Major Donors to UNODC Agree to More Systematic

UNCLAS UNVIE VIENNA 000550

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958:N/A
TAGS: SNAR KCOR KCRM PGOV UNCND
SUBJECT: Major Donors to UNODC Agree to More Systematic
Coordination


1. SUMMARY: At a November 30 meeting convened by the UK Mission to
international organizations in Vienna the "Major Donor" countries to
the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) agreed to increase
systematic coordination with one another. The U.S. delegation, led
by IO Assistant Secretary Esther Brimmer and UNVIE Ambassador Glyn
Davies, advanced coordination in preparation for meetings of the
Working Group on Finance and Governance (Fin/Gov) in order to (1)
advance concrete proposals for streamlining the functioning of the
UNODC governing bodies, (2) provide feedback to UNODC on draft
thematic and regional assistance programs and (3) advise one another
of priority areas for funding UNODC activities. Donors further
agreed on the importance of re-establishing the Independent
Evaluation Unit (IEU) to ensure systematic review of the impact of
UNODC programs. Germany also announced a 2.1 million USD
contribution to support the UNODC's Terrorism Prevention Branch
(TPB),which has been suffering after several donors (UK, Spain and
Norway) zeroed-out funding for TPB activities in 2009. USDEL
learned that this reduction in funding for TPB was the result of
competing budget priorities rather than a lack of confidence in the
TPB's work. The UK will host the next formal donors meeting in the
first quarter of 2010. END SUMMARY.

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COMPOSITION OF USDEL
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2. IO Assistant Secretary Esther Brimmer and UNVIE Ambassador Glyn
Davies led the USDEL to the UNODC Major Donors meeting. The
following officials also comprised USDEL: IO DAS Nerissa Cook,
UNVIE DCM Geoff Pyatt, INL John Sullivan, INL Christine Cline and
UNVIE Adam Davis.

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ADVANCING DONOR VIEWS IN FIN/GOV
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3. Major Donors agreed that the Working Group on Finance and
Governance (Fin/Gov) presented an opportunity for increased dialogue
among donor countries, recipient countries and the UNODC
Secretariat. In particular, donors believed Fin/Gov an appropriate
vehicle to generate feedback and buy-in for UNODC's development of
thematic and regional programs, which aimed to provide a strategic
overlay to UNODC in-country assistance. Assistant Secretary Brimmer
stressed the Administration's commitment to multilateral
organizations in general and UNODC in particular. She asserted that
Fin/Gov represented an important opportunity for informal engagement
with all partners, and it held the potential to increase
transparency in the design of UNODC activities. At the same time,
Assistant Secretary Brimmer advocated for increased coordination
among Major Donors, particularly in advance of Fin/Gov meetings.
Japan and Canada emphasized that Fin/Gov should continue its
informal character and should not be seen as a vehicle to replace
the formal governing bodies of UNODC - the UN Commission on Narcotic
Drugs (CND) and the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal
Justice (CCPCJ). France noted that it had proposals for
streamlining the work of the CND and CCPCJ and donors agreed to
discuss these at the next expert-level meeting of Major Donors.

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REESTABLISHING THE
INDPENDENT EVALUATION UNIT
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4. Sweden, in its capacity as President of the European Union,
reaffirmed the importance EU Member States attached to the
re-establishment of the Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU) for UNODC.
In the draft consolidated budget for the biennium 2010-2011, UNODC
had proposed merging the IEU with its strategic planning entity as
cost-cutting measures. UNODC, in principle, had expressed support
for re-establishing the IEU, pending additional voluntary
contributions being provided. UN Regular Budget resources are only
available to fund the salary requirements for the Chief of the IEU.
On the margins of the Major Donors meeting, USDEL worked with
Sweden, Canada, Japan and other countries to develop acceptable
language to re-establish the IEU with a view to adoption of the text
by the December 1-4 Reconvened Sessions of the CND and CCPCJ which
will be reported by septel.

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COORDINATION OF

FUNDING TO UNODC
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5. Donors agreed to increase coordination of funding priorities for
UNODC activities with a view to identifying potential funding gaps
and promoting complementarily in the provision of funds. Donors
adopted a USDEL proposal to designate regional or sub-regional areas
to be covered at each subsequent Major Donors meeting in order to
focus an exchange of information and priorities. As a first step,
and noting the lack of information about who was doing what, where,
with UNODC, Germany agreed to design a template to allow donors to
itemize each of its individual contributions in 2009 and to preview
contributions for 2010.


6. USDEL also used the occasion to highlight its provision of 10
million USD to UNODC in 2009 for a variety of activities, including
1.3 million USD in unearmarked general purpose funds to sustain the
operations of UNODC. USDEL showcased that funding would be
forthcoming for UNODC demand reduction activities in Afghanistan and
for UNODC's container control program - the first USG contribution
of its kind to UNODC. Sweden distributed its breakdown of funds for
UNODC in 2009 totaling 12.9 million USD, which included an increase
for UNODC demand reduction activities. Italy also confirmed a
pledge for UNODC activities in Afghanistan, although the amount of
funding was still pending. Germany announced a contribution of
340,000 USD for UNODC demand reduction activities in Afghanistan.

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GERMANY TO MAKE
UP SHORTFALL FOR TPB
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7. Donors discussed the financial crisis that had befallen UNODC's
Terrorism Prevention Branch (TPB) due to the zeroing-out of funds in
2009 by the UK, Norway and Spain. USDEL sought clarification from
those donors present as to why funding to the TPB was reduced. The
UK confirmed that it reduced funding because of competing budget
priorities, rather than a lack of confidence in the TPB's work.
Germany announced that it would provide 2.1 million USD in order to
cover the shortfall required by the TPB but emphasized that it could
not sustain such a contribution in 2010. Other donors, notably
Australia and the Netherlands, indicated that UNODC's adoption of a
thematic approach and reinstatement of the IEU would provide
additional incentive to consider future contributions to the TPB.

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COMMENT
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8. Although the UK will convene the next formal meeting of Major
Donors within the first quarter of 2010, it will be important to
sustain dialogue among participating donor countries on a regular
basis. In particular, this constant contact could help to leverage
U.S. input into the EU coordination process, including with regard
to funding decisions. In addition, coordination in advance of
Fin/Gov meetings could help to blunt more politicized topics, such
as those surrounding UN Regular Budget resources, often raised by
the Group of 77. USDEL was pleased to find that many donors, who
previously had hesitated to meet more regularly at the working
level, and who were skeptical on the utility of sharing contribution
details, had now embraced the USDEL's vision for a more regularized
and open major donor dynamic. Regarding the Major Donor-Fin/Gov
relationship, mission will continue to work with other donors to
invigorate the Fin/Gov process into one that focuses on substantive
UNODC activities, rather than falling back into process-oriented
discussions. Mission believes that donor coordination can serve as
a means to this end. A/S Brimmer's presence at this event was
particularly useful as a demonstration of the very strong U.S.
investment in the UNODC mission and our revived commitment to
multilateral coordination. END COMMENT

DAVIES