ISRAEL AND UNODC

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 007017 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/05/2023 TAGS: PREL SNAR KCRM SUBJECT: ISRAEL AND UNODC REF: UNVIE 652 Classified By: Acting Assistant Secretary James Warlick for reasons 1.4(c) and (e) ¶1. (C) This is an action request. Drawing on the points below, UNVIE is requested to encourage Israeli contributions to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Embassy Tel Aviv is also requested to engage with their appropriate counterparts on this matter. ¶2. (C) BACKGROUND: In 2007, Israel provided $12,000 to UNODC's General Purpose Fund (GPF). UNODC has one ongoing project in conjunction with the Palestinian Authority (PAL/I06 "Drug control and related crime cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and UNODC, for the prevention of drug abuse, drug trafficking and related criminal activities"). The United States strongly supports the work of UNODC as the only UN entity dedicated to battling drugs and crime and we encourage Israel to increase its support for UNODC. UNODC is funded primarily through voluntary contributions and we are supportive of widening the donor base to support the Office's important work. If Israel's contributions increased to the level of the Major Donors, the U.S. would support its bid to join the group. There have been no new members in the group since 2004, when Turkey was admitted. Becoming a member of the Major Donors group would not only require a significant increase in Israeli funding for UNODC, it would also require the consent of the other members of the Major Donors group. Some members have been resistant to broadening the membership of the Group, in part due to fear of reducing its effectiveness. If Israel does choose to pursue membership in the group, we would want to consult informally with other members before bringing the decision before the Major Donors. ¶3. (C) UNODC relies on the General Purpose Fund (GPF) to support important functions such as the Independent Evaluation Unit and the on-line financial management system, ProFi, and we appreciate Israel's support of the GPF. As Israel is particularly concerned about human trafficking and money laundering (Reftel),we should urge the Israelis to consider providing funding to support the activities of the Global Program against Money Laundering (GPML) and/or to support the implementation of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and its trafficking protocol. UNODC is one of the few UN fora where Member States do not have politicized discussions regarding Israel. We understand Israel's interest in Iran (Reftel),however we should urge them to focus on non-controversial UNODC programs. END BACKGROUND 4.(UN) Suggested Talking Points: - The U.S. strongly supports UNODC as the primary UN organ dedicated to combating drugs and crime. We welcome Israel's interest in becoming more involved. We look forward to working with you at the upcoming Commission on Narcotic Drugs in March. - We appreciate Israel's past support for the General Purpose Fund (GPF). UNODC relies on the General Purpose Fund to support important functions such as the Independent Evaluation Unit and the on-line financial management system, ProFi. We urge Israel to continue financially supporting the GPF. - We share Israel's concern regarding human trafficking. As the Secretariat for the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, UNODC has an important role to play in this area. Since 2001, the United States has provided $3,525,000 to support UNODC's flagship project, GLO/R22, to further UNTOC implementation. We encourage Israel to consider supporting it as well. - We also encourage Israel to actively participate in the working group on trafficking in persons that the UNTOC Conference of Parties (COP) established at the fourth COP in October 2008. - Like Israel, we are also concerned with money laundering and its nexus with illicit trafficking and threat finance. To this end, we encourage Israel to consider contributing specifically to UNDOC's Global Program against Money Laundering (GPML). The GPML provides important direction and technical assistance to member states on competencies relating to money laundering and terrorist financing, and we would also encourage additional Israeli funding of this program. The U.S. strongly supports the work of the GPML and cooperates with the GPML to undertake capacity-building initiatives around the world. The U.S. contributed $3.4 million to GPML in 2008 for its activities. - With regard to the Major Donors group, we would welcome the opportunity to meet with you ahead of the next Major Donors meeting to discuss the agenda and to coordinate on any specific concerns you may have. CLINTON