UZBEKISTAN: POST STRONGLY SUPPORTS UNICEF DRAFT COUNTRY

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/05/28
TAGS: PHUM KOCI ELAB UN SOCI ECON UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: POST STRONGLY SUPPORTS UNICEF DRAFT COUNTRY
PROGRAM

CLASSIFIED BY: Timothy P. Buckley, Second Secretary, Department of
State, Political and Economic Section; REASON: 1.4(B),(D)


1. (C) Summary: On May 27, the Ambassador met with UNICEF Country
Representative Mahboob Shareef, who reviewed elements of the draft
2010 - 2015 country program for Uzbekistan and (protect) quietly
encouraged the U.S. to vote in favor of the document at the
upcoming June 10 board meeting. Shareef also reported that First
Deputy Foreign Minister Karamatov's recent visit to Washington
seems to have had a positive effect on other Uzbek officials with
regard to engagement on child labor issues. Acting Minister of
Labor and Social Protection Aktam Haitov told Shareef that "we will
invite the International Labor Organization (ILO) back to
Uzbekistan," the first time we here have heard of an official
definitively declaring this intent. UNICEF fulfills an important
role in Uzbekistan and, along with ILO, will be instrumental in
long-term efforts to eliminate child labor in the agriculture
sector. We support UNICEF's efforts to maintain engagement on a
variety of important topics and recommend that the U.S. support the
draft country program. End summary.




2. (U) Shareef presented the Ambassador with a copy of the
2010-2015 draft country program for Uzbekistan on May 27 and
reviewed key elements of the document. Significantly, more than 40
percent of the population in this country of 28 million is under 18
years old, which highlights the importance of children's issues in
Uzbekistan. Shareef said the government is paying attention, as
evidenced by the fact that 55 percent of the state budget is
allocated to social sectors. Often overlooked in the debate about
the extent of child labor is that the school attendance rate is 96
percent, which Shareef noted puts Uzbekistan well on track to
achieving Millennium Development Goal 2. Shareef said the main
educational challenge for Uzbekistan is in school readiness, as
only 22 percent of children nationwide attend pre-school and only
13 percent in rural areas where poverty is concentrated. Other
focus areas will include upgrading the quality of education,
reducing infant mortality, and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
There will also be a sub-project devoted to eliminating child
labor.




3. (C) Shareef said his recent meeting in Washington at the
Department was very productive and he has also heard positive
feedback from Uzbek interlocutors about the recent visit of First
Deputy Foreign Minister Karamatov to Washington, who was the
highest ranking Uzbek government official to visit the U.S. in
several years. Acting Minister of Labor and Social Protection
Haitov (who has been acting minister for four years) told Shareef
in definitive tones that "we will invite the ILO back to
Uzbekistan," which is an important indication that the Government
of Uzbekistan may have moved past the protocol issues of whom
should invite whom. Shareef agreed this was good news and said ILO
officials were ready to travel to Tashkent to work out challenging
details such as how assessments would be conducted. On June 10
there will also be a general conference at the ILO in Geneva,
Switzerland which will include a side meeting about Uzbekistan.
Shareef said that the Government of Uzbekistan has been invited to
attend, and he believes both Acting Labor Minister Haitov and Akmal
Saidov, Director of the National Human Rights Center, will
participate, which Shareef said would be an important indicator of
Uzbekistan's intent to engage.




4. (C) Shareef reminded emboffs that the child labor issue "is not
going away," and referenced several stories in the international
press as well as a new publication by the Environmental Justice
Foundation that focus on child labor in the cotton sector in
Uzbekistan. He noted that Uzbekistan seems to bear the brunt of
international pressure even though there are similar issues in

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Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, but nonetheless he stated that the
Uzbeks "need to be much more proactive and take concrete actions."
Shareef said UNICEF will continue to convey to the host government
that the issue will affect the country's economy and reputation,
and he added that Uzbekistan needs to realize they cannot simply
try to reduce the international pressure. In one encouraging sign,
Shareef said provincial governors (hokims) are telling him that
they are developing plans to employ more would-be migrant workers
this year in the cotton harvest, which should help reduce the
incidence of child labor.




5. (C) Shareef (protect) said there is no indication thus far that
there will be any opposition to UNICEF's draft country program for
2010 - 2015, but he is concerned that the child labor issue may
come up during the board meeting, especially given the widespread
negative publicity Uzbekistan is receiving, which could prompt some
board members to have second thoughts. Shareef underscored the
importance of UNICEF's activities here, noting that "with the new
country program, our goal will be to work together with the
government to ensure that children stay in school, even during the
harvest season." He expressed hope that the U.S. will support the
Uzbekistan draft country program.



Comment:

--------------




6. (SBU) A long-term strategy is the only realistic approach to
eliminating child labor in the agricultural sector in Uzbekistan,
and UNICEF and ILO must have a robust presence on the ground for
any plan to be effective. We are encouraged that Uzbekistan may be
ready to extend an invitation soon to ILO, which will be an
important step in the right direction. We strongly support the
UNICEF draft country program and we recommend that the U.S. support
the document at the June 10 board meeting.
NORLAND