VZCZCXRO8196
PP RUEHKN RUEHKR RUEHMJ
DE RUEHKN #0179 3390855
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 040855Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY KOLONIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2160
INFO RUEHMJ/AMEMBASSY MAJURO 0386
RUEHKR/AMEMBASSY KOROR 0294
RUEHSV/AMEMBASSY SUVA 0048
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0020
RHMFIUU/COMNAVMARIANAS GU
RHHJJPI/PACOM IDHS HONOLULU HI
RUEHKN/AMEMBASSY KOLONIA 2521

UNCLAS KOLONIA 000179 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL SOCI FM
SUBJECT: UN OPENING OFFICE IN THE FSM, LOOKING TO COORDINATE WITH THE 
USG 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary:  The UN officially opened a Joint Presence (JP) 
Office in Pohnpei on December 1 and during meetings with Emboffs 
stressed the importance of coordinating efforts with the USG 
regarding assistance programs in the FSM.  End Summary. 
 
The Office 
---------- 
 
¶2.  (U) The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will operate 
the UN Joint Presence office in Kolonia, FSM on behalf of United 
Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations 
Development Program (UNDP).  The FSM national government is 
paying rent for the office, which is situated in the heart of 
Kolonia.  Although only opening with one local hire, UNFPA 
representative and Director for Pacific Sub-Regional Office, 
based in Suva, Najib M. Assifi, expects to hire a second staff 
person in 2009 and that UN technical experts and senior officers 
will visit the FSM quarterly. 
 
¶3. (U) During a December 2 meeting with the diplomatic community 
Assifi, UN Coordination Specialist Ashok Sayenju, UNICEF 
Representative for Pacific Island Countries Isiye Ndombi, UNDP 
Deputy Resident Representative Toily Kurbanov, and United 
Nations Development Fund for Women Regional Program Manager Rita 
Taphorn reviewed their goals for the JP office in the FSM. 
Although specific focuses ranged from prenatal care to training 
legislatures to advocating for environmental protection and 
social change, each of the speakers commented on trying to 
launch projects to support Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). 
In the FSM, this will include trying to develop reliable data 
and means of data collection that will support FSM governments' 
efforts, including at the state and national levels, to submit 
appropriate projects to the U.S. Department of the Interior 
(DOI) for Compact funding.  Use of the MDGs as universally 
accepted development metrics allows for pragmatic comparisons, 
UN officials said.  The FSM Office of Statistics, Budget, 
Overseas Assistance and Compact Management (SBOC) is reportedly 
now working on a MDG statistical report. 
 
¶4. (U) At a colorful opening ceremony of the new JP office on 
December 1, UN officials emphasized their intention to work with 
"agents of change" in the FSM and to help the Micronesians find 
their own solutions.  Under the UN organizational umbrella, they 
were clearly looking for development partners and aiming to 
deliver benefits at the grass roots level.  Altogether, they 
intend to launch seven JP offices in the Pacific, all operating 
within a program framework for 2008-2012.  Joint Presence 
offices will be able to draw upon the development expertise of 
some 15 UN agencies, according to Kurbanov. 
 
Coordination with the USG 
------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (U) Assifi and the other delegation members repeatedly 
stressed the need to coordinate any efforts in the FSM with the 
U.S. Embassy for inclusion of DOI.  Assifi commented that any 
programs in the FSM must take into account the funding coming 
through DOI and the Amended Compact of Free Association 
Obligations.  It is important for the UN not only to not 
duplicate DOI efforts, but to complement DOI funded programs. 
The funding and efforts by DOI are clearly preponderant in the 
FSM; to not align UN efforts with DOI efforts would only work to 
the detriment of the UN and FSM development.  Assifi commented 
that he hoped the regular UN visitors to FSM could meet with the 
appropriate Embassy and DOI officers whenever they visited. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6.  (U) The opening of the JP Office in Kolonia has promising, 
positive potential to help the FSM meet its development goals 
and to complement ongoing Compact related projects.  If the 
focus truly is coordination with the donor community, 
particularly the U.S., and helping the FSM become better 
planners and implementers of DOI funded projects, the FSM can 
expect to see measurable progress in coming years.  If, on the 
other hand, the office remains simply a presence with 
intermittent visitors who are not coordinating efforts properly, 
then the office will become just one more agency looking for 
regular reports.  The potential benefit to the FSM through joint 
support of DOI and UN goals is clear, but only with active and 
consistent engagement of all involved.  End Comment. 
 
HUGHES