R 291512Z APR 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 
AMEMBASSY MAPUTO 
AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE

UNCLAS STATE 043311 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AID ECON
SUBJECT: US-BRAZIL MEETING ON THIRD COUNTRY AID COOPERATION 
 
¶1. SUMMARY.  On April 16, USAID and State met with the head 
of Brazil,s Cooperation Agency (ABC), Marco Farani, to 
discuss development assistance cooperation in third 
countries, as a part of the U.S-Brazil Economic Partnership 
Dialogue (EPD).  Both sides provided overviews of their 
development assistance programs, focusing the majority of the 
discussion on Haiti and Africa.  See action request in para 
¶9. END SUMMARY 
 
¶2. On April 16, USAID Acting Assistant Administrator for 
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Deborah 
Kennedy-Iraheta, USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for 
Africa, Franklin Moore, and State Department Deputy Assistant 
Secretary, Christopher McMullen, hosted the head of Brazil 
ABC, Marco Farani, to discuss ideas for development 
cooperation in third countries.  The USG was represented by 
17 staff from USAID and State,s Latin America, Africa and 
Economics bureaus, and one representative from USDA. 
Minister Farani was accompanied by Brazilian DCM Carlos Abreu 
and staff from the Brazilian Embassy. 
 
¶3. Brazilian DCM Carlos Abreu opened the meeting for the 
Brazilian side by thanking the United States for setting up 
the meeting on development cooperation, which he said has 
become one of the most important issues on the EPD agenda. 
Farani presented an overview of ABC, noting that his staff 
included about 110 people currently, but he anticipated that 
he would be getting an additional 30-40 staff by June 2009. 
Because of its small size, ABC works very closely with 
Brazilian technical agencies and focuses much of their 
development efforts on capacity development in priority 
sectors for the host-government. 
 
¶4. In Haiti, Brazil is focusing on three new programs:  1) 
establishment of a model farm by Brazil,s agricultural 
research agency (EMBRAPA) to develop and train Haitians in 
optimum farming practices; 2) establishment of a center for 
vocational and technical training through Brazil,s technical 
training agency (SENAI); and 3) engineering projects 
(including a hydroelectric plant) to be carried out by a 
250-strong engineering contingent attached to Brazil,s 
MINUSTAH peacekeeping forces.  Brazil will fund the first two 
projects at USD $12 million over the next three years, but is 
still looking for financing for the infrastructure projects 
(which might run to $50-100 million).  The GOB has two ABC 
staff in Haiti.  Farani recounted the success that a famous 
Brazilian musician, Carlinhos Brown, had in rebuilding the 
slum where he,d grown up in Salvador, Bahia, and said that 
Brown had expressed interest in exploring a similar project 
in Haiti, working with Haitian performers. 
 
¶5. Kennedy-Iraheta noted that USAID had programs in 108 
countries around the world, with Colombia and Haiti being the 
largest in LAC.  She told Farani that priority sectors for 
USAID LAC are security, job creation, and ICT (internet and 
telecommunications).  Based on Brazil,s projects in Haiti, 
she saw food security, tropical agriculture and 
energy/climate change as possible areas to explore 
cooperation.  Farani suggested that as a starting point, the 
U.S. and Brazil begin drafting a proposal for a specific 
joint project in a designated country.  In addition to the 
practical benefits of working together on the ground, he said 
that cooperation between the U.S. and Brazil was also 
symbolically important.  Farani noted that an ABC mission 
would be in Haiti at the end of April. 
 
¶6.  Following the discussion on LAC, Farani described 
Brazil,s work in Africa, where Brazil has 18 programs, 
including an EMPRAPA representative in Accra, Ghana.  Farani 
highlighted ABC,s collaboration with Embassy Brasilia in 
developing a USAID ) EMBRAPA food security proposal for 
Mozambique and USAID noted that they,d received the proposal 
from Ambassador Sobel.  USAID DAA Moore described USAID 
Africa priority sectors as health (specifically HIV/AIDS and 
malaria), food security and climate change.  Moore noted that 
the USAID food security and climate change strategies were 
still in development.  Farani stated that Brazil was working 
with the Government of Mali to establish a model farm for 
cotton cultivation in four countries in West Africa, and 
Moore, noting that USAID had its own cotton project in the 
same region, suggested the two countries discuss 
collaboration. 
 
¶7.  In summing up the meeting, Kennedy-Iraheta stated that 
she would ask USAID,s Mission Director in Haiti to invite 
the Brazilian assessment team to a discussion of activities 
on the ground.  Of particular interest might be &quick 
impact projects8 that could be identified for the Brazilian 
engineering team in MINUSTAH.  Kennedy-Iraheta also 
recommended trilateral discussions for cooperation between 
the US, Brazil, and Mozambique, perhaps beginning with the 
upcoming visit of a delegation from Mozambique to Brazil. 
Farani proposed setting up a working group on Mozambique in 
Brasilia to continue the discussion.  Finally, 
Kennedy-Iraheta suggested that the US and Brazil also explore 
areas for cooperation in East Timor. 
 
¶8. In closing, it was suggested that the U.S. and Brazil 
could set up pilot projects to begin our work together in 
third countries.  Haiti and Mozambique could be the pilot 
countries in Latin America and Africa respectively.   DCM 
Abreu proposed a MOU between the U.S. and Brazil for 
cooperation in third countries (text forwarded to Brasilia by 
e-mail on April 17).  DCM McMullen suggested that we could 
have a discussion on the MOU at the next EPD. 
 
¶9.  Action Request:  Washington agencies (State, USDA, and 
USAID) will continue to discuss the USAID-EMBRAPA Mozambique 
food security proposal with each other and with posts. 
Washington welcomes posts, views on cooperation between 
Brazil and the US in development assistance.  In particular, 
we solicit suggestions from Port-au-Prince and Maputo as to 
specific steps we might be able to take to foster greater 
cooperation, as well as challenges or issues that greater 
cooperation might entail. 
 
 
CLINTON