FOOD FOR PROGRESS ELIGIBILITY: THE CASE FOR TIMOR-LESTE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DILI 000022 SIPDIS USDA FOR/FAS/OA HALE; USDA/FAS/OCBD SHEIKH, KREAMER, CROUSHORN; USDA/FAS/OCRA PETLOCK, HIGGISTON, RADLER; USDA/FAS/OFSO WAINIO; STATE FOR E AND EEB E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR ECON PREL TT SUBJECT: FOOD FOR PROGRESS ELIGIBILITY: THE CASE FOR TIMOR-LESTE REF: 2008 DILI 79 Summary and action requested -------------- ¶1. Classifying Timor-Leste as a Priority Country under USDA's Food for Progress (FFP) program would directly and strongly support the U.S. foreign policy objective of building a stable, secure, prosperous, and democratic Timor-Leste. The country meets the qualifying criteria for priority countries and there are organizations currently working in Timor that are interested in participating in an FPP program. Timor-Leste faces immense social and economic challenges: grinding poverty, razor thin managerial capacity, high unemployment/child mortality/illiteracy rates, stubborn youth unemployment amidst rocketing population growth, poor infrastructure and, except for oil, coffee and a handful of other agricultural exports, no meaningful export sector. Given that 85 percent of the working population remains engaged in subsistence agriculture, hope for progress depends on improving the productivity and incomes of Timorese farmers. USAID has an excellent record in supporting agriculture in Timor-Leste, including a partnership with a U.S. NGO and the country's leading and most successful coffee cooperative. Much more can be done, however, and our private sector partners are eager to expand their programs including through FFP. Embassy Dili strongly requests that USDA designate Timor-Leste a priority country for FFP assistance. End Summary and action requested. ¶2. The following updates reftel application for Timor-Leste's designation as a priority country under USDA's Food for Progress program. The past year has introduced a period of hopeful stability for Timor-Leste. Following the attempted assassination of President Ramos Horta on February 11, 2008, Timor's democratic and security institutions functioned relatively well. The perpetrators of the 2/11 incident surrendered peacefully; Prime Minister Gusmao acted to resolve several domestic political problems, including the reintegration of thousands of Timorese families made homeless by a 2006 crisis; and the country's leadership sought to take steps to hasten administrative reform and stimulate economic development. The UN is schedule to begin a phased turnover of police responsibilities back to the Timorese authorities in March 2009. In recognition of the country's enhanced security, the Department of State lifted its travel advisory in September 2008 and Australia reduced by fifteen percent the number of its forces in Timor-Leste. ¶3. The challenges of development facing Timor-Leste nevertheless remain enormous. They include a still unreconstructed security sector; weak justice institutions; poor infrastructure; population growth of 3.5 percent per year; high youth unemployment; functional illiteracy rates of 70 percent; and enormous requirements for investment in education and human capital. Fully 85 percent of the working population is engaged in little more than subsistence farming; food insecurity is chronic for large segments of the population. Timor-Leste's maternal and child mortality rates are among the highest in the world. U.S. Assistance Priorities -------------- ¶4. Besides the energy of its people and its nascent natural resource wealth, Timor-Leste has benefited from the strong commitment to its democratic development by the international community. In partnership with American NGOs, the U.S. has been a generous source of support even before Timor-Leste's independence. Our aid has focused on strengthening the country's governance and democratic institutions, establishing the rule of law, and meeting basic humanitarian needs. But our assistance programs also have had a strong economic development component, especially in the agricultural sector. A signature program has been with the Cooperativa Cafe Timor (CCT),an organization with a membership of more that 20,000 Timorese families and responsible for more than 40 percent of the country's coffee production. We also support activities to develop and expand Timor's currently miniscule, but potentially substantial exports of cattle, candlenut, horticultural products and spices. Our NGO partners in agriculture are eager to expand these programs. ¶5. Given the country's non-existent industrial base and vacant service sector, economic development in Timor-Leste will depend in the medium term on raising productivity and incomes in agriculture. The current Timorese government is committed to these goals, but given limited resources and weak technical capabilities, support from international donors such as the U.S. will be critical. A properly targeted Food for Progress (FFP) DILI 00000022 002 OF 002 program would strongly complement, indeed accelerate, agricultural programs that have been at the core of USAID efforts in Timor for more than a decade. By leveraging existing programs, FFP would help provide the agricultural income generating mechanisms required to boost the rural economy of Timor-Leste. Priority Country Status -------------- ¶6. We understand that USDA uses three criteria to determine Priority Country status for FFP: per capita income, malnutrition rates, positive movement with respect to human rights and civil liberties. ¶7. According to USDA, any country that has a Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more than $3,465 fails to qualify as a Priority Country for FFP. According to the UNDP's most recent Human Development Report (2008),annual GDP per capita in Timor-Leste in 2006 at purchasing power parity (PPP) was $668. Poverty in Timor is getting worse. A recent World Bank study (2008) indicated that 50% of Timorese households survived on 88 cents or less per person per day, compared to fewer than forty percent of households in 2001. Malnutrition Rate -------------- ¶8. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the prevalence of undernourishment in the total population of Timor-Leste averaged 22% in 2005-2003. In addition, a living standards survey completed in 2007 revealed that approximately half of all children under five years of age suffer from malnutrition. By this criterion, Timor-Leste qualifies as a FFP Priority Country. Positive Movement in Political Rights and Civil Liberties -------------- -------------- ¶9. Freedom house in its most recent rankings (2009) lists Timor-Leste (East Timor) as an electoral democracy and "Partially Free", a significant improvement since 2000 when it was categorized as "Not Free". The numerical ratings have improved from "six" to "three" for political rights, and from "six" to "four" for civil liberties over that period. Timor's combined average rating of 3.5 places it near the top of the Freedom House's "Partly Free" nations and highest among Southeast Asian nations after Indonesia. Action Requested -------------- ¶10. Embassy Dili strongly requests the designation of Timor-Leste as a Priority Country for USDA's FFP program in FY ¶2010. A Priority Country classification would directly and strongly support U.S. foreign policy objectives to aid the government of Timor-Leste's efforts to build a stable, secure, prosperous and democratic future for its citizens. KLEMM