in many ways a case study both of the challenge to the U.S. of ending narco-trafficking in Colombia, and to the broader --but closely related-- challenges facing rural Colombia. Ninety-two percent of the population of Tumaco is Afro-Colombian. As a result of coca cultivation and trade, Tumaco's residents suffer serious security problems and economic dislocations that prevent the port city from taking advantage of its favored location near the Ecuador border on the Pacific coast to promote economic growth. The city experienced serious flooding in early February that affected over 30,000 people. The floods destroyed thousands of homes and an estimated 20,000 hectares of productive agriculture, much of it African palm. We provided over USD 300,000 in flood assistance to the affected communities. ¶8. (SBU) Tumaco and the broader Narino/Putumayo border region are vital to building a safer, more secure Colombia. Only by definitively bringing rule of law and the prospect of economic development to rural areas of Colombia can we assure that they voluntarily leave narco-trafficking behind. Tumaco municipality is the size of the state of Rhode Island, yet has only ten percent of Rhode Island's population. With only one decent road, which you will overfly on Saturday, and a lengthy, lawless, and porous border with Ecuador, police and security forces scarcely penetrate outside of the urban core of the municipality. Over 15,000 hectares of coca are grown in Tumaco municipality annually, and this illegal agriculture is closely intertwined with the exploitation of Afro-Colombian peasants. ¶9. (SBU) Under these challenging conditions, the Embassy's decision to implement a pilot project of the Colombia Strategic Development Initiative (CSDI) is an integrated attack on the roots of narco-trafficking in the worst problem areas in Colombia. In choosing Tumaco we are aware of the challenges we face, but believe that the potential benefits are enormous. Our strategy is focused on a simple premise: given security, and economic alternatives, people will abandon criminal coca-growing activity and seek to enter a licit economy that provides far wider opportunities for themselves, their children, and their grandchildren. To achieve this paradigm shift, the Embassy is undertaking the following activities in Tumaco, as well as beginning others: Improving Security For All -------------- ¶10. (SBU) The Embassy, through the Narcotics Affairs Section, is comprehensively strengthening the ability of Colombian police forces to assert security in Tumaco and drive out illicit actors: -- We are strengthening training for police officers, improving police stations, and providing basic equipment to improvement their ability to enforce the law. -- We are continuing a comprehensive aerial eradication program that seeks to eliminate the financial viability of growing illegal crops, therefore reducing incentives for illegal actors to remain in Tumaco. -- We are supporting GOC efforts to manually eradicate illegal crops as well. -- Through our Pacific Coast Initiative, we will spend USD 10 million on the Pacific Coast to enhance the ability of the GOC to capture illegal traffickers and crack down on violent actors who use the seas to transit up and down the coast. ¶11. (U) In Tumaco, you will visit several USAID supported programs including a travelling family health clinic--Profamilia. Profamilia and USAID have a long history together, reaching back to 1969 when USAID began to support Profamilia's then cutting-edge family planning program. Since 2000, USAID's funds have been used to expand Profamilia's work into some of Colombia's most remote and conflict-riddled regions. USAID's current program with Profamilia is valued at USD 9.8 million and is active in 169 Colombian municipalities. The IDP Community Association of Cristo Rey in Tumaco also receives assistance from USAID IDP and Alternative Development programs for the construction of their 105 unit housing project. USAID/Colombia is reprogramming up to an additional USD 30,000 of IDP and ADO funds, based on continued need, through existing USAID grants. Existing USAID partners in the area, along with input from the MDRO, are looking at means to address medium-term food security concerns through existing grants and contracts. In Tumaco you will also meet with two women's clam harvesting associations supported by USAID's MIDAS program to gain their perspective on economic opportunities. The Promise of Tumaco -------------- ¶12. (SBU) While our Tumaco CSDI projects are still in their infancy, our desire is to show you what we plan to do to implement them in the months to come. You are coming at an opportune moment during which you will both be able to see the violent reality of today and the hopeful contours of a policy which should pay dramatic dividends as we begin to implement. We hope you will return to the United States both from the Cartagena and Tumaco portions of your trip with a deeper understanding of the need for an integrated approach to Colombia's problems that tackles our narco-trafficking challenge while at the same time helping Colombia develop in a way that assists poor Colombians develop themselves out of the conditions that have allowed narco-trafficking to fester here. We believe the key to the challenges facing both the Afro-Colombian communities, poor communities such as Tumaco, and Colombia itself, are best addressed by a comprehensive security plus development approach that provides people both the security tools to make their own decisions without coercion as well as the tools to turn these choices into reality though economic development. Legal Problems in the Afro-Colombian "Bancada" -------------- - ¶13. (SBU) Over 70 members of the Colombian congress have been implicated in links to paramilitary groups with more than 30 in jail. Five of the eight members of the Afro-Colombian Congressional Caucus (Bancada) have been implicated in criminal activity. While some charges are related to the tortuous political landscape of Colombia, and include allegations of association with human rights violators, other charges appear to be affairs of simple corruption. The various scandals have severely damaged the Bancada's image among the Afro-Colombian community. While the nature of their responsibilities requires you to work with these commission members, you should be wary of their attempts to use you for ends not specifically related to the Afro-Colombian community. The specific cases are: -Rep. Odin Sanchez (Chocs): Investigated by the Supreme Court for relationship with the ELN (guerrilla group) and AUC (paramilitary group). -Rep. Edgar Torres (Chocs): Investigated by the Supreme Court for relationship with the ELN (guerrilla group) and AUC (paramilitary group). -Rep. Silfredo Morales (Afro-Colombian special seat-Bolivar): Investigated by the Supreme Court for misuse of state funds, corruption, and contracting without due legal process while he was Mayor of Marialabaja, Bolivar. E -Rep. Julio Gallardo (San Andrs Island): Investigated by the Supreme Court for misuse of state funds for over cost purchase of vehicles for congress. -Sen. Juan Carlos Martnez (Valle del Cauca): Quit his seat at the senate due to Supreme Court investigation for close relationship with paramilitary groups and narco-trafficking organizations. He is currently incarcerated awaiting trial. BROWNFIELD