Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10DAMASCUS70
2010-01-21 13:16:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Damascus
Cable title:  

DROUGHT UPDATE: WFP RENEWS SYRIA AID APPEAL

Tags:  EAGR EAID ECON FAS PREL SOCI SY WFP 
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VZCZCXRO4162
OO RUEHBC RUEHDH RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHDM #0070/01 0211316
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 211316Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7269
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 5911
INFO RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME IMMEDIATE 1014
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0867
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0821
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DAMASCUS 000070 

DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC PRIORITY

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR PRM/ANE, DEPT FOR USAID, CAIRO FOR FAS, LONDON FOR
MILLER, PARIS FOR NOBLES, ROME FOR WFP WATCHER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2020
TAGS: EAGR EAID ECON FAS PREL SOCI SY WFP
SUBJECT: DROUGHT UPDATE: WFP RENEWS SYRIA AID APPEAL

REF: A. 09 DAMASCUS 619

B. 09 DAMASCUS 432

C. 09 DAMASCUS 499

D. 08 DAMASCUS 874

E. 08 DAMASCUS 857

F. 08 DAMASCUS 847

G. 08 DAMASCUS 820

H. 08 DAMASCUS 792

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DAMASCUS 000070

DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC PRIORITY

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR PRM/ANE, DEPT FOR USAID, CAIRO FOR FAS, LONDON FOR
MILLER, PARIS FOR NOBLES, ROME FOR WFP WATCHER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2020
TAGS: EAGR EAID ECON FAS PREL SOCI SY WFP
SUBJECT: DROUGHT UPDATE: WFP RENEWS SYRIA AID APPEAL

REF: A. 09 DAMASCUS 619

B. 09 DAMASCUS 432

C. 09 DAMASCUS 499

D. 08 DAMASCUS 874

E. 08 DAMASCUS 857

F. 08 DAMASCUS 847

G. 08 DAMASCUS 820

H. 08 DAMASCUS 792


1. (C) SUMMARY: UN World Food Program (WFP) Country
Representative Muhannad Hadi requested on January 13 that the
United States donate food aid valued at $10 million to the
drought appeal for northeast Syria. WFP seeks to begin food
distribution in February but thus far has received only a
fraction of the contributions necessary to achieve the
program's goals. Hadi argued that WFP will be forced to
either reduce the number of beneficiaries or cut individual
food rations if the funding target remains unmet. After
disastrously low rainfall levels and crop yields in 2008, the
Syrian agricultural sector rebounded somewhat in 2009 and may
see a record national wheat crop in 2010. Nonetheless,
recovery in severely affected northeast Syria will not happen
quickly, as the current lack of food, outmigration of
manpower, long-term depletion of groundwater, rise in fuel
prices, and collapse of government services present
continuing challenges to resuming the cultivation of farmland
and normal everyday life. END SUMMARY.

--------------
WFP SEEKS $10 MILLION U.S. CONTRIBUTION
--------------


2. (C) UN World Food Program (WFP) Country Representative
Muhannad Hadi urged the United States, during a January 13
meeting with Charge d'Affaires Hunter and Poloff, to donate
$10 million to the Emergency Response to the Drought in
Northeast Syria, which was launched by WFP in November to
raise $22.3 million within the framework of the overall $52.9
million Syria Drought Response Plan announced in August 2009.
(NOTE: As described in Damascus 619, the SARG previously

persuaded the UN to re-brand the "2009 Joint Drought Appeal"
as the "Syrian Drought Response Plan" because of the
government's aversion to the optics of an "appeal" or
"emergency." END NOTE.)


3. (SBU) The Emergency Response aims to provide food rations
covering 75 percent of daily nutritional needs to the most
vulnerable households (approximately 300,000 beneficiaries)
in the severely affected northeastern governorates of
Al-Hassakeh, Al-Raqqa, and Deir Ezzor through the next
harvest in July 2010. The project seeks to begin food
distribution in early February.


4. (C) To date, contributions from the UN Central Emergency
Response Fund and the governments of Australia, Ireland,
Saudi Arabia, and Sweden account for only $5.4 million of the
$22.3 million approved budget for the project. WFP
anticipates that the $10 million of in-kind food assistance
sought from the United States would fund three months of
operations (food distribution of 10,839 metric tons).
Further funds are also being sought from the European
Commission. If the project does not receive adequate
support, Hadi argued that WFP will be forced to either reduce
the number of beneficiaries or cut the food ration for each
beneficiary.

-------------- --------------
BRIGHTER PROSPECTS IN '10, BUT CONTINUING NEED IN NORTHEAST
SYRIA
-------------- --------------


5. (SBU) In all, WFP estimates that about 1.3 million Syrians
have been affected by the four-year drought (refs A, B, C,
F). Of those, approximately 800,000 are in dire need of
assistance. Three Joint UN Needs Assessments conducted
between August 2008 and June 2009 concluded that directly
affected rural populations have lost almost all sources of
livelihood and have resorted to significantly reducing their
food intake, migrating to urban centers, and removing
children from school in order to work. In November, Hadi
reported that the SARG was providing relief for about 500,000
people, with the WFP hoping to provide assistance to another

DAMASCUS 00000070 002 OF 003


300,000.


6. (SBU) After the disastrously low rainfall levels and crop
yields in 2008, the Syrian agricultural sector rebounded
somewhat in 2009. Recent figures released by the Ministry of
Agriculture claim that the wheat crop rose to 3.8 million
metric tons (MT) last year, well above the 2.1 million MT
harvested in 2008 and an improvement upon the 3.3 million MT
harvest forecast by the SARG earlier last year (ref B). Post
judges the official harvest statistics to be broadly
accurate, estimating actual 2009 wheat yields to be in the
range of 3.8-4.0 million MT.


7. (SBU) However, the 2009 crop figures fell below historical
averages, and much of the improved farming conditions during
the 2008-09 growing season (October to June for wheat) eluded
the severely drought-stricken northeastern governorates,
resulting in continued outmigration during the first half of
the year. Hadi described visits to villages in the region
that were significantly depopulated due to residents'
inability to sustain agricultural or pastoral livelihoods.


8. (C) Prospects for the 2010 harvest are more encouraging,
and multiple sources forecast a possible record national
wheat crop approaching 5 million MT this year. With a surge
in rainfall late in 2009 (rain also fell throughout the
country over the last week),some areas in the northeast
received eight times the level of precipitation seen in 2008.
Nonetheless, aquifers remain low from years of drought and
overpumping, and the recent increase in precipitation may
only slow their decline. A Qamishli resident reached by
telephone on January 18, just before two days of rainstorms,
confirmed that the recent weather relief was welcome but
insufficient. "Things are greener at least, but right now
there is no rain and we need more," he said. The resident
came to Damascus in 2009 to work as a waiter because he could
not find work in his drought-stricken region. Homesick for
his family, he returned to Qamishli in August. He is now
considering returning to Damascus because of the lack of
employment opportunities in Qamishli, which he attributes
partially to the drought.


9. (SBU) The most recent WFP monitoring visit to the region
occurred earlier this month and observed that, due to the
rainfall of recent months, "people who left and migrated last
April, May, and June 2009 are returning slowly to their
homes." Still, despite recent precipitation levels, WFP
monitors report that sustained assistance is needed to feed
the affected population and to help them prepare to replant
and cultivate lands for the next harvest season. The
migration of manpower, long-term depletion of groundwater,
and rise in fuel prices present further challenges to
resuming the cultivation of farmland. Rangelands have also
been severely deteriorated and may take two sound rainy
seasons to regain good levels of fertility. And despite the
improved conditions, government services -- including health
care and schools -- are functioning infrequently or not at
all.

-------------- --------------
WFP POINTS TO IMPROVED FOOD DELIVERY AND DISTRIBUTION
-------------- --------------


10. (C) During the November meeting, Hadi stated that the WFP
had encountered no additional problems with importing its
food shipments into Syria after resolving with the SARG
delays in the approval of rice shipments that arrived at
Syrian ports earlier in 2009 and in 2008 (refs A, D, E, G,
H). Hadi reaffirmed last week that food shipments are
entering the country without difficulty.


11. (C) COMMENT: As was the case last year, WFP continues to
struggle to convince international donors to contribute to
its drought response efforts in Syria. The branding of this
new WFP request as an "Emergency Response" suggests that
either the SARG has swallowed hard and dropped its
ideological opposition to describing circumstances in
northeast Syria as an "emergency" or that the UN has decided
the situation is so dire that it merits disregarding SARG
objections in order to attract the needed attention of
donors. A timely U.S. contribution to the current
humanitarian appeal could send another positive signal

DAMASCUS 00000070 003 OF 003


regarding U.S.-SARG engagement and highlight U.S.
humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria. END COMMENT.

HUNTER