VZCZCXRO4803
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHTO #0966/01 2430908
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 310908Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0647
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0159
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0465
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MAPUTO 000966 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KHIV EAGR ETRD ECON SOCI KPKO SMIL
KDEM, ENRG, EINV, MZ, BZ 
SUBJECT: U.S.-BRAZIL COOPERATION IN MOZAMBIQUE 
 
REF: STATE 43311 
 
MAPUTO 00000966  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: Mozambique's considerable assistance needs 
offer an array of opportunities for joint U.S.)Brazil 
cooperation.  While the health sector continues to be the 
most promising, additional collaboration is now proposed in 
food security and agriculture, and is also possible in 
energy, democracy and governance, as well as peacekeeping 
operations (PKO) and security.  Providing further impetus for 
such efforts are the recent visit of Mozambican president 
Armando Guebuza to Brazil and a strong willingness by the 
Brazilian Ambassador to Mozambique to work with USG agencies. 
 End Summary. 
 
------ 
Health 
------ 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Brazilian Agency for Cooperation and the 
Ministry of Health have developed, in concert with a recent 
Mozambican-USG HIV/AIDS delegation, a proposal for technical 
cooperation to strengthen the Mozambican fight against 
HIV/AIDS.  This proposal supports national HIV/AIDS programs 
in areas such as: commodity management and logistics, 
monitoring and evaluation, civil society empowerment, and 
social communication. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Current U.S.)Brazil assistance for the Mozambican 
health sector includes laboratory and blood bank support and 
mid-level human resources training.  The Brazilians also 
collaborate on improving the quality and number of local 
health care workers.  Collaboration between the CDC-Global 
AIDS Program (GAP) and Brazil began in 2001.  In FY 2008 and 
FY 2009, these activities were expanded to laboratory 
improvement, as well as to monitoring and evaluation. The CDC 
has collaborated with the Federal University of Rio de 
Janeiro on a very successful mentoring program that brings 
Brazilian laboratory experts to provide extended technical 
assistance (6-9 months) to rural sites in Mozambique.  In 
partnership with CDC Atlanta, CDC Mozambique has partnered 
with the Brazilian Ministry of Health to establish a Field 
Epidemiology and Lab Training Program (FELTP).  Further, CDC 
Mozambique is partnering with the Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz 
(FIOCRUZ) on a number of projects, including a behavioral 
surveillance study of most-at-risk populations. 
 
¶4. (SBU) USAID plans to launch a major civil society project 
involving institutional strengthening and capacity building 
for Mozambican NGOs through partnerships with Brazilian civil 
society organizations (CSOs) and networks.  In coordination 
with USAID/Brazil, USAID/Mozambique will identify high 
profile CSOs and CSO networks to design a long-term 
collaboration strategy with Mozambican organizations through 
the Rede Mocambicana de Organizacoes contra a SIDA (MONASO) 
and the Network of International Organizations (NAIMA). 
Activities will include capacity building in the areas of 
strategic planning, project design, implementation, 
monitoring and evaluation, financial management, 
administration and fund-raising. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The Embassy's health outreach efforts have extended 
beyond working with the GoB to embrace the Brazilian private 
sector, as well.  A good example of public-private trilateral 
cooperation is a TV soap opera dealing with health issues 
that was proposed by STV, a local television station, and 
executed by a Brazilian production team, Cinevideo, using 
PEPFAR funds from the Embassy's Political/Economic section. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Food Security, Agriculture, Energy 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The GoB and USG are close to establishing 
collaborative support activities in agricultural research, 
technical assistance, and capacity strengthening with the 
National Agricultural Research Institute (IIAMS).  Also 
proposed is assistance in agricultural technology transfer 
and pilot applications in selected crops that can contribute 
most to Mozambique's food security and economy.  The 
execution of the project for ABC will be carried out by the 
Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa). 
 
 
MAPUTO 00000966  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶7.  (SBU) U.S. and Brazilian research expertise might also be 
useful in areas such as: biotechnology to improve agriculture 
productivity in staple and cash crops, integrated pest 
management, alternative energy irrigation systems, low 
tillage and soil conservation, post harvest grain handling 
and shelf life protection, small scale livestock management, 
integrated fish pond and crop production. Combating coconut 
yellowing disease (an activity supported by MCC in 
Mozambique) may offer another possible avenue for 
collaboration.  Given that the USG and GoB have a biofuels 
agreement, and that the GoB and GRM do as well, there may be 
a way to 'triangulate' these agreements so that the USG and 
GoB can work together in Mozambique in second generation 
biofuel technology development.  Mozambique has several 
existing--and several potential--biofuel projects, ranging 
from ethanol to jatropha. 
 
------------------------ 
Democracy and Governance 
------------------------ 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Embassy Maputo has been approached by the Brazilian 
Ambassador to consider funding a capacity-building program 
for technical assistance in the area of public 
administration, with a key theme being decentralization of 
the government.  The Brazilians implemented a similar program 
in the 1990s with Swedish funding. 
 
------------------------- 
Peacekeeping and Security 
------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) The Brazilian ambassador has suggested the 
possibility of Mozambican soldiers participating jointly with 
Brazil in Haiti as a step toward encouraging the GRM's full 
participation in PKO on the African continent.  The GoB has 
indicated that it wants to help the GRM train for PKO, most 
recently in public statements by the Brazilian Minister of 
Defense in Maputo in early June.  Mozambican soldiers have 
participated in training in Brazil in the past.  Brazil could 
also be an excellent partner to help Mozambique control its 
maritime domain. There is some precedent: in FY 2008 there 
was a DoD-supported small boat maintenance event in Florida 
for Brazilian forces that Mozambican sailors attended.  In 
September 2008 a DoD mobile team visited Maputo and trained 
Mozambican sailors further; the Brazilian DATT attended. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
COMMENT: Time is Now to Explore Areas of Cooperation 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) The July 19 visit of Mozambican president Armando 
Guebuza to Brazil to sign several bilateral economic and 
health agreements provides an ideal environment to build on 
existing USG-Brazil and USG-Mozambique cooperation.  In 
addition, the personal commitment of the Brazilian ambassador 
to work with the U.S. mission means that we have an 
opportunity to set in motion a wide array of initiatives.  We 
would like to work with Embassy Brasilia and Washington 
towards developing a framework to guide and formalize our 
cooperation with Brazil in Mozambique. 
CHAPMAN