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RR RUEHAST RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHSL RUEHTM
RUEHTRO
DE RUEHGV #0028/01 0151128
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151126Z JAN 10
FM USMISSION GENEVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0002
INFO ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GENEVA 000028 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR EEB, OES, IO/HS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV
SUBJECT: ENVSEC seeks donor assistance 
 
REF: 09 GENEVA 895 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  ENVSEC, the Environment & Security initiative of 
several UN agencies, OSCE, NATO's Science for Peace and Security 
Program and Regional Environment Center (REC) met December 4 with 
donor countries to review progress in ongoing projects and discuss 
how best in the future to address environment and human security, 
including in armed conflicts.  ENVSEC is actively looking to expand 
its donor base and has identified a number of different ways 
countries could support its initiatives.  Even with an investment 
of only modest resources, ENVSEC could serve as a useful platform 
from which the U.S. could help mitigate specific environmental 
problems, promote trans-border cooperation and address risks of 
environmental security in the region.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
¶2.  At a meeting in Vienna on December 4, ENVSEC officials reviewed 
projects currently underway in countries in Central Asia, South 
Eastern Europe, the Southern Caucasus, and Eastern Europe. (Note: 
for more background on ENVSEC's goals and activities, please see 09 
GENEVA 895.  End note.)  In terms of improving oversight, ENVSEC 
hopes in 2010 to establish national advisory groups, both to 
identify national priorities and to target capacity building 
assistance.  ENVSEC also plans to use established Aarhus Centers in 
the region to strengthen civil society engagement on environmental 
issues, relay news of events and strengthen the public outreach 
aspect of its activities.  In terms of projects, ENVSEC plans to 
focus on a range of transboundary issues, including climate change. 
One consideration ENVSEC's management board has not finalized is 
the question of enlargement, which can mean projects in new regions 
as well as new international partners.  By way of background, 
ENVSEC is an initiative looking at environmental links to human 
security.  ENVSEC partners currently include the UN Development 
Program, UNDP; the UN Environment Program, UNEP; the Organization 
for Security Cooperation in Europe, OSCE; the North Atlantic Treaty 
Organization, NATO; the UN Economic Commission for Europe, UNECE; 
and the Regional Environmental Center, REC. 
 
 
 
¶3.  ENVSEC of course would welcome additional donor assistance. 
This includes making contributions directly to the now operational 
ENVSEC Trust Fund (managed by UNOPS), supporting individual 
projects directly via the various ENVSEC organizations (UNDP, UNEP, 
OSCE, UNECE, NATO, REC), providing in-kind technical expertise, 
providing political support in a country with the host government 
to facilitate ENVSEC's work there.  Finland - as the current 
largest donor (6 million euros, or about 9 million USD) - has 
agreed to chair a new-style "ENVSEC Donors Forum".  Other current 
donors to the ENVSEC Trust Fund include Austria (soon to finalize a 
500,000 euro contribution, about 725,000 USD) and Switzerland 
(100,000 Swiss Francs, about USD 100,000).  Canada - previously 
ENVSEC's largest donor but whose contribution is now concluding - 
reaffirmed its interest to stay involved with ENVSEC.  Italy noted 
that it funds a number of ENVSEC projects indirectly through 
specific organizations (pointing to the REC's work in the Balkans) 
and Sweden said there are "active discussions" going on in 
Stockholm on how to increase its support - possibly through the 
ENVSEC Trust Fund. 
 
 
 
¶4.  During the December 4 meeting, the German representative 
lamented that Germany has only been involved in one project to 
date, primarily because of the lack of visibility of projects in 
the German MFA and the projects' cross-cutting nature.  The UNDP 
representative noted that now that ENVSEC funding has been 
stabilized with Finland's contribution, ENVSEC will become 
increasingly programmatic, so contributions of in-kind technical 
expertise should become increasingly important. 
 
 
 
¶5.  After the meeting, Regional EST Off talked with OSCE's David 
Swalley (who has been OSCE's point person for ENVSEC for several 
years and a strong OSCE advocate for U.S. engagement in ENVSEC) and 
noted that with regard to the idea of U.S. in-kind technical 
expertise, it would be helpful to know more specifically on which 
projects involvement of U.S. technical experts would be helpful. 
Swalley agreed but said it would also be helpful to know what kinds 
of projects or areas the U.S. would be interested in supporting. 
 
 
 
¶6.  COMMENT:   The "chicken and egg" paradox would best be resolved 
if interested Embassies could review existing ENVSEC projects where 
U.S. involvement could be useful, or even propose new projects for 
 
GENEVA 00000028  002 OF 002 
 
 
possible funding for which we could make a case with relevant 
Washington agencies.  Further details on specific ENVSEC projects 
(both ongoing and envisioned) can be found at www.envsec.org. 
 
 
 
¶7.  Both Central and Eastern European Regional EST officer and 
Geneva ESA officer attended the meeting, underscoring the 
importance of exchanging information among the USG actors who 
represent the regions and the international organizations involved 
in ENVSEC.  ENVSEC projects are often transboundary in nature and 
represent a new modus operandi within the UN that encourages 
inter-organizational initiatives that better address complex 
challenges that require a cross-cutting response. 
GRIFFITHS