BELGIAN UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION FOR INTERNATIONAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000658 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/WE AND SCA/A E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/06/2019 TAGS: EAID PREL PGOV BE AF SUBJECT: BELGIAN UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT NGO'S ON AFGHANISTAN AID REF: BRUSSELS 327 Classified By: Political Economic Counselor Richard Eason, reason 1.4(b ) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: The National Center for Development Cooperation is an umbrella organization for Belgian francophone NGOs providing development assistance worldwide, including some working in Afghanistan. Its Director, Arnaud Zacharie, was open to the need for assistance to Afghanistan and the idea of expanding assistance to the country. He said he did not think NGOs working on other countries would begrudge a greater emphasis by Belgium on Afghanistan. He was non-committal, but not discouraging, about whether Afghanistan would benefit from designation as a partner country by Belgium, and said that the Ministry of Development Cooperation is resistant to the idea. Each year the CNCD conducts a fundraising campaign for international development. Zacharie is willing to work with the Embassy to add content to its campaign that would feature Afghanistan and hopefully both raise funds and build support for more robust government assistance to that country. End Summary. ¶2. (C) On May 6, Poloff met with Arnaud Zacharie, Secretary General of the National Center for Development Cooperation (CNCD) to discuss Afghanistan. The center is an umbrella organization for more than 90 NGOs in the Belgian francophone community involved in international development work. Among them are organizations working in Afghanistan such as Solidarity Afghanistan-Belgium, Mothers for Peace and the large Belgian affiliate of Doctors without Borders. the CNCD mission is to ensure the attention of the state to international development assistance issues, to sensitize the public to the need for development in poor countries, and to collect private funds and finance programs in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia carried out by its member organizations. The Center has been in existence since 1966. Zacharie said that the CNCD has always been closely involved with the Ministry of Development Cooperation in the establishment of the structure and priorities of Belgium's government development assistance. This has been characterized by the government's concentration of its funds on 18 "partner countries" (mostly in Africa and not including Afghanistan) and gradual phasing out of assistance to other non-partner countries. Zacharie said that in some ways, this concentration has not been welcome in the NGO community since some of them have expertise in areas of the world that are no longer a GOB priority. ¶3. (C) Poloff explained that the USG is interested in the development of Afghanistan not only because it is one of the poorest countries but also because its lack of development creates risks that could return it to a condition that provides a platform for terrorist action in the United States and in Europe. Zacharie clearly understood the connection between development and terrorism and agreed with the value and importance of assistance to the country. Asked if there is or could be jealousy or tension between NGOs if assistance to Afghanistan were greatly increased (and in fact it has recently been doubled to 12 million euros in 2009 and 2010), Zacharie said no, the NGOs are generally cooperative with each other. However, he said that Development Minister Michel has an overriding interest in Central Africa. Both he and Poloff recalled Michel's freelance diplomacy, conducted to the displeasure of Foreign Minister De Gucht, at the time of the conflict in Eastern Congo. ¶4. (C) Zacharie was unwilling to commit about whether Belgium making Afghanistan a partner country would be better than not doing so. He recognized that as a partner country, Afghanistan would have a larger Belgian commitment, though not necessarily more money. On the other hand, since the "USAID" of Belgium, Belgian Technical Cooperation (BTC) posts its employees on the ground in partner countries, overhead costs are higher. Belgian assistance to Afghanistan as a non-partner country is channeled through international agencies such as the UN and World Food Program (via contributions to those organizations overall budget, with a nominal earmark for Afghanistan) and through the Belgian NGOs working there. He said that Minister Michel and his Ministry are trying to cut down the number of partner countries and are resistant to extending the designation to Afghanistan. ¶5. (C) Each November the CNCD conducts a campaign in Belgium to raise interest and money for development projects in poor countries in cooperation with francophone Radio and Television Belgium. This includes both commercial spots and appearances by experts on various television programs, as well as other publicity. Poloff asked if there is any chance that Afghanistan could be featured in such publicity, to BRUSSELS 00000658 002 OF 002 build support for assistance there, and whether the United States Embassy could supply video clips or even a visit by experts who could highlight the needs there. Zacharie said that he would be open to exploring the possibilities with Embassy officers. BUSH .