USAID EXPLORES NEW APPROACH FOR GOS-USAID COOPERATION IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 000451 DEPT FOR SE GRATION, S/USSES, AF A A/S CARTER, AF/C, IO, PRM NSC FOR MGAVIN AND CHUDSON DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN, USAID/W DCHA SUDAN ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU SENSITIVE AIDAC SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ASEC PGOV PREL PREF KDEM KPKO SOCI AU UNSC SU SUBJECT: USAID EXPLORES NEW APPROACH FOR GOS-USAID COOPERATION IN DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE IN NORTHERN SUDAN TO SUPPORT THE CPA REFS: A. KHARTOUM 386 ¶B. KHARTOUM 428 ¶C. KHARTOUM 440 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) SUMMARY. On March 26, USAID Mission Director and USAID Legal Advisor met with Government of National Unity (GNU) Undersecretary of the Ministry of International Cooperation (MIC),Elfatih Ali Siddig to resume dialogue between USAID and MIC regarding programs on which the two agencies can collaborate, and to discuss some specific topics related to election assistance and the Three Areas. Elfatih agreed that MIC could facilitate USAID programs under the 1958 Economic, Technical and Related Assistance Agreement between the United States of America and the Sudan. Elfatih also discussed his view regarding the jurisdiction of the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) in the Three Areas and expressed MIC interest in working with USAID on election assistance in the north. END SUMMARY. -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- PROPOSED STRUCTURE FOR A USAID/MIC AGREEMENT -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) On March 26, USAID Mission Director and Legal Advisor met with GoS MIC Undersecretary, Elfatih Ali Siddig to discuss procedures under which USAID could work through MIC to undertake development programs in northern Sudan in support of the CPA. (NOTE: USAID is exploring alternatives to NGO registration and cooperation solely through HAC. MIC offers a potential new path for development assistance that may allow USAID to avoid some of the risks that it has encountered with HAC, such as seizure of equipment, control over the hiring of local staff, etc. END NOTE.) Elfatih suggested that USAID and MIC could work within a simple framework of cooperation that could begin with a broad memorandum of understanding, followed by more detailed project-by-project USAID-MIC implementation protocols, with specific reference to any implementing company. He stated USAID needs to be as transparent as possible to allay politicians' concerns. �A; ¶3. (U) Elfatih indicated that there are two options available for donors to work in Sudan. First, provide funds to NGOs that are registered with, and have direct technical agreements with, the HAC. Second, provide funds to non-NGO implementing companies for agreed-upon development activities under the auspices of an agreement between the donor and MIC. Elfatih suggested the two sides agree on a simple MOU that would recognize the 1958 bilateral assistance agreement and state that the terms of the bilateral cover the projects (e.g. tax exemption, duty free imports, etc.) implemented under USAID-MIC agreements. ¶4. (U) Elfatih emphasized that even with a MIC agreement, NGOs are required to register with HAC because the Organization of Voluntary and Humanitarian Work Act of 2006 (the NGO law) gives HAC authority over all NGOs, not just those doing humanitarian work. Elfatih confirmed that even NGOs doing only development work would have to register with HAC. (NOTE: There may be some room for non-profit 501(c)3 organizations to come in under a MIC agreement, if there is another way to classify them. This would not work for any organization already registered with HAC or otherwise working in the country outside of a specific agreement with MIC. END NOTE.) ¶5. (U) Companies entering Sudan only for the purpose of implementing a project under USAID's agreement with MIC would not have to register at all. Instead, they could acquire a "legal personality" that would allow them to sign leases, open bank accounts, hire staff, etc., This legal status would derive from the project document or "implementation protocol" between USAID and MIC. ¶6. (U) Elfatih suggested the idea of the recently expelled NGOs registering under another name. For example, HAC told Elfatih that PADCO would be able to work again if they registered under another name, but that they would have to re-register with HAC - they could not come in as a company under a USAID-MIC agreement. PADCO would be granted "fast track" registration and could complete the process in a day, he said. He offered to accompany a PADCO representative to meet with Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs State Minister Ahmed Harun. (NOTE: At first Elfatih said the "expelled NGOs" could register under another name and resume working. Later in the conversation he said that while he was sure this would apply to KHARTOUM 00000451 002 OF 003 PADCO, it might not apply to the others. END NOTE.) -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- MIC AS A PARTNER FOR ELECTIONS ASSISTANCE IN THE NORTH -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶7. (U) USAID discussed plans to provide elections assistance and specifically raised the International Foundation for Elections Systems (IFES) as an organization that would extend direct assistance to the National Election Commission (NEC) to support national elections. USAID stated IFES is not political, but rather addresses the nuts and bolt of conducting an election. Elfatih stated that an agreement could be reached to allow IFES to work with the NEC, and indicated USAID would need to finalize a project document with MIC. (NOTE: USAID is in the process of drafting an implementation protocol for IFES assistance to the NEC. END NOTE). ¶8. (U) Once the two parties have agreed, the Implementation Protocol would go to the Ministry of Finance to process customs duties, income tax and VAT tax exemptions. Elfatih mentioned the idea of a steering committee to manage it, but did not go into further detail. When USAID mentioned IFES is a foundation, Elfatih replied he thought there would be a way to classify it as something other than an NGO. It was not clear whether IFES would necessarily have to identify itself as a specific type of entity as long as it had no other activities in Sudan. He discussed the multi-donor fund that operates through UNDP and will support the NEC and civic education. He suggested USAID could participate in the multi-donor fund policy committee without contributing directly to the fund by virtue of our assistance to the NEC through IFES. -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- - ASSISTANCE IN THE THREE AREAS AND NGO EXPULSIONS -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- - ¶7. (U) In a short discussion on the Three Areas (ref. A),Elfatih stated emphatically that they are part of the North and HAC has authority in all of the Three Areas. The Southern Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC) sent a letter to UNMIS and UNOCHA dated March 12 stating that "all NGOs and Humanitarian Agencies that are operating in both Southern Sudan and the Three Areas should continue their work as usual . . ." According to Elfatih, the SSRRC has only a consultative capacity in the Three Areas under the terms of the CPA and does not have jurisdiction over NGOs working there. He stated SSRRC acted outside of its authority by sending a letter inviting expelled NGOs to continue working there. He also emphasized that the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) is authorized to operate throughout the Three Areas and has the authority to arrest anyone there without proper documentation. USAID questioned whether the concurrent authority in the CPA does not give the Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states the authority to enter into their own agreements with NGOs and companies. Elfatih replied the concurrent authority would not cover anything that was funded by bilateral assistance. He explained that the states could receive private investment, but not bilateral donor funding. The CPA only grants that authority to the GNU and the GOSS ¶8. (U) Regarding the severance payments for local employees of the expelled NGOs demanded by HAC (refs. B and C),Elfatih stated it is the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labor (MOL),not HAC, and he was surprised to hear that HAC was involved at all in the issue of severance pay. He seemed surprised by the requirement that the expelled NGOs pay an additional six months of severance pay to their national staffs. He indicated that severance pay should be a matter between the NGOs as employers and the Ministry of Labor. He suggested that the NGOs appeal directly to the Ministry of Labor. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (SBU) This initial approach offers a prospect for supporting development programs to northern Sudan through an agreement between the MIC and USAID, as an alternative to HAC's intrusive control of its programs through solely HAC-NGO technical agreements with little role for donors. It remains to be seen, however, whether such an arrangement will result in concrete improvements for implementing partners' freedom of movement, access to all areas of Sudan, and ability to meet USG requirements regarding asset disposition. The GOS is expert at manipulating all agreements to its advantage and blocking access by organizations that it perceives threaten its KHARTOUM 00000451 003 OF 003 control and political power in any way. Both MIC and HAC are parts of that same regime. It also remains to be seen whether MIC will agree only to seemingly non-controversial assistance programs that directly benefit the GoS, such as IFES elections assistance, or whether MIC will also agree to programs that focus on civil-society capacity building and others that could be perceived as threatening the political status quo. USAID is starting with IFES under this new bilateral cooperation approach and will go from there. FERNANDEZ