VZCZCXRO0990
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0613/01 1311055
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 111055Z MAY 09 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3739
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 0052
RUEHSUN/USUN ROME IT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KHARTOUM 000613 
 
DEPT FOR SE GRATION, S/USSES, AF A/S CARSON, AF/C 
NSC FOR MGAVIN AND CHUDSON 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
BRUSSELS FOR PBROWN 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
UN ROME FOR HSPANOS 
NEW YORK FOR DMERCADO 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID KPKO SOCI ASEC AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: UN AND GNU CONVENE THE FIRST EXPANDED HIGH-LEVEL COMMITTEE 
MEETING 
 
REF: A) KHARTOUM 593 
B) KHARTOUM 589 
C) KHARTOUM 577 
 
KHARTOUM 00000613  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (SBU) On May 7, the newly reconstituted High-Level Committee 
(HLC) met in Khartoum to discuss humanitarian operations and the 
current situation in Darfur.  The Government of National Unity (GNU) 
Minister for Humanitarian Affairs Haroun Lual Ruun and UN 
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency 
Relief Coordinator John Holmes co-chaired the meeting, with 
participation of GNU ministries and Presidential Advisor Dr. Ghazi 
Salahudin, a U.S. delegation headed by Special Envoy Gration, the 
United Kingdom (UK), the European Union (EU), China, Russia, the 
African Union (AU), the League of Arab States (LAS), and additional 
international donors as permanent members for the first time. 
Committee members noted their appreciation for recent GNU measures 
to facilitate an improved operating environment and decrease 
bureaucratic impediments to humanitarian operations.  Recognizing 
the urgent need to maintain an efficient aid operation in Darfur, 
participants discussed recent ministerial decrees and the role of 
the HLC to coordinate discussions on humanitarian program policies, 
monitoring mechanisms, national initiatives, and the operating 
environment.  While the meeting represented a positive step forward 
in fostering increased participation among donors, countries with 
influence, and relevant government ministries in the HLC, the 
discussion was more focused on statements than substance.  Donors 
noted that GNU commitments require additional follow-through.  END 
SUMMARY 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
HLC:  Discussions on Progress and the Way Forward 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On May 7, Minister for Humanitarian Affairs Haroun Lual 
Ruun and UN Under-Secretary-General John Holmes co-chaired the first 
meeting of the expanded HLC.  In the May 2 ministerial decree, 
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Ruun expanded the permanent members 
of the HLC to include the GNU Ministries of Health, Irrigation, 
Finance, International Cooperation, Interior, and Defense; National 
Security and Intelligence Service; regional organizations; and donor 
countries as permanent members for the first time.  HLC participants 
included Director of the GNU Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) 
non-governmental organization (NGO) Section Ahmed Adam, GNU HAC 
Commissioner-General Hassabo Rahman, Sudanese Presidential Advisor 
Dr. Ghazi Salahudin, U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan J. Scott Gration, 
NGO representatives, and Ambassadors from the AU, China, Russia, the 
UK, the EU, and the League of Arab States (LAS).  HLC meeting 
participants emphasized the need for joint efforts to address 
humanitarian issues and to create a predictable, less bureaucratic, 
and more accountable and efficient aid system in Darfur.  They  also 
agreed to enhance joint monitoring mechanisms, reiterated the need 
to improve security and staff safety, committed to continue to build 
national capacity, and agreed that humanitarian operations need to 
occur in a rules-based environment.  Participants agreed  the HLC 
will remain the primary forum for discussing policy and operational 
issues on humanitarian assistance in Darfur. 
 
Progress on Commitments 
¶3. (SBU) HLC meeting participants expressed appreciation for the 
GNU's recent steps to improve the operating environment in Darfur by 
issuing the April 16 and May 2 ministerial decrees and demonstrating 
commitment to the Special Envoy's framework.  The representative 
from the People's Republic of China in particular emphasized the 
government's positive role in addressing issues in Darfur and 
commended the GNU's ability to coordinate with other governments. 
GNU officials emphasized the government's willingness to implement 
previous commitments, such as the 2007 Joint Communique, and noted 
that the international community and the GNU should use the HLC to 
continue to harmonize policies and monitor commitments.  Although 
noting progress over the past month in beginning to rebuild trust 
between the government and NGOs and expressing appreciation towards 
the government's new cooperative tone, the majority of donors 
emphasized that a significant amount of work remains unfinished. 
Donors noted that commitments need to produce tangible results on 
 
KHARTOUM 00000613  002 OF 004 
 
 
the ground. 
 
--Gaps in Assistance-- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Upholding the goal of helping vulnerable individuals as 
paramount, Special Envoy Gration, UN representatives, and U.K. 
Department for International Development (DFID) representative David 
Fish noted the importance of addressing gaps in assistance following 
the early March NGO expulsions.  UN Deputy Special Representative of 
the Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Sudan Ameerah Haq noted that the 
humanitarian community has been able to narrow gaps in shelter, food 
security, health, and water and sanitation since early March. 
However, recent efforts have not met the full range of services or 
the full standard prescribed by the UN.  DSRSG Haq emphasized  that 
the March joint GNU-UN donor assessment in Darfur only covered 
life-saving sectors and did not reach most rural areas.  As a 
result, the joint mission did not assess the impact of the 
expulsions on livelihood, education, early recovery, or protection 
programs, which are important for meeting longer-term needs. 
According to DSRSG Haq, humanitarian assistance in most rural areas 
has almost ceased following the expulsions due to insecurity and 
limited number of humanitarian agencies.  To effectively address 
gaps, donors emphasized the importance of an improved and 
predictable operating environment. 
 
--Protection-- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) GNU Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Haroun Lual Ruun and 
GNU HAC Commissioner-General Hassabo Rahman highlighted government 
concerns regarding protection activities in Darfur.  Following 
statements from DFID representative Fish and Under-Secretary-General 
Holmes calling for a strengthened role for the Office of the UN High 
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in camp coordination and 
protection, the always obstructionist Hassabo stated that UNHCR has 
no legal role to provide or coordinate protection services.  Hassabo 
reported that UNHCR's mandate includes provision of assistance to 
refugees rather than internally displaced persons (IDPs).  Hassabo 
and Ruun noted that the government and the international community 
need to work towards a mutual understanding of humanitarian concepts 
to resolve discrepancies, highlighting protection as a point of 
contention.  Ruun further noted that prolonged aid could create a 
dependency syndrome in IDP camps, and Hassabo stated that 
humanitarian agencies only provide assistance to individuals in 
camps, not to returnees in rural areas. (Note:  Tensions between the 
GNU and UNHCR have increased since 2004, when UNHCR expanded 
programs and assumed the role of UN cluster lead for protection and 
camp coordination.  As cluster lead, UNHCR has attempted to expand 
operations from refugee camps in West Darfur into IDP camps in North 
and South Darfur.  The GNU has strongly and repeatedly opposed the 
move and has placed increasing restrictions on UNHCR programs and 
staff, including prohibiting international UNHCR personnel from 
travelling to South Darfur since February 2009.  End Note.) 
 
--Staff Safety-- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Participants agreed to "do everything possible to ensure 
staff safety" as an essential element of addressing gaps and 
improving the operating environment within Darfur. 
Under-Secretary-General Holmes noted that the trust between NGOs and 
the government was severed following the government's decision to 
expel 13 international aid organizations in early March, creating a 
tense and uncertain operating environment for many international 
NGOs.  Holmes emphasized that the humanitarian community should use 
the current crisis as an opportunity to rebuild confidence and 
mutual trust among NGOs and the government.  Sudanese Presidential 
Advisor Dr. Salahudin repeatedly expressed gratitude  for NGOs' 
work, stating that "we have expressed our appreciation for what they 
have done." 
 
--Monitoring-- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Participants agreed on the importance of monitoring in 
ensuring progress on commitments.  Special Envoy Gration reiterated 
that monitoring must be fully developed to demonstrate improvement 
and should track gains at the state- and federal-levels.  In 
response to concerns regarding monitoring, Ahmed Adam, who also 
serves as the Head of the Joint Procedures Center (JPC), enumerated 
existing GNU monitoring mechanisms, including the HLC, federal and 
 
KHARTOUM 00000613  003 OF 004 
 
 
state Tripartite Joint Technical Committees (TJTCs), the General 
Directory of Procedures (GDP), and the JPC.  To ease bureaucratic 
restrictions, Adam reported that the GNU has issued 29 decrees and 
TJTCs have met approximately 70 times, produced the GDP, visited the 
three Darfur states, and facilitated workshops on procedures to 
develop mutual trust and transparency among NGOs and the government. 
 In addition, the JPC is developing an electronic database linking 
all departments and procedures.  Adam stated that in the future, 
TJTCs plan to commission a web-based tracking system, develop 
standards, strengthen partnerships, and build national NGO capacity. 
 (Note:  In previous discussions with USAID field staff, Adam 
reported that the JPC launched the electronic database system in 
January 2009.  However, NGOs have not yet received passwords to log 
into the database to track procedural progress.  Implementing this 
system is expected to constitute a major step forward towards 
accurately tracking bureaucratic procedures, as NGOs will be able to 
review the status of their various applications and follow-up with 
the GNU HAC as needed.  End Note.) 
 
¶8.  (SBU) GNU officials highlighted the importance of a harmonized 
system for monitoring and evaluating commitments, needs, and 
programs.  Sudanese Presidential Advisor Salahudin emphasized that 
the government and international community should develop joint 
assessment methods so that the aid community does not exaggerate the 
extent of the problem.  Participants agreed that joint GNU, donor, 
UN, and NGO teams should travel to Darfur monthly to monitor the 
situation prior to each HLC meeting and report to the HLC on staff 
safety, the operating environment, humanitarian needs, and programs. 
 The joint monitoring mechanism would provide the community with a 
common tool to validate actions and assess how the GNU and aid 
community can address remaining gaps.  However, participants noted 
that joint monitoring cannot be  a substitute for NGOs', UN 
agencies', and donors' own monitoring mechanisms. 
 
--Building National Capacity-- 
 
¶9.  (SBU)  GNU officials and the GNU Ministry of Health noted that 
while international NGOs are welcome to continue providing 
assistance in Darfur, the international community must work towards 
strengthening national capacity.  NGOs highlighted that 
organizations are working to build national capacity through 
partnerships with line ministries and community-based organizations 
and added that NGOs should have some choice in selecting national 
NGO partners.  In addition, NGOs estimate that Sudanese nationals 
comprise approximately 90 percent of international NGO staff.  The 
UN noted existing NGO efforts to build national capacity and 
expressed its willingness to continue to work with the government on 
this issue. 
 
----------------- 
Meeting with NGOs 
----------------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Prior to the HLC meeting, on May 6, Special Envoy 
Gration, CDA Fernandez, USAID's Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and 
Humanitarian Assistance Acting Assistant Administrator Dirk 
Dijkerman, USAID and Embassy staff, and Under-Secretary-General 
Holmes met with NGOs to discuss the operating environment and gaps 
in humanitarian assistance in northern Sudan resulting from the NGO 
expulsions.  Participants emphasized recent GNU progress on reducing 
bureaucratic impediments and ongoing efforts to improve security by 
bringing Darfur's conflicting parties to negotiations in Doha, 
Qatar.  NGO staff noted operational improvements following the April 
16 and May 2 ministerial decrees, highlighting that out of 31 NGOs 
surveyed, the GNU had issued multiple re-entry visas to 26 staff 
from five NGOs.  However, the majority of the multiple re-entry 
visas are for less than one year due to links between visa issuance 
and other bureaucratic procedures with varying timelines, such as 
resident visas.  In addition, NGOs reported that the GNU HAC had 
completed 19 of the organizations' 31 technical agreements (TAs) 
since April 30.  According to the NGOs, 60 percent of the 
organizations' TAs had reached the federal HAC as of May 7.  In the 
April 16 ministerial decree, the GNU committed to complete all TAs 
by April 30. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Despite continued operational challenges, participants 
underscored the importance of efforts to track implementation of 
current agreements and maintain pressure on the Sudanese government 
 
KHARTOUM 00000613  004 OF 004 
 
 
for cooperation and compliance.  UN staff noted that the Special 
Envoy's framework has generated momentum for change and has created 
a window of opportunity for sustained progress.  Noting that Sudan 
will remain a challenging working environment, Special Envoy Gration 
urged participants to continue to work under a positive and united 
front to ensure real progress, while also taking into account that 
the process requires time. 
 
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COMMENT 
-------- 
 
¶12.  (SBU) The expansion of the HLC to include permanent 
representation from the three main donors, the U.S., EU, and UK, as 
well as China represents a positive step forward in providing donors 
a more active role in improving the operating environment.  However, 
following the meeting, NGOs and donors expressed dissatisfaction 
with the meeting's lack of concrete outputs.  It remains to be seen 
if the new format HLC works better than the past one, which was 
repeatedly stymied by the HAC. The meeting largely focused on 
individual statements, with little time available to discuss or 
address issues.  Participants did not discuss revising the terms of 
reference for the expanded HLC, leaving its mandate to continue to 
focus only on bureaucratic impediments in Darfur.  In order to more 
effectively improve the operating environment in Darfur, the HLC 
needs to provide a venue for strategic policy discussions in a 
clearly defined scope.  As Dr. Salahudin noted, "this is an 
auspicious moment in our country."  To prevent future crises and 
respond to needs, the international community needs to seize this 
opportunity and strengthen the necessary mechanisms to improve 
operations in Darfur.  Post will coordinate with other donors, the 
UN, and the GNU so that the next HLC meeting scheduled for June will 
focus more on specific outputs and tangible results rather than just 
a general overview of the issues. 
 
FERNANDEZ