PUBLIC LAUNCH OF THE U.S/BRAZIL JOINT ACTION PLAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRASILIA 000198 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL ELAB BR SUBJECT: PUBLIC LAUNCH OF THE U.S/BRAZIL JOINT ACTION PLAN FOR RACIAL EQUALITY AND NEXT STEPS ¶1. (U) Summary: Following the March 2008 signing of the US/Brazil Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Discrimination and Promote Equality (JAPR),Brazilian Racial Equality Minister Edson Santos and WHA Assistant Secretary Thomas Shannon held the first steering committee meeting and publicly launched that plan on October 31, 2008 in Brasilia. Both governments agreed on projects and on the necessity of involving the private sector in implementation of the plan. They also agreed to hold a second session of the steering committee in April in Washington, DC. The meetings showcased the high level of interest, commitment, and engagement in the Plan among NGOs, academics, and civil activists from both countries. In a February 3 follow-up meeting with PolCouns, SEPPIR indicated they were moving forward on consultations with Brazilian civil society and would be prepared for a technical meeting in Washington in early March to finalize composition of the steering committee, public engagement, substantive focus for activities, and mechanisms for considering projects. End Summary. Background -------------- ¶2. (U) The U.S./Brazil Joint Action Plan to Promote Racial Equality was formally launched in a public ceremony by Brazil's Minister for Racial Equality Edson Santos and Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA) Thomas Shannon on October 31, 2008. The ceremony took place at the Ministry of Exterior Relations (MRE) in Brasilia. The launch was preceded by a technical meeting held at the Embassy on October 30 where details were finalized for the first ever meeting of the Joint Action Plan Steering Committee meeting that took place on October 31 at the MRE. American and Brazilian civil society representatives (NGOs, academics, civic activists) intermingled with USG and GOB officials at a reception hosted by the DCM on the evening of October 30 and then convened in the MRE main auditorium for a series of round table meetings that ran consecutively from 9:00 AM until 6:00 PM. The series of round table meetings began with Education/Culture, followed by Justice, Labor, Health and Leadership, and Academics. Steering Committee Meeting -------------- ¶3. (U) The first ever meeting of the Joint Action Plan Steering Committee was held on October 31, 2008 at the MRE. Minister Santos co-chaired the meeting with WHA Assistant Secretary Shannon. Santos welcomed the U.S, delegation, stated that the purpose of the Steering Committee was to implement the agreement that he had signed with then-Secretary Rice in March 2008, and that he wanted to see the actions agreed upon by the United States and Brazil effectively carried out. He reminded the group that the goal of the agreement was to improve peoples' quality of life, particularly that of the black populations of Brazil and the United States. A/S Shannon congratulated Minister Santos for the work he had already done on the Plan. He stated that each country had much to learn from the other by sharing information about how each handled questions of race and ethnicity. He stressed, however, that the Plan could ultimately create opportunities for all citizens, regardless of race. A/S Shannon urged committee members to think creatively and openly and use the Joint Action Plan as a tool to harness the creative energies of both societies. He added that success depended upon civil society and private sector participation. In closing, A/S Shannon expressed his confidence that the process would have the full support of the next administration. ¶4. (SBU) BSC Director Milt Drucker, who led the U.S. side in an October 30 technical meeting at the Embassy, commented that the question of private sector involvement was an important one, and all agreed in principle that the private sector should be involved. What remained was for the technical group and Steering Committee to figure out how. Minister Santos agreed that the private sector and civil society had to be included in the process. He cautioned, however, that "We need to think about how that plays out in the Steering Committee," offering that it might be too soon to include private sector and civil society representatives in the Steering Committee. He suggested that for now there should be an executive body made up solely of government BRASILIA 00000198 002 OF 003 officials, supported by an advisory group with civil society and private sector members. ¶5. (SBU) SEPPIR's Under Secretary for Affirmative Action Giovanni Harvey then provided the group with a 9-point summary of the results of the October 30 technical meeting. Harvey, who chaired the Brazilian interministeral group at that meeting, presented the nine points as follows: -- 1) The next Steering Committee meeting would tentatively be held in Washington the first week of April. The agenda should include evaluations of work up to that point. -- 2) The April Steering Committee meeting would be preceded by a technical meeting to take place in Washington in early 2009 (Note: The SEPPIR has since requested that the meeting be scheduled for March 2009 with SEPPIR and the Ministry of Exterior Relations/Embassy of Brazil only present for the GOB. End Note.) -- 3) The purpose of the technical group is to support the policy group (the Steering Committee). -- 4) Initially the technical group will be made up of U.S. and Brazilian government officials only. The technical group agreed that civil society (NGOs and academics) needed to have an active role in the technical group in the future, but that its role needed to be defined clearly beforehand. -- 5) The next technical and Steering Committee meetings should focus on project proposals already put forward within the five major thematic areas covered by the Joint Action Plan (Education, Labor, Justice, Health, and Culture) -- 6) Civil society participation was essential for the proper consideration of social issues. -- 7) The private sector could play an important role in the implementation of the Joint Action Plan and both governments desired active private sector participation. It remained for the technical group and the Steering Committee to define that role and how best to integrate the private sector into the Steering Committee planning and decision-making process. -- 8) Of the projects presented during the technical committee meeting, some were already funded, some needed further institutional coordination before they could be implemented, and some needed further development. Harvey also raised the prospect of involving the private sector in some of the projects now. -- 9) Government should act to stimulate civil society participation and develop a structure through which to receive civil society ideas and proposals. ¶6. (U) In a public plenary session, Minister Santos, A/S Shannon received reports from the designated rapporteurs of each of the round table groups (education, labor, justice, health, and leadership). (Note: The rapporteurs' reports, in Portuguese, were forward to WHA for comment on receipt by SEPPIR February 2. End note.) Minister Santos and A/S Shannon then publicly launched the JAPR. ¶7. (U) Minister Santos stressed that the Joint Action Plan should have a real and positive impact on peoples' lives and that both countries have much to learn from each other on racial relations. The goal of the plan, he stated, was to promote equality, facilitate an exchange of best practices, and perhaps allow the United States and Brazil to institutionalize some of those practices so that they could be used to promote international action. He announced the GOB proposals under consideration for cooperative programs. A/S Shannon said that he believed the Plan was starting well and with good focus. He announced four projects in the area of education and two pertaining to labor as initial USG contributions under the plan. After a brief Question-and-Answer session, A/S Shannon and Minister Santos gave an exclusive television interview to TV Globo (a national network). ¶8. (SBU) COMMENT AND NEXT STEPS: The public launch of the U.S./Brazil Joint Action Plan to Promote Racial Equality and the first ever meeting of the Steering Committee was an BRASILIA 00000198 003 OF 003 auspicious beginning that showcased the high level of interest among NGOs, academics, and civil activists from both countries. We expect these groups to be actively engaged and committed to substantive cooperation with both governments. In a February 3 follow-up meeting with POLCOUNS, SEPPIR made clear they were working to finalize proposals for joint projects. Priority issues for resolution during the March technical meeting include the structure and make up of the Steering Committee, the substantive focus for JAPR activities, how to incorporate civil society, academia, and private sector representatives into the JAPR, and the mechanism and guidelines for receiving project proposals from the public. END COMMENT. ¶9. (U) WHA/PDA and WHA/BSC cleared this cable. SOBEL