PARTNERING FOR GLOBAL HUNGER AND FOOD SECURITY -- GUATEMALA

UNCLAS GUATEMALA 001224 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PGOV PREL EAGR GT SUBJECT: PARTNERING FOR GLOBAL HUNGER AND FOOD SECURITY -- GUATEMALA RESPONSE REF: 09 STATE 107298; 09 GUATEMALA 1088; 09 GUATEMALA 882 09 GUATEMALA 864 On November 2, the Ambassador sent Secretary Clinton's letter along with the Partnering for Global Hunger and Food Security proposal to Guatemala's Minister of Foreign Affairs Haroldo Rodas. The MFA has not yet provided a substantive response. Delivery of the letter followed meetings held in early October between the Ambassador, USAID, President Colom, and First Lady Sandra Torres de Colom in which the deteriorating food security situation was discussed. Emboffs from USAID met with Secretary for Planning Karin Slowing on October 29 to discuss the five guiding principles of the Global Food Security Initiative proposal, emphasizing the importance of host-country leadership and the need for Guatemala to develop a national plan by the end of November. At the meeting, Slowing expressed her awareness of the Food Security priorities from the G-8 summit in L'Aquila in July and the UN meeting in September, and noted that President Colom had asked her, as the head of the Planning Secretariat (SEGEPLAN),to take the lead for the GOG on food security planning. SEGEPLAN developed an Emergency Food Security plan in September that identified USD 97 million in needs -- half for the provision of emergency food aid and half for structural/infrastructure projects such as irrigation and roads. The Emergency Plan built on the 2009-2012 Food Security and Nutrition Strategic Plan released by the Secretariat for Food Security and Nutrition (SESAN) in July 2009. Both the Emergency Plan and the Food Security and Nutrition Strategic Plan identified overall goals and need areas without delving into implementation issues such as funding, activities, and objectives. Slowing offered to establish an internal GOG working group between SEGEPLAN and SESAN that would work with USAID in developing an operational food security plan. USAID is sending two food security experts to Guatemala in mid-November to assist the Mission in analyzing Guatemala's food security crisis and developing appropriate strategic objectives. MCFARLAND