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UNCLAS ROME 000465 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR IO DAS MILLER, IO/EDA - BEHREND, KOTOK, 
IO/S - ABRAHAMS 
USDA FOR FAS/ICD - WBRANT, LREICH, RHUGHES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC EAGR EAID KUNR FAO
SUBJECT:  UN REFORM: INDEPENDENT EXTERNAL EVALUATION OF 
FAO SLATED TO BEGIN MARCH 13 
 
REF:  (A) 05 ROME 2082,  (B) 05 ROME 2083, 
      (C) 05 ROME 3385,  (D) 05 ROME 4027 
 
¶1.  (U)  Summary:  A Committee of the FAO Council charged 
with oversight of the comprehensive Independent External 
Evaluation (IEE) of FAO has just approved the selection 
of a high-caliber core team of evaluators and decided 
that the IEE would formally begin on March 13, subject to 
firm assurance that $2.1 million in funding would be 
available for CY 2006.  Thus far 16 developed and 
developing countries have made voluntary contributions to 
the IEE process, with $1.8 million currently available or 
reasonably assured, out of a total requirement of 
$4.3 million.  The IEE of FAO, the largest such 
undertaking in the UN system, was spearheaded by the U.S. 
and could serve as a model for reform of the UN technical 
agencies.  A significant USG contribution to the IEE (in 
addition to $250,000 already given) would spur other 
donors to step forward and help assure the success of 
this important effort toward UN reform.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (U)  After a year of preparatory work during which a 
broad consensus emerged among FAO members, the FAO 
Conference in November 2005 endorsed draft terms of 
reference (TOR) and oversight arrangements for the IEE 
(see ref D and previous).   According to the TOR, the 
evaluation "...is to be comprehensive, external, 
professional, and fully independent from the Secretariat 
and member governments.  The focus will be on relevance, 
efficiency and intended and unintended results, including 
outcomes and impacts and their effectiveness and 
sustainability."  The IEE will encompass (1) FAO's 
technical work (operational as well as normative), (2) 
management and organization, (3) governance, and (4) 
FAO's role in the multilateral system.  A Committee of 
the Council for the IEE (CC-IEE) was created to oversee 
the evaluation.  The Committee is chaired by Brazilian 
Permanent Representative Perri; U.S. Alternate Permanent 
Representative Brakel is co-chair. 
 
¶3.  (U)  At its meeting of February 14, the CC-IEE 
decided that evaluation work should be initiated on 
March 13, subject to the firm assurance by that date that 
$2.1 million will be available for CY 2006.  The first 
task of the evaluation core team will be to draw up an 
Inception Report in accordance with the TOR that would 
provide a proposed road map for the evaluation, including 
budgetary requirements, key deliverables and timing.  The 
Inception Report would preferably be finalized and 
presented for consideration by the CC-IEE before the end 
of April 2006.  As foreseen in the TOR, the findings of 
the IEE would be expected to be available in time for the 
FAO Conference in November-December 2007. 
 
¶4.  (U)  In addition, the Committee decided to invite the 
following individuals to make up the evaluation core team 
(they had previously been interviewed in person by the CC 
Bureau and a working group for candidate selection): 
 
-- Keith Bezanson (Canada) - team leader; 
 
-- Uma Lele (India/USA) - core team member for technical 
work of FAO; 
 
-- Michael Davies (UK) - core team member for management, 
organization and administration; 
 
-- Carlos Perez del Castillo (Uruguay) - core team member 
for governance; and 
 
-- Thelma Awori (Uganda) - core team member for FAO's 
role in the multilateral system. 
 
¶5.  (U)  The Committee recognized that the core team 
would be supplemented as needed by specialist consultants 
who would complement the background and experience of 
core team members.  Two independent Quality Assurance 
Advisers will be selected to assist the CC-IEE in its 
consideration of the Inception Report and its oversight 
of the evaluation. 
 
¶6.  (U)  U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative Cleverley 
was asked to chair a working group of the CC-IEE to 
coordinate financing efforts for the voluntarily funded 
IEE.  This group has developed a strategy to raise 
awareness and seek contributions from all FAO members, 
while recognizing that the industrialized and oil- 
exporting countries would contribute at a higher level 
than other members. 
¶7.  (U)  The IEE will cost approximately $4.3 million. 
As of February 14, a total of 14 developed countries 
(Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, 
Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, 
Switzerland, UK, USA) and two developing countries 
(India, Saudi Arabia) had formally contributed or pledged 
funds to the IEE process.  Thus far, $1.8 million in 
contributions or pledges is reasonably assured for CY 
¶2006.  Another $0.8 million in "indications of possible 
further contributions" has been received, leaving a 
shortfall of at least $1.7 million.  Sample 
contributions/pledges thus far: UK - $523,000, Germany - 
$477,000, Canada $254,000, Switzerland - $173,000, 
Finland - $140,000. 
 
¶8.  (U)  IEE Core Team Leader Bezanson -- competent, 
dynamic, and impressive -- participated in part of the CC- 
IEE meeting on February 14.  He conceded that conducting 
the evaluation would be a challenging exercise, but 
expressed confidence in the core team.  He pledged to 
conduct the IEE in a transparent manner, while assuring 
independence.  He committed to provide the CC-IEE with 
regular feedback, and to avoid surprises.  He expressed 
his determination that the IEE be forward-looking, 
presenting its recommendations in a manner that "opens up 
political space" for reform.  He added that, if the 
evaluation results are not provocative, the team would 
have failed. 
 
¶9.  (U)  According to Bezanson, the core team will begin 
its work by reading deeply into FAO and developing an 
inventory of key questions.  The team will then assemble 
in Rome during the last week of March and the first week 
of April to begin extensive consultations with the widest 
possible range of stakeholders.  Each team member will 
then submit a list of empirical questions to Bezanson, 
which he will craft into a first draft of the Inception 
Paper that will be posted on the evaluation website for 
member comments. 
 
COMMENT 
 
¶10.  (U)  More than a year of patient diplomacy and 
preparatory work has paid off well, as evidenced by this 
week's official green light for the IEE to begin in mid 
March.  The TOR and the oversight mechanism adopted by 
the FAO Conference guarantee an evaluation that will be 
comprehensive, professional, and independent.  The IEE 
continues to enjoy broad support and buy-in from a cross 
section of FAO members.  The successful selection of a 
geographically diverse, gender-balanced core team of 
evaluators that includes highly respected experts of 
international stature provides additional reason to 
believe that the evaluation will be credible, and will 
lead to serious proposals to strengthen and reform FAO. 
 
¶11.  (U)  In all likelihood, contributions and firm 
pledges anticipated within the next four weeks will bring 
the IEE Trust Fund up to the threshold of $2.1 million 
that was established as a precondition for formal start- 
up of the evaluation.  Nevertheless, there remains a 
significant funding gap.  The USG, which was a leader in 
the development of the IEE concept now needs to assume a 
leadership role in its funding.  We are working to expand 
the number of contributors, but given the size of other 
industrialized countries' contributions, the US does not 
appear at this point to be participating at an amount 
commensurate to its influence or interest in reform. 
 
CLEVERLEY