VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAM #0859/01 1030914
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 130914Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4845
INFO RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0711
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 3037
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 4139
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 6222

UNCLAS AMMAN 000859 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR PRM/ANE, AND NEA/ELA, GENEVA FOR RMA 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREF EAID UNHCR IZ JO SY LE
SUBJECT: REFCOORD REPORTING FORM RESPONSE JORDAN, SYRIA, AND LEBANON 
PART 1 OF 2 
 
REF: STATE 12654 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: Reftel tasked RefCoords to open a dialogue with 
UNHCR in the field as they prepare their biannual program/budget 
planning document, the Country Operational Plan (COP).  Initial 
conversations with UNHCR Country representatives and staff in 
Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon on the COP revealed common planning 
areas, challenges, and approaches.  UNHCR offices in Jordan, Syria, 
and Lebanon share a caseload and a political context for their work 
in the three countries.  The three offices worked closely in 
developing the 2009 Combined Appeals Process budget documents and 
will continue that cooperation for the 2010-2011 COPs.  Budgets in 
Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria reflect the results of local analysis of 
both the needs of registered Iraqi refugees and the cost of 
providing assistance in the region.  Protection is a challenge in 
all three countries, as Iraqis do not enjoy host government 
recognition as refugees.  The offices also completed joint training 
on management initiatives and planning software.  This regional 
approach is good preparation for the cooperation that would be 
critical during the eventual repatriation of Iraqis from the three 
countries.  End Summary. 
BUDGET 
------- 
¶2.  (SBU) The 2009 budget for UNHCR Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon was 
governed by the Combined Appeals Process, which formed the basis for 
the overall UN Iraq appeal in 2009.  The process led by the UN 
Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) created a 
two-pillar appeal based on input from a needs assessment from all UN 
organizations working on Iraqi Displacement.  Pillar I was an appeal 
for activities inside Iraq, and Pillar II was for operations outside 
Iraq.  UNHCR local offices are following up with donors regionally. 
However all current budgeting is done through the 2009 CAP process. 
Looking forward to 2010-2011, UNHCR Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon share 
key assumptions:  that a stable number of vulnerable Iraqis will 
continue to need assistance, that Iraqis are unlikely to return in 
large numbers given continued security concerns, and that UNHCR will 
maintain a policy based on the notion that conditions inside Iraqi 
are not suitable to support large scale refugee returns. 
PROTECTION 
---------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) All three UNHCR offices planned to use diplomatic efforts 
to encourage host countries to adhere to the 1951 Convention on the 
Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocols.  None of the hosting 
countries have signed the accords, and they are unlikely to do so in 
the near term.  Given the political difficulties of this goal, UNHCR 
has planned to increase protection efforts for the most vulnerable 
Iraqis.  UNHCR in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon will be looking at 
special protection needs of women who head households in the coming 
years.  The growing number of adolescents out of school will require 
attention, including obtaining access to higher education for 
qualified and vulnerable youth.  The UNHCR offices hope to expand 
rights granted to Iraqis in the three countries so that they can 
work legally and attend professional/vocational training programs 
designed to ease their repatriation. 
 
REFUGEE REGISTRATION 
-------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Refugee registration in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon is 
current and regularly updated.  Registration gives refuges access to 
food and cash distributions, as well as medical services.  In Syria 
and Jordan, UNHCR completed a verification exercise in February 2009 
which resulted in the elimination of 2000 names from the 
registration roster in Syria.  Project Profile, the refugee 
registration and data collection project, is used in all three 
countries but is not used by the host governments.  UNHCR documents 
provide some measure of basic protection for refugees.  Law 
enforcement officials recognize UNHCR as responsible for Iraqis in 
the three countries.  Protection officers work closely with host 
governments to educate law enforcement and judicial authorities as 
to refugee rights.  In Jordan, UNHCR conducted well-attended 
workshops for police and internal security officers on refugee 
protection.  The workshops were too recent at the time of the report 
to have shown results.  However the governments' willingness to 
participate in training was an indicator of positive relations 
between the governments and UNHCR. 
COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT--PARTICIPATORY PLANNING 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) UNHCR in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon designed the COP 
process in a way that allowed for the participation of all 
interested parties.  Coordination and information sharing meetings 
included the members of the UN country team, implementing and 
operational partners, and interested humanitarian organizations.  In 
 
Syria, the host government, although invited, did not fully 
participate in the COP process.  Security authorities within the 
 
SARG also discouraged Iraqi participation in UNHCR planning 
activities.  However, the semi-independent Syrian Arab Red Crescent 
took part in UNHCR planning and training workshops.  In Lebanon, 
only the local Ministry of Health and General Intelligence Service 
represented the host government at UNHCR planning meetings.  UNHCR 
Jordan invited the Ministries of Education, Health, and Planning and 
International Cooperation to take part in the COP planning meetings. 
 Government attendance at meetings was infrequent. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) UNHCR staff is trained on the use of UNHCR's new 
budget/planning software FOCUS.  The staff of all three offices 
attended a three-day seminar on FOCUS in Jordan in March 2009.  All 
three country directors and their protection, program and 
operational staff attended the sessions.  Responsible staff said 
they believed FOCUS would effectively assist them in developing a 
needs assessment that can influence budget requests.  UNHCR program 
officers praised focus and said the software would ease accounting 
and management decision-making by linking requests for resources 
directly to the identified needs of programs. 
 
¶7. (SBU) UNHCR country offices use a combination of tools to inform 
donors and partners of unmet needs.   UNHCR field offices hold 
regular donor briefings during which the current budget is reviewed 
with an eye to identifying unfunded activities.  Partners take part 
in regular sector working groups, which feed into the needs 
assessment process.  Iraqis are underrepresented in these meetings, 
and Iraqi views are only expressed through international NGOs. 
 
¶8.  (U) Recommendations:  In future COP processes, UNHCR should find 
a locally acceptable method to ensure that Iraqi voices are heard, 
either through partners or through direct Iraqi participation in 
planning meetings. 
 
¶9.  (U) This cable was cleared by Embassies Beirut and Damascus 
 
Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman 
 
BEECROFT