VZCZCXYZ0015
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0621/01 1761452
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 251452Z JUN 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6767
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 1241
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 3771

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000621 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR PRM/PIMS, IO/EDA 
USAID FOR GH/PRH BJOHNSTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: UNFPA USAID EAID CH
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR RICE MEETS UNFPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 
THORAYA OBAID 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: In a June 22 meeting, UNFPA Executive 
Director Thoraya Obaid thanked Ambassador Rice for the U.S.'s 
renewed engagement with and financial contribution to UNFPA. 
Obaid said that UNFPA was steadily making progress in China, 
and that the China's Minister of Population and Family 
Planning Commission Li Bin had asked Obaid to approach the 
U.S. about starting a dialogue on ICPD implementation and the 
UNFPA program in China.  Obaid informed Ambassador Rice of 
the census work that UNFPA conducts in many difficult 
environments, including Palestine, Southern Sudan, Iraq, 
Afghanistan and North Korea.  On pursuing areas for future 
collaboration, Ambassador Rice noted that the U.S. first had 
some catching up to do after the recent period of 
disengagement. End Summary 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) During a June 22 courtesy call, UN Population Fund 
(UNFPA) Executive Director Thoraya Obaid thanked the U.S. for 
its renewed engagement and voluntary contribution of $46 
million to UNFPA.  Obaid said that she and others at UNFP 
were "very happy" about renewed U.S. support for UNFPA, and 
she asked Ambassador Rice to pass along her sentiments of 
gratitude to President Obama and Secretary Clinton.  Obaid 
was particularly pleased that, at the last two UNFPA 
Executive Board meetings and at this year's Commission on 
Population and Development (CPD), the U.S. delegation was 
once again active and engaged.  The U.S. had been 
instrumental in achieving the 1994 International Conference 
on Population and Development (ICPD) Cairo Program of Action, 
and the lack of U.S. involvement in the last few years had 
been disappointing. 
 
------------------------- 
UNFPA Activities in China 
------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Obaid stated that UNFPA's work in China had caused 
considerable difficulties for UNFPA's relationship with the 
U.S. Government. She noted that in 2010 UNDP would establish 
a new program for China, and that it would focus less on 
resource delivery and more on policy support and advocacy. 
According to Obaid, UNFPA was already productively engaging 
with Chinese officials on issues such as aging, youth and 
reproductive health, sex selection, birth quotas, and second 
child taxes.  A donor consultation process for the new 
program would take place in Beijing sometime next year, and 
Obaid hoped the U.S. Embassy in Beijing would actively 
participate. 
 
¶4. (SBU) She described China's leadership as generally 
receptive to UNFPA and ostensibly amenable to change. Obaid 
noted that UFPA had had considerable success in engaging 
China on the issue of sex selection by pointing out how the 
practice was leading to a lopsided population.  Consequently, 
the Chinese Government, in cooperation with UNFPA, had 
initiated a campaign to honor girls.  Obaid added that, while 
Chinese officials will never come out publicly and say they 
will stop bad practices such as birth quotas and second child 
taxes, they are stopping these practices quietly, especially 
in the 30 counties where UNFPA is active. 
 
¶5. (SBU) At this year's ICPD meetings, which coincided with 
the 15th anniversary of the Cairo Plan of Action, China's 
Minister of Population and Family Planning Commission Li Bin 
discussed the progress China was making.  Obaid said that Li 
asked her on the margins of the meeting to encourage the U.S. 
to engage with Li on issues such as China's ICPD 
implementation and the new UNFPA program in 2010. Ambassador 
Rice remarked that Li's comments were interesting, and the 
Mission would follow-up with its CPD counterpart in the 
Chinese Mission. 
 
----------------- 
UNFPA Census Work 
----------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Obaid informed Ambassador Rice of UNFPA's census 
work in difficult locations such as Palestine, Iraq, Southern 
Sudan, Afghanistan and North Korea.  Countries typically 
invite UNFPA to conduct the census; UNFPA then organizes a 
roundtable of donors to support the project.  In order for 
UNFPA to certify a census, the recipient government must 
agree to follow a variety of UNFPA rules, including those 
pertaining to access of census enumerators.  An independent 
board, which includes a representative from the U.S. Census 
Bureau, is responsible for making certifications.  Obaid 
noted that the controversial Southern Sudan census had been 
 
 
certified in this manner. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Obaid said that UNFPA's census program in North 
Korea (DPRK) was partially funded by South Korea and is in 
the early stages.  In inviting UNFPA to conduct the census, 
the DPRK had to agree to follow UNFPA rules and international 
standards.  As is custom, the DPRK will be allowed to review 
the results of the census prior to its release. UNFPA's 
census work in Afghanistan has been stalled buy very real 
security concerns; to date, ten Afghani UNFPA census 
enumerators have been killed in the line of duty.  Lastly, 
Obaid mentioned that USAID had recently agreed to work with 
UNFPA on a census in Chad. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
U.S./UNFPA Collaboration 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Ambassador Rice informed Obaid that the first $30 
million tranche of the U.S. contribution to UNFPA would 
arrive in a few weeks, and a second tranche of roughly $16 
million would arrive in late summer or early fall.  Obaid 
asked Ambassador Rice's advice as to how to further 
strengthen the U.S./UNFPA relationship.  She invited 
Ambassador Rice to be the first Member State speaker at an 
upcoming UNFPA Executive Board meeting, and to deliver 
remarks at an ICPD Cairo plus 15 exhibition of photos from 
Congo on October 12 that will be hosted by the Secretary 
General, the BBC and UNPFA.  Ambassador Rice welcomed the 
invitations.  She noted that the U.S. would need some time to 
"catch up" after the recent period of disengagement, and that 
USAID was still without an Administrator. 
RICE