VZCZCXRO8053
OO RUEHKW RUEHMA RUEHSK RUEHSL
DE RUEHUNV #0336/01 1961416
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 151416Z JUL 09
FM USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9828
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1712
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0289
RUCNCRI/VIENNA CRIME COLLECTIVE
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0276
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0302

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 UNVIE VIENNA 000336 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER KCRM PREL AFIN UN AF
 
SUBJECT: TERRORISM PREVENTION BRANCH PERFORMING WELL, FACES BUDGET 
WOES 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (SBU) John Sandage, Officer-in-Charge of UNODC's Terrorism 
Prevention Branch (TPB), briefed UNODC member states on July 7 on 
the Branch's mid-year 2009 Project Implementation, as well as its 
ongoing budget woes.  Like many UNODC branches, Sandage said TPB 
will also suffer a funding shortfall in 2009 - currently estimated 
at USD 3 million.  Unless funds are identified soon, TPB will likely 
offset this anticipated loss by cutting programming and staff in 
2009 and 2010.  Sandage also briefed on new initiatives, including 
an on-line training course, sub-regional training sessions, and 
capacity-building assistance, to encourage a universal legal regime 
against terrorism. END SUMMARY. 
 
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FIRST, THE GOOD NEWS 
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¶2.  (U) At a well-attended informal briefing for member states on 
July 7, John Sandage, Deputy Director of the UNODC Division of 
Treaty Affairs, acting in his capacity as Officer-in-Charge of the 
TPB (TPB Chief Cecilia Ruthstrom-Ruin remains on maternity leave 
until October) provided his first briefing to member states, 
focusing on TPB January -June 2009 accomplishments and budget 
shortfalls. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Performance highlights emphasized by Sandage included 
counter terrorism legal assistance to 120 countries through national 
and, increasingly, regional, workshops, training of 1050 national 
officials in these countries, coordination with the UN Counter 
Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED), and TPB's role in the UN 
Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF).   As a result 
of these activities, stressed Sandage, there were 17 new 
ratifications of various counter terrorism conventions, better 
trained national officials, and stronger UN counter terrorism 
coordination.  In addition to the traditional training workshops, 
TPB has identified ways to reach a larger audience with fewer 
resources.  Included in these efforts is an on-line training course 
which has received kudos from initial participants, and the on-going 
development of a comprehensive legal counter-terrorism training 
curriculum for criminal justice officials.   The latest on-line 
course will be held in French (earlier versions were in English). 
Some member states urged courses in Spanish; Sandage explained that 
TPB supported courses in a variety of languages, but had faced 
budget limitations in developing more such courses. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Sandage noted that UNODC continues to focus its counter 
terrorism work along a thematic approach, with TPB in the lead in 
coordinating integration efforts across UNODC divisions.  Wearing 
its CTITF hat, TPB continues to build integrated assistance software 
to track UN counter terrorism assistance (Madagascar and Nigeria are 
the pilot countries), and TPB has provided input for three CTED 
country visits.  Sandage stressed that these steps to better 
coordinate among UN entities demonstrates UNODC's vision of 
delivering as both "one UNODC and one UN." 
 
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THEN THE BAD (BUT NOT UNEXPECTED) NEWS 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) After setting the stage with TPB's accomplishments, 
Sandage turned to a detailed breakdown of the TPB's financial 
situation.  Nearly 90 percent of TPB's budget is based on rapidly 
declining voluntary contributions (USD 8 million of USD 9.1 million 
in funding in 2008).  These voluntary contributions sustain 46 
experts in headquarters and the field and 13 support staff.  (Note: 
TPB had hoped to field two new experts in Afghanistan and Pakistan. 
The status of this proposal remains unclear due to funding 
limitations. Subsequently Sandage approached Charg about possible 
U.S. funding for the Pakistan position. End Note.)  Currently, 
Sandage projects a USD 3 million budgetary shortfall in 2009.  TPB 
has projected USD 8 million (at 2008 levels) in 2009 expenditures 
and estimates donor contributions for 2009 at USD 5 million (USD 
1.7 received to date; USD 3.3 million in additional pledges 
estimated by end of 2009), creating a USD 3 million shortfall. 
According to Sandage, if this shortfall is not addressed, 13 field 
expert contracts would likely not be renewed in 2009 and TPB 2010 
programs would be reduced by 30-38 percent across the board. 
Therefore, stressed Sandage, even accounting for late-breaking donor 
country commitments, TPB is nonetheless planning for cutbacks.  Such 
cutbacks are a direct reversal of TPB's steady growth, explained 
Sandage; until 2009, TPB's budget has increased annually since 2002, 
and the projected USD 3 million shortfall would return TPB to its 
2005 budget levels. 
 
UNVIE VIEN 00000336  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶6. (SBU) The mid-year briefing repackaged previous reports on TPB's 
credible work in promoting the implementation of the universal legal 
regime against terrorism.  The updated statistics on the number of 
countries reached, ratifications achieved, and officials trained 
demonstrate TPB's continued achievements in its specific counter 
terrorism niche.  The focus of the presentation, however, was not 
the accomplishments but rather the need for an infusion of voluntary 
contributions in order to maintain the TPB's level of on-going 
activities, and development of future projects in priority countries 
such as Afghanistan and Pakistan.  In the last decade USG has 
contributed between USD 150,000 and USD 450,000 annually.  Sandage 
undoubtedly harbors the hope that this will increase.  He may use 
the vehicle of enhanced activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan to 
justify need for more funds. END COMMENT. 
 
PYATT