VZCZCXRO8407
RR RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #1167/01 2602129
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 172129Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5108
INFO RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 9943
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 8204
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 4558

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 BRASILIA 001167 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA AND DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SOCI ECON ELAB PGOV PHUM PREL BR
SUBJECT: JOINT ACTION PLAN TO ELIMINATE RACISM (JAPER) 
TECHNICAL MEETING, BRASILIA, SEPTEMBER 8-9 
 
REF: BRASILIA 1145 
 
¶1.  Summary:  In a September 8-9 technical meeting of the 
Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Ethnic and Racial 
Discrimination and Promote Equality (JAPER) in Brasilia, the 
USG and GOB agreed on the following: 
 
-- an agenda for the October 22-23 Steering Group Meeting in 
Salvador featuring high-level policy dialogues on education, 
health and labor; 
-- enhancement of civil society and private sector 
involvement in JAPER; 
-- next steps to finalize guidelines for the selection and 
approval of projects; 
-- consideration of a Brazilian Ministry of Justice proposal 
to train police on racial stereotyping and profiling; and 
-- the need to correct a U.S.-Brazilian asymmetry in JAPER by 
developing good projects in the United States. 
 
In the evening of September 9, Sao Paulo CG Thomas White 
hosted a reception to introduce JAPER to important U.S. and 
Brazilian companies and to solicit their involvement in 
bilateral projects to reduce racial inequality.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  The September 8-9 technical meeting of the Joint Action 
Plan to Eliminate Ethnic and Racial Discrimination and 
Promote Equality (JAPER) was hosted by the Brazilian Ministry 
of External Affairs (MRE) and Special Secretariat for the 
Promotion of Policies for Racial Equality (SEPPIR) 
at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia.  The GOB team was headed 
by Alexandre Ghisleni, Counselor of the Brazilian Embassy, 
Washington, and included Magali Naves of SEPPIR, Daniel 
Brasil, a diplomat currently detailed to SEPPIR, and Andrea 
Giovannetti and Bruna Vieira de Paula of the Department of 
Human Rights and Social Affairs, MRE.  The USG side was 
headed by Milton Drucker, Director of the Office of Brazilian 
and Southern Cone Affairs (WHA/BSC), Department of State, and 
included Mordica Simpson, Brazil deskoff, WHA/BSC, Blakeney 
Vasquez, JAPER coordinator, WHA/PDA, and CAO Jean Manes, ACAO 
Caroline Schneider, LES Vera Galante and POL Frederick Kaplan 
of the U.S. Embassy, Brasilia.  Two Brazilian Ministry of 
Justice officials and Karine Taxman, Resident Legal Adviser, 
U.S. Embassy, Brasilia, also attended part of the meeting. 
 
Preparations for the Steering Group Meeting 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  The GOB said that the Steering Group Meeting on October 
22-23 would involve a total of about 150 people and would 
likely take place at the Pestana Bahia Hotel, Salvador, 
though the exact venue has not yet been determined.  SEPPIR 
Minister Edson Santos will open the meeting and stay for the 
various sessions depending on the level of USG participation. 
 
¶4.  The GOB's first draft of a program proposal for Salvador 
was quite similar (too similar in the view of the USG) to the 
program of the last Steering Group Meeting in Washington. 
Moreover, the proposed program failed to build in sufficient 
time for government-to-government policy 
dialogues on key thematic areas, such as education, health 
and labor. 
 
¶5.  The GOB agreed to make the changes requested by the USG. 
The last draft version of the program was as follows: 
 
Thursday, October 22 
-------------------- 
0900  Opening. 
0915  Evolution of Activities, participation of USG, GOB, 
civil society of both countries. 
0930  Panel 1 - Health of the Black Population, participation 
of USG, Brazilian Ministry of Health, Sickle-Cell 
Association, U.S. civil society. 
Separate and concurrent government-to-government policy 
dialogue on education. 
1100  Break. 
1130  Panel 2 - Best Practices in Promoting Ethnic/Racial 
Equality in Public Security, participation of USG, Brazilian 
Ministry of Justice, civil society of both countries. 
Separate and concurrent government-to-government policy 
dialogue on health. 
1300  Lunch. 
1500  Presentation on Educational and Cultural Exchange 
Projects Between Brazil and the United States. 
Separate and concurrent government-to-government policy 
dialogue on labor. 
2000  Cocktail reception and Benin Week cultural activity. 
 
 
BRASILIA 00001167  002 OF 005 
 
 
Friday, October 23 
------------------ 
0930  Panel 3 - Museology:  Preservation and Memory of Black 
Culture, participation of Palmares Cultural Foundation, 
Ministry of Culture, Brazilian Institute of Museums, Quilombo 
de Conceicao das Crioulas, U.S. civil society. 
1100  Break. 
1130  Panel 4 - History and Culture of Africa and the 
Diaspora, participation of the Brazilian Ministry of 
Education, U.S. and Brazilian universities. 
1300  Lunch. 
1500  Panel 5 - Social Responsibility and Diversity, 
participation of Brazilian Federation of Banks and Petrobras. 
1630  Separate and concurrent meetings of civil society of 
both countries and governments of both countries. 
1700  Break. 
1730  Presentation of reports, observations and next steps. 
1800  Closing. 
 
¶6.  The program above is a work in progress and will be 
refined further with input from each side.  In particular, 
the USG has suggested that consideration be given to the use 
of facilitators for the discussions to ensure that all 
participants have an opportunity to be heard. 
Government-to-government discussions, the USG urged, should 
be high-level, interactive and not based strictly on 
previously prepared talking points.  The GOB and USG agreed 
to flexibility in choosing thematic areas depending on the 
availability of principals at the appropriate level to lead 
the discussions. 
 
¶7.  The GOB envisioned no more than 20 people around the 
table for the panels with only one Brazilian and one American 
each making very brief introductory remarks.  There would 
follow an open discussion using a moderator and involving the 
wider audience seated in an outer circle. 
Further consideration was needed on how best to involve the 
private sector in the meeting and to get the active 
participation of several companies, both Brazilian and 
American.  The governmental dialogues, the GOB said, are most 
effective when kept small and informal. 
 
¶8.  The USG suggested that policy dialogues focus on goals 
already agreed upon by both sides:  for example, increase the 
number of teachers, especially primary school teachers, 
trained in multicultural education and teaching strategies, 
intensify joint research and professional exchanges related 
to diseases prevalent in Afro-descendant populations, and 
increase employment, retention and professional advancement 
of Afro-descendant and other racially discriminated 
groups.  Brazil and the United States could benefit from the 
sharing of best practices. 
 
¶9.  The USG asked the GOB how it planned to publicize the 
Steering Group Meeting.  The GOB said that much of the 
mainstream Brazilian media is not sympathetic to JAPER goals 
and methods and that SEPPIR has been more successful with 
"alternative media" and using blogs and Web sites.  The USG 
responded that effective media outreach and communication 
strategies would be a key element of a successful Steering 
Group Meeting.  The two sides, the USG said, should consider 
joint op-ed pieces and press interviews of high-level 
Steering Group members. 
 
Role of Civil Society and the Private Sector 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶10.  The GOB noted that Brazilian civil society will meet in 
Salvador on October 21 to discuss its participation in JAPER 
and to select its representatives.  Because the Steering 
Group Meeting falls during Benin Week festivities in 
Salvador, there will already be a large presence of NGOs 
that focus on Brazil's African heritage.  Expected Brazilian 
NGOs include the Sickle-Cell Association, Palmares Cultural 
Foundation, Brazilian Institute of Museums, a Quilombo 
association, and some universities.  The GOB is also planning 
a panel discussion at the Steering 
Group Meeting that will focus specifically on social 
responsibility and diversity in the private sector with 
participation by the Brazilian Federation of Banks and 
Petrobras, Brazil's giant oil parastatal. 
 
Outreach to Sao Paulo Business Community 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶11.  In the evening of September 9, Milt Drucker and Mordica 
Simpson flew to Sao Paulo where they attended a reception 
hosted by the Consul General for Brazilian and U.S. private 
 
BRASILIA 00001167  003 OF 005 
 
 
sector companies with established affirmative action and 
corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.  Also 
invited were representatives from Zumbi dos Palmares 
University, Brazil's first institution of higher education 
designed for Afro-Brazilians (which receives significant 
financial/private sector support) as well as representatives 
from some select Afro-Brazilian-oriented NGOs and the 
University of Sao Paulo.  Business attendees included 
representatives of Citibank, Motorola, Nestle, and McDonalds 
as well as leaders of the Mais Unidos CSR group co-founded by 
Mission Brazil, such as Dow.  Milt Drucker highlighted the 
significance of the JAPER to the group and encouraged 
participants to think about how their own CSR/affirmative 
action programs might fit in with JAPER,s activities. 
Private sector reps received Drucker,s message positively 
and agreed to closely examine how their own efforts could be 
linked up with the JAPER. 
 
Next Steps with Private Sector 
------------------------------ 
 
¶12.  On September 30, the U.S. Department of State will also 
meet with U.S. business organizations based in Washington, 
including member companies of the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum. 
There have already been discussions about JAPER with the 
Brazilian Information Center in Washington, which represents 
Brazilian companies that have business interests 
in the United States; many of these companies have operations 
in Salvador and could easily be represented at the Steering 
Group Meeting. 
 
¶13.  The USG believes that private sector involvement in 
JAPER should focus on the benefits to industry of social 
inclusion.  For example, Petrobras has said it will need some 
285,000 skilled petroleum workers to exploit recently 
discovered offshore oil reserves.  By ensuring that the 
Afro-Brazilian population receives the education and training 
to fill many of these jobs, Petrobras and related companies 
will benefit from a larger and better qualified labor pool. 
 
Guidelines for the Selection of Projects 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶14.  The GOB presented a rewrite of the draft guidelines 
dropping altogether the section on housing.  The USG 
presented its own rewrite with tracked changes incorporating 
input from the USG interagency clearance process in all six 
thematic areas -- education, labor, health, law and justice, 
housing, and Quilombola communities.  The U.S. Department of 
Labor had made significant changes in the original text. 
 
¶15.  A discussion then followed on how to settle on a single 
set of guidelines satisfactory to both sides.  The USG 
suggested the following: 
 
-- strengthen the preamble to provide a raison d'etre that is 
more explanatory; 
-- shorten the main text of the guidelines but provide a 
detailed annex, thus facilitating any changes required in the 
future; and 
-- allow for projects of varying lengths, providing schedules 
for completion rather than strict and uniform deadlines. 
 
¶16.  The GOB then raised the possibility that Brazil and the 
United States might work together on trilateral projects with 
third countries, perhaps in Africa and Latin 
America.  The USG did not oppose the idea in principle but 
noted that the USG and GOB already had a full plate of 
activities and challenges; expanding their efforts to third 
countries risked diffusing resources and accomplishing less 
with the original target populations. 
 
¶17.  The GOB committed to do a further rewrite of the 
guidelines by September 15, taking into account the 
discussion at the technical meeting and the comments and 
changes resulting from the USG interagency clearance process. 
 (Note:  The GOB had not provided the rewrite by September 
¶15.  End note.)  The USG said it would circulate the GOB 
rewrite among USG agencies and reply to the GOB by the end of 
September.  The GOB said that it was important that the 
guidelines be approved at the October 22-23 Steering Group 
Meeting in Salvador; the USG agreed, noting that approval 
ideally would be a formality at the beginning of the meeting. 
 
Proposal to Train Police in Racial Equality 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶18.  Two officials of the Brazilian Ministry of Justice 
 
BRASILIA 00001167  004 OF 005 
 
 
addressed the technical meeting and presented a project 
proposal to train Brazilian police on racial issues.  The 
training would be for police educators who in turn train new 
recruits in the police academies on race relations and on 
dealing with issues of racism and racial profiling in the 
administration of justice.  The proposal calls for five 
American experts to assist in providing training in three 
locations in Brazil and for the preparation in Portuguese of 
written training materials with case studies.  Brazilian 
participants would include the National Program of Public 
Security and Citizenship (PRONASCI), the National Secretariat 
of Public Security (SENASP), and the Ministry of Justice. 
 
¶19.  The written proposal contained a number of activities to 
support and expand upon the main training activity, such as a 
comparative analysis of curricula on racial profiling, 
developing a basic police academy course entitled 
"Confronting Racial Inequality," creating mechanisms to 
monitor police adherence to best practices in dealing with 
racial issues, and exchanges between Brazilian and U.S. 
experts. 
 
¶20.  The U.S. Embassy's resident legal adviser agreed to 
follow up on the Brazilian proposal with her colleagues in 
Washington, noting that there may be a need to redefine the 
project more narrowly.  The GOB stressed that its goal was to 
have an agreed-upon proposal ready for Steering Group 
endorsement at the October 22-23 meeting.  In order to meet 
that objective, the two sides agreed on technical meetings 
between officials and partners of both countries using 
digital video conference (DVC) facilities in Brasilia and 
Washington.  The first DVC is scheduled to take place on 
September 30 and the second on October 15. 
 
Remaining Issues 
---------------- 
 
¶21.  The last day of the technical meeting was devoted 
primarily to brainstorming on unresolved issues identified by 
one or both sides: 
 
-- The lack of devoted funding for projects has caused good 
proposals to languish.  The USG said involvement of the 
private sector was a current priority.  The GOB said that 
JAPER should be a catalyst for broader societal action to 
address racial inequality. 
 
-- Both sides agreed there was an asymmetry in the 
U.S.-Brazilian relationship that if not resolved would make 
JAPER appear to be nothing but a U.S. assistance program for 
Brazil.  More effort should be made to devise good projects 
for the United States. 
 
-- Education will continue to be emphasized in JAPER, 
introducing black history into the school curriculum and 
improving the opportunities for blacks to obtain a university 
education. 
 
-- Finally, more has to be done to ensure that JAPER involves 
the civil societies, private sectors and even the Congresses 
of both countries so that we create country-to-country 
relationships and not just relationships at the governmental 
level. 
 
¶22.  Comment:  The technical meeting was conducted in a 
collaborative environment, with the GOB amenable to almost 
all USG requests for revisions of documents and meeting 
formats.  By coincidence, on the second day of the technical 
meeting the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies approved a "Racial 
Equality Statute" that had been introduced in Congress more 
than six years ago (reftel).  The bill has now gone to the 
Senate where it is expected to be approved and possibly made 
ready for the President's signature by November 20, Black 
Consciousness Day (in honor of escaped slave, warrior and 
Quilombo founder Zumbi dos Palmares).  The bill contains 
several provisions that tie into JAPER goals, including the 
following: 
 
-- The GOB will provide "fiscal incentives" to private firms 
with more that 20 employees that have a least 20 percent 
blacks in their workforce. 
 
-- African history and the history of blacks in Brazil will 
become mandatory subjects in public and private schools 
throughout the country. 
 
-- There will be a National Health Policy for the Black 
Population with a focus on health issues that 
 
BRASILIA 00001167  005 OF 005 
 
 
disproportionately affect blacks, such as sickle-cell anemia. 
 
¶23. This cable was coordinated with Consulate General Sao 
Paulo and cleared by WHA Delegation to the Technical Meeting. 
KUBISKE