VZCZCXRO1856
PP RUEHDBU RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHIK RUEHQU RUEHVC RUEHYG
DE RUEHOT #3630 3552159
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 212159Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4662
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0283
RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS OTTAWA 003630 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAN, EB/IFD, SA 
PASS USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID ECON PREF PREL CA AF
SUBJECT: CANADA ANNOUNCES NEW AFGHAN AID IN PARTNERSHIP 
WITH UNICEF AND WFP 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: On December 20, Canadian Minister of 
International Cooperation Josee Verner announced that Canada 
will contribute C$4.5 million to UNICEF and C$4 million to 
the World Food Program (WFP) to assist families in Kandahar 
province.  Minister Verner said that "Canada is committed to 
supporting Afghanistan in its efforts to address the basic 
needs of its most vulnerable citizens.  Today's contributions 
to UNICEF and the World Food Program will improve the lives 
of tens of thousands of people living in Kandahar, primarily 
women and children, by providing food aid, improving health 
and nutrition, access to clean water and basic shelter."  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) UNICEF will provide 20,000 families with non-food 
items such as tents, blankets and warm jackets which are 
needed as winter approaches.  With Canada's support, UNICEF 
will also provide health and medical supplies to hospitals 
and clinics as well as micro-nutrients to children and 
pregnant women.  Through UNICEF, support will be given to the 
Public Health Department's measles vaccination campaign to 
immunize as many as 189,000 children.  Through the Afghan 
Department of Education, UNICEF will procure and distribute 
materials for about 40,000 students who are now going to 
school in temporary centers.  The non-food aid focus of the 
UNICEF initiatives complements Canada's C$4 million 
commitment to the WFP to provide food assistance to about 
31,000 families in Kandahar who have been affected by the 
conflict and by a drought.  The funding is in response to the 
WFP's Drought Joint Appeal to help displaced persons in 
Kandahar. 
 
¶3. (U) The announcement of aid builds on existing 
initiatives.  In October, Minister Verner announced a C$4.9 
million emergency food aid contribution to the WFP and a C$5 
million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to 
immunize all children in southern Afghanistan against polio. 
Canada is contributing nearly $1 billion over 10 years aimed 
at reconstruction, reducing poverty and strengthening Afghan 
governance. 
 
Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa 
 
DICKSON