UZBEKISTAN: UNICEF MAY SEEK TO DISTANCE ITSELF FROM

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 001027 SIPDIS AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/06/19 TAGS: PHUM UNICEF ELAB PGOV PREL KTIP UZ SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: UNICEF MAY SEEK TO DISTANCE ITSELF FROM GOVERNMENT CLASSIFIED BY: Timothy P. Buckley, Second Secretary, Department of State, Political and Economic Section; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) On June 17, Matthew Taylor, the Public Relations Officer at UNICEF's Uzbekistan office, told poloff that the organization will be "changing tack" to take a harder line in its dealings with the Government of Uzbekistan. Taylor said that a coalition of NGOs, led by Human Rights Watch, recently approached UNICEF's Deputy Regional Director and the Director of Communications. The groups leveled criticism at UNICEF and said the organization could increasingly be seen "as part of the problem, rather than the solution," according to Taylor. The NGO coalition further claimed that the "UNICEF brand was being used as a public relations umbrella" by the Uzbek government, which Taylor said caused concern in the organization. ¶2. (C) As a response, UNICEF has drafted a statement that will seek to "distance itself" from the Uzbek government and indicate a tougher approach. Taylor promised that we would be kept informed about the timetable for release of the statement as well as any expected follow up policy actions. On June 15, UNICEF Country Representative Mahboob Shareef told poloff at a reception that "the next few months will be critical" in convincing the government to instruct regional hokims (governors) to keep children out of the agricultural fields during the upcoming cotton harvest season. Comment: -------------- ¶3. (C) For anyone to call UNICEF here "part of the problem" is incorrect and highly unfair to its committed, capable staff. Poloff noted to Taylor that we listed the need for close collaboration with UNICEF in the 2009 TIP Report. We believe that international organizations on the ground are best-suited to make progress in encouraging the Uzbek government to alter the long-standing agricultural practices it inherited from the Soviet Union. The government will certainly be upset if UNICEF shifts to a more hard-line approach in its relations, so we will have to be ready to redouble our efforts to encourage the Uzbeks to maintain collaboration. A statement from UNICEF could actually help facilitate an invitation to the International Labor Organization (ILO) if the Government of Uzbekistan senses it could dull the criticism, but we will have to be careful that engagement with ILO does not come at the expense of engagement with UNICEF since we view both as having an important role. NORLAND