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DE RUEHFR #1607/01 3351457
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O 011457Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7660
INFO RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1848
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 7138
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RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 1841
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3127

UNCLAS PARIS 001607 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAID EAGR FR
SUBJECT:  FRANCE ON G8 FOOD SECURITY COMMITMENTS 
 
REF:  STATE 120804 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  France's $2.3 billion in L'Aquila commitments on 
food security represent mostly new programs to be carried out by 
various GOF agencies between 2009 and 2011.  $52 million in food aid 
is for on-going food aid that conforms to the London Convention. 
France does not yet have detailed plans concerning which countries 
or regions will receive all of this assistance.  A large portion of 
programs funded through the Agence Francaise de Developpement, are 
in the form of concessional loans.  France's commitments represent a 
ramping up of existing programs, so disbursement is already under 
way.  Embassy contacts said France is satisfied with the framework 
that emerged from L'Aquila and the Rome Food Summit, and now wants 
to flesh it out.  France sees climate change and food security, 
price volatility and access to land as key issues donors will have 
to take up as the global partnership moves forward.  End Summary. 
 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Econ Counselor delivered the demarche in reftel to Sujiro 
Seam, Deputy Director for Food Security and Economic Development at 
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 1.  Seam was at the 
technical-level meeting in Washington in September and will be the 
regular point of contact within the GOF on food security issues. 
Seam said France's L'Aquila commitments now amount to 1.551 billion 
euros (US$2.3 billion).  This represents commitments over the years 
2009-2011, including 493 million euros in 2009, and 530 million 
euros in both 2010 and 2011.  Using the 2008 funding level of 445 
million euros, as a baseline, Seam said this means 216 million euros 
($322 million) represents new commitments.  Seam added, however that 
France's total includes commitments made through the AFD, all of 
which will go to new projects not already in the pipeline.  For 
2009, commitments funded through AFD will equal 323 million euros 
($481 million).  (Note: AFD distributes most of its project funds in 
the form of concessional loans, so the 323 million euro figure is an 
estimate of the ODA grant equivalent of the loan amounts, based on 
OECD methodology.  End Note.) 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Aside from AFD loans for agricultural development, France 
has committed 90 million euros ($134 million) for agricultural 
research programs, 43 million euros ($64 million) in contributions 
to multilateral agencies (FAO, IFAD and WFP) and 35 million euros 
($52 million) for food aid in 2009.  Seam said it is not yet 
possible to give precise numbers for future years for all of these 
programs.  On food aid, Seam specified that the figure does not 
include emergency, humanitarian aid, but rather on-going food aid 
commitments that conform to the London Convention.  Budget support 
programs to fund agricultural development projects account for the 
remainder of France's commitments. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Seam noted that the 1.551 billion euro figure does not 
cover certain French commitments in the area of food security and 
agricultural development.  It does not include France's 20 percent 
share of the EU's $3.8 billion L'Aquila commitment, nor France's 
contributions to UNICEF, the World Bank or other multilateral 
organizations that may be involved in food security.  Seam said it 
is too early to say in which countries or regions France will 
distribute these funds, but that France is providing this 
information as part of European Commission stock-taking exercise on 
development assistance, as information becomes available after the 
board meetings of AFD and other French government agencies carrying 
out the programs.  Seam said France does put a geographic priority 
on (mostly Francophone) West Africa, but also has made substantial 
commitments in Afghanistan and Southeast Asia. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Seam acknowledged the perception that G8 L'Aquila 
commitments do not always represent new funds, and there was 
political pressure in France and other governments to fudge 
definitions to make the total numbers look as big as possible.  But 
Seam said focusing on how donors can cooperate to deliver 
development assistance on the ground was far more important that 
revisiting the L'Aquila numbers.   He said he hoped there would be 
more discussion of coordination at the December 7-8 meeting in 
Kigali.  (Note: Seam added that France only reestablished diplomatic 
relations with Rwanda on November 29, and has not yet received an 
invitation to the Kigali meeting.  End note.) 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Seam said France was generally satisfied with the food 
 
security initiative that emerged from the L'Aquila G8 Summit, and 
very satisfied with the 2009 Food Summit in Rome.  France was 
disappointed by the degree to which certain donor countries defended 
the role of the FAO, but Seam said this did not preclude progress on 
the "governance pillar" of the global partnership, and that it was 
still possible to show that the partnership is an inclusive process, 
not just an enhanced mission for the FAO.   Seam said France is 
satisfied with progress on the "knowledge pillar," in the form of 
the panel of experts attached to the FAO.  Seam said donors had not 
fully addressed the "financing pillar."  Although he welcomed some 
of the general principles, Seam said the challenge on financing will 
be to demonstrate that the donors can deliver on the ground.  The 
Food Summit, Seam said, provided a shell--now we have to flesh it 
out. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  Seam said the challenge going forward will be for donors 
to show that there is something new to say.  In particular, he said 
he hoped donors would find ways to address the issues climate change 
and food security (mitigation and adaptation), food price volatility 
and the impact of volatility, and the question of access to land, 
including appropriate governance of foreign investment in 
agriculture. 
 
RIVKIN