U.S.-BRAZIL COOPERATION IN MOZAMBIQUE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MAPUTO 000966 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KHIV EAGR ETRD ECON SOCI KPKO SMIL KDEM, ENRG, EINV, MZ, BZ SUBJECT: U.S.-BRAZIL COOPERATION IN MOZAMBIQUE REF: STATE 43311 MAPUTO 00000966 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Mozambique's considerable assistance needs offer an array of opportunities for joint U.S.)Brazil cooperation. While the health sector continues to be the most promising, additional collaboration is now proposed in food security and agriculture, and is also possible in energy, democracy and governance, as well as peacekeeping operations (PKO) and security. Providing further impetus for such efforts are the recent visit of Mozambican president Armando Guebuza to Brazil and a strong willingness by the Brazilian Ambassador to Mozambique to work with USG agencies. End Summary. -------------- Health -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The Brazilian Agency for Cooperation and the Ministry of Health have developed, in concert with a recent Mozambican-USG HIV/AIDS delegation, a proposal for technical cooperation to strengthen the Mozambican fight against HIV/AIDS. This proposal supports national HIV/AIDS programs in areas such as: commodity management and logistics, monitoring and evaluation, civil society empowerment, and social communication. ¶3. (SBU) Current U.S.)Brazil assistance for the Mozambican health sector includes laboratory and blood bank support and mid-level human resources training. The Brazilians also collaborate on improving the quality and number of local health care workers. Collaboration between the CDC-Global AIDS Program (GAP) and Brazil began in 2001. In FY 2008 and FY 2009, these activities were expanded to laboratory improvement, as well as to monitoring and evaluation. The CDC has collaborated with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro on a very successful mentoring program that brings Brazilian laboratory experts to provide extended technical assistance (6-9 months) to rural sites in Mozambique. In partnership with CDC Atlanta, CDC Mozambique has partnered with the Brazilian Ministry of Health to establish a Field Epidemiology and Lab Training Program (FELTP). Further, CDC Mozambique is partnering with the Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ) on a number of projects, including a behavioral surveillance study of most-at-risk populations. ¶4. (SBU) USAID plans to launch a major civil society project involving institutional strengthening and capacity building for Mozambican NGOs through partnerships with Brazilian civil society organizations (CSOs) and networks. In coordination with USAID/Brazil, USAID/Mozambique will identify high profile CSOs and CSO networks to design a long-term collaboration strategy with Mozambican organizations through the Rede Mocambicana de Organizacoes contra a SIDA (MONASO) and the Network of International Organizations (NAIMA). Activities will include capacity building in the areas of strategic planning, project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, financial management, administration and fund-raising. ¶5. (SBU) The Embassy's health outreach efforts have extended beyond working with the GoB to embrace the Brazilian private sector, as well. A good example of public-private trilateral cooperation is a TV soap opera dealing with health issues that was proposed by STV, a local television station, and executed by a Brazilian production team, Cinevideo, using PEPFAR funds from the Embassy's Political/Economic section. -------------- Food Security, Agriculture, Energy -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The GoB and USG are close to establishing collaborative support activities in agricultural research, technical assistance, and capacity strengthening with the National Agricultural Research Institute (IIAMS). Also proposed is assistance in agricultural technology transfer and pilot applications in selected crops that can contribute most to Mozambique's food security and economy. The execution of the project for ABC will be carried out by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa). MAPUTO 00000966 002.2 OF 002 ¶7. (SBU) U.S. and Brazilian research expertise might also be useful in areas such as: biotechnology to improve agriculture productivity in staple and cash crops, integrated pest management, alternative energy irrigation systems, low tillage and soil conservation, post harvest grain handling and shelf life protection, small scale livestock management, integrated fish pond and crop production. Combating coconut yellowing disease (an activity supported by MCC in Mozambique) may offer another possible avenue for collaboration. Given that the USG and GoB have a biofuels agreement, and that the GoB and GRM do as well, there may be a way to 'triangulate' these agreements so that the USG and GoB can work together in Mozambique in second generation biofuel technology development. Mozambique has several existing--and several potential--biofuel projects, ranging from ethanol to jatropha. -------------- Democracy and Governance -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Embassy Maputo has been approached by the Brazilian Ambassador to consider funding a capacity-building program for technical assistance in the area of public administration, with a key theme being decentralization of the government. The Brazilians implemented a similar program in the 1990s with Swedish funding. -------------- Peacekeeping and Security -------------- ¶9. (SBU) The Brazilian ambassador has suggested the possibility of Mozambican soldiers participating jointly with Brazil in Haiti as a step toward encouraging the GRM's full participation in PKO on the African continent. The GoB has indicated that it wants to help the GRM train for PKO, most recently in public statements by the Brazilian Minister of Defense in Maputo in early June. Mozambican soldiers have participated in training in Brazil in the past. Brazil could also be an excellent partner to help Mozambique control its maritime domain. There is some precedent: in FY 2008 there was a DoD-supported small boat maintenance event in Florida for Brazilian forces that Mozambican sailors attended. In September 2008 a DoD mobile team visited Maputo and trained Mozambican sailors further; the Brazilian DATT attended. -------------- -------------- COMMENT: Time is Now to Explore Areas of Cooperation -------------- -------------- ¶10. (SBU) The July 19 visit of Mozambican president Armando Guebuza to Brazil to sign several bilateral economic and health agreements provides an ideal environment to build on existing USG-Brazil and USG-Mozambique cooperation. In addition, the personal commitment of the Brazilian ambassador to work with the U.S. mission means that we have an opportunity to set in motion a wide array of initiatives. We would like to work with Embassy Brasilia and Washington towards developing a framework to guide and formalize our cooperation with Brazil in Mozambique. CHAPMAN