IRAQI REFUGEES: REGIONAL REFUGEE RESPONSE PLAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 000078 SIPDIS LONDON FOR MILLER, PARIS FOR NOBLES E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/2020 TAGS: PHUM PREF SY SUBJECT: IRAQI REFUGEES: REGIONAL REFUGEE RESPONSE PLAN LAUNCHED, BUT NOT ENOUGH SUBSTANCE REF: DAMASCUS 66 Classified By: CDA Charles Hunter For Reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) launched the 2010 Refugee Response Plan (RRP) for the MENA region in a January 18 ceremony in Damascus. The ceremony was well attended by an assemblage of notables from the refugee assistance world. The SARG hosted the event and expressed support for the appeal, which included a plea for $166 million to fund activities in Syria (reftel). The difficulties NGOs working in Syria face were underscored by the SARG's decision to block the attendance of 28 humanitarian organizations suggested by UNHCR. The RRP document itself, touted as an evolution of the Combined Appeals Process (CAP) of previous years, was a good example of coordination between various stakeholders, but a disappointingly thin guide to the future of Iraqi refugee assistance in the region. UNHCR's lesson from the 2010 planning process should be that while the CAP of 2009 was too much process, the RRP of 2010 was too little substance. END SUMMARY. UNHCR LAUNCHES REGIONAL APPEAL IN ELABORATE CEREMONY ¶2. (C) In a ceremony covered by international media, UNHCR presented the RRP in a ceremony in Damascus on January 18 as an outline of the strategy the organization would use to assist displaced Iraqis in the MENA region. On the day of the launch, and throughout the RRP drafting process, UNHCR repeatedly cautioned interested parties that the RRP was not a fundraising document. NGOs and international organizations involved in the refugee sector were encouraged to help develop the strategy. They were told they could give estimates of need and general descriptions of their programs, rather than submit the detailed project sheets demanded by last year's CAP. (NOTE: Many organization saw the CAP as time-consuming and cumbersome. END NOTE.) In conversations with RefCoord, NGOs and IOs involved in drafting the RRP said they prepared more detailed information for donors, and would not rely on the RRP for planning or fundraising due to its lack of details. THE PRESENTATION: HIGH LEVEL PARTICIPATION FOR LITTLE SUBSTANCE ¶3. (SBU) The panel invited to address the UNHCR RRP launch was comprised of a "Who's Who" of the refugee assistance world. Assistant High Commissioner for Operations Janet Lim, MENA Director Radouane Noucier, and Resource Mobilization Chief Panos Moumtizis all came from Geneva to attend the ceremony. UNRWA Secretary General Karen Abu Zaid (who retired the next day) delivered a keynote address, and Syrian Vice Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad made the opening remarks. The audience included the diplomatic representatives of several donor countries including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, as well as NGOs registered with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC). Equally notable were those organizations not allowed to attend the event. The SARG refused to invite any organization not registered with SARC. Additionally, despite early assurances that Syria would facilitate visas for attendees, Syrian authorities refused issuance to UNHCR staff from Lebanon and Egypt, effectively preventing them from attending the meeting. ¶4. (C) In his opening statements, Miqdad was complimentary of UNHCR's work in Syria but bluntly critical of Iraq's "failure" to fund refugee assistance in neighboring countries (reftel). Following Miqdad's speech, SARC President Abdulrahman Attar praised the Syrian government for its openness in allowing NGOs to work in Syria "with no more administrative procedures than the writing of a simple letter to SARC." (Note: Despite Attar's words, NGOs frequently complain that the NGO registration procedures are challenging and lack transparency. END NOTE). UN speakers were careful to praise Syria while simultaneously encouraging local authorities to promote greater transparency and closer cooperation with the UN. PANEL DISCUSSIONS - NO PLACE FOR QUESTIONS ¶5. (SBU) After the ceremonial opening, UNHCR led a series of panel discussions centered around the health, education, and humanitarian assistance sectors. Panel members gave a brief description of action in the various sectors, and then encouraged the audience to ask questions. Although there were several queries from the press, NGO representatives posed no substantive questions. DAMASCUS 00000078 002 OF 002 ¶6. (SBU) At the end of the meeting, UNHCR Iraq Country Director Daniel Enders was invited to the podium to address the group. He began with a weak defense of Iraqi contributions, citing an Iraqi budget crisis that precluded Iraq from donating significant amounts to UNHCR. His closing remarks were a generalized appeal for more donor support for UNHCR operations inside Iraq. ¶7. (C) COMMENT: The RRP launch left both donors and NGO partners unsatisfied. In the absence of a consolidated appeal, UNHCR did not present a sufficiently specific donor document for activities outside Iraq. Donors will thus have to scramble to get the detailed budget information they need to make funding decisions. Given the uncertainty this causes, the question now is what can be expected for the coming year. Although participants in the CAP process complained about how cumbersome it was, UNHCR may be well served to return to the CAP format and improve upon its drafting and coordination mechanisms. PRM should be frank and direct in its requests for information to UNHCR. Without clear communication with UNHCR headquarters in Geneva, the organization is not likely to learn the lessons of the 2010 appeal process. END COMMENT. HUNTER