Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10PARAMARIBO102
2010-02-11 20:15:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Paramaribo
Cable title:  

Suriname Response: OIG Review of Impact of Required

Tags:  AMGT ASIG PHUM NS 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPO #0102/01 0422016
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 112015Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0184
INFO RUEHPO/AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO
UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000102 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AMGT ASIG PHUM NS
SUBJECT: Suriname Response: OIG Review of Impact of Required
Reporting

REF: STATE 9541

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000102

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AMGT ASIG PHUM NS
SUBJECT: Suriname Response: OIG Review of Impact of Required
Reporting

REF: STATE 9541


1. (U) Post is pleased to provide a response keyed to Reftel.




2. (SBU)

a. The Human Rights Report takes the most time and attention from
State personnel at the Embassy.



b. The Political/Economic Section is responsible for gathering
information and preparing the following congressionally mandated
reports: Human Rights Report; International Narcotics Control
Strategy Report: Part I narcotics, Part II money laundering;
Country Terrorism Report; End Use Monitoring Report; Child Labor
Report; Trafficking in Persons Report; and Religious Freedom
Report.



c. The Political/Economic Chief and Political Assistant work on the
following reports: Human Rights Report; International Narcotics
Control Strategy Report: Part I narcotics, Part II money
laundering; Country Terrorism Report; End Use Monitoring Report;
Child Labor Report; and the Trafficking in Persons Report. In
2009 the Economic Officer/Public Diplomacy Officer and Commercial
Assistant did the Religious Freedom Report. The Deputy Chief of
Mission and Ambassador clear and approve the reports.



d.

Human Rights Report:

Pol/Econ Chief: 90 hours. Pol Asst: 590 hours.

International Narcotics Strategy Reports (I & II):

Pol/Econ Chief: 45 hours. Pol Asst: 60 hours.

Country Terrorism Report:

Pol/Econ Chief: 5 hours. Pol Asst: 10 hours.

End Use Monitoring Report:

Pol/Econ Chief: 65 hours. Pol Asst: 300 hours.

Child Labor Report:

Pol/Econ Chief: 15 hours and counting. Pol Asst: 120 hours and
counting. (Report in drafting progress)

Trafficking in Persons Report

Pol/Econ Chief: 15 hours and counting. Pol Asst: 30 hours and
counting (Report in drafting process)

Religious Freedom Report:

Pol/Econ Off: 7 hours. Commercial Ass: 10 hours.



The above time includes all aspects of the report process from
scheduling meetings, requesting information by telephone or email,
attending meetings, drafting, to providing courtesy copies to the
government, to public diplomacy roll-out.



This represents 21% of the Pol/Econ Chief's time and 99% of the Pol
Asst's time during the time periods that we work on annual reports
(August-February).




This represents 29% of the human resources in the combined
Political/Economic/Public Diplomacy/Commercial Section.



This represents 2% of the total mission human resources (including
interagency, local and American staff)

e.

The required reporting, as it is currently being produced, is
significantly diverting resources from other mission goals during
the months August through February. This is an almost full-time
endeavor for the Political Assistant from August through February
each year.



f.

The Embassy is evaluating whether its budget can support another
Pol/Econ LES position.



g.

The information gathering process consumes the most resources due
to the operating environment in Suriname. There is limited
expertise amongst interlocutors and deficient records keeping,
which makes the collection of statistics a long and cumbersome
process. Furthermore, information is fragmented among the
seventeen ministries and numerous commissions and non-governmental
organizations, which requires reaching out in a large number of
directions in order to collect the required information. Finally,
Surinamese interlocutors can be quite unresponsive to telephone,
letter, and email requests for information, which necessitates a
large number of face-to-face meetings in order to elicit the
information from them.



h.

Department instructions on drafts are clear and helpful. When the
format or procedures of reporting are changed from one year to the
next it is more burdensome: when many new questions are added,
when the narrative changes order, or when we are requested to
answer Q&A when it has been in narrative form (or vice versa). In
the past three years the following reports have had changes from
year to year: International Narcotics Strategy Report Part II
(format),Country Terrorism Report (submission method),End Use
Monitoring Report (format),and Child Labor Report (format).
Adapting yearly to these new procedures takes additional time of
report preparers. The coinciding due dates that have not been
coordinated by requesting offices, especially in cases where drafts
go through a negotiation process with Washington, can also cause
"report fatigue" and be wearing both on Post staff but also on
Embassy contacts that may be involved on several issues for
different reports (examples -- January 29 End Use Monitoring Report
deadline; February 1 Child Labor Report Deadline; February 5 final
version of Human Rights Report submitted.)



i.

The annual report consists of more than 90% of the embassy's
overall reporting on these issues during the year, greatly limiting
the section's ability to generate Post-specific reporting not
related to these topics. Since the annual report cycle covers six
months of the year, we devote the other six months to covering
other topics not included in the annual congressionally mandated
reporting, fulfilling other reporting requirements (Investment
Climate Report, Country Commercial Guide),and organizing public
diplomacy and trade promotion events.



j.

The Drug Enforcement Administration provides input to the
International Narcotics Control Strategy Report during the
clearance process but the compiling and editing is done by the
Political/Economic Section.




3. (U) The officer with primary responsibility for preparing
congressionally mandated reports is currently Pol/Econ Chief Geneve
Menscher; menscherge@state.gov.
NAY