ISRAEL SUPPORTIVE OF FOOD SECURIY PROPOSAL; SEEKS FURTHER

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002380 SIPDIS NEA/IPA FOR GOLDBERGER, FRELICH; EEB/TPP/MTAA/ABT FOR ANN RYAN; FFICE OF THE COUNSELOR FOR MARISA PLOWDEN; IO FOR OBERT HAGEN AND JOHN TUMINARO; USAID FOR EGAT; RME FOR FAO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EAGR EID IS SUBJECT: ISRAEL SUPPORTIVE OF FOOD SECURIY PROPOSAL; SEEKS FURTHER COOPERATION WITH USAIDIN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES REF: STATE 107298 ¶1. SUMMARY: Israel plans to support the joint USG-U proposal on food security at the FAO Summit Nov. 16-18 in Rome. While delivering the reftel demarche, Econoff also solicited GoI's thinking on cooperative efforts with USAID in third countries. End summary. ¶2. Econoff delivered reftel's letter and proposal on partnering for Food Security to Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs via Deputy Director General for Economic Affairs, Irit Ben Abba on October 20. To gain Israel's substantive response to the proposal, Econoff met with Ilan Fluss, Director for Policy Planning and External Relations and Beth-Eden Kite, Director of Training at MASHAV, Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation on October 26. MASHAV is part of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Fluss stated that Israel will fully support the proposal of Secretary Clinton and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the World Food Security Summit at the FAO next month. Ambassador Hiam Divon, Deputy Director General for International Cooperation, is expected to head the Israeli delegation to the FAO Summit in November. ¶3. Fluss noted MASHAV's experience in supporting agricultural development and sustainable food production in developing counties in Africa, Asia and Central Europe. Regarding the proposal and talking points on USG interests, he was particularly glad to hear of the U.S. recognition of climate change and water usage as factors in addressing global agricultural needs. He also emphasized MASHAV's support of a USG action plan focused on women, who make up the majority of small-holder rural farmers. ¶4. As Deputy FM Ayalon mentioned in recent meetings with USG officials, Fluss also encouraged greater collaboration with USAID in developing countries. MASHAVA is a small, flexible organization with more limited scope than USAID, Fluss stated, and therefore wants to place new emphasis on partnerships that can yield greater reach for the agency. With core focus areas of education, public health, agriculture, water conservation and urban safety (the later primarily in Latin America),MASHAV uses Israel's technological expertise and human resources in these areas to build capacity and know-how in the developing world. Kite and Fluss described MASAHV's fruitful history of cooperation with USAID as project-specific and largely dependent upon the individual relationships established with USAID officers in countries where Israeli involvement in development work is desired. They specifically noted current projects involving water technology and climate change in Ethiopia. ¶5. Fluss said that MASHAV and the GoI see a political green light for broader cooperation with USAID and now seek a dialogue regarding the practical steps to be taken to that end. Noting some of the agency's focus countries (India, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Kosovo),Kite and Fluss requested feedback as to where the greatest prospects for cooperation lie and suggested that MASHAV will consider all USAID suggestions. They also expressed a desire to pursue cooperation with USAID in the Middle East, where most of their recent work has been done through local NGOs and other international partners, primarily to benefit Palestinians and Jordanians. Finally, they stressed that MASHAV would be coming to the table as a donor in these endeavors, not simply a source of technical expertise. CUNNINGHAM