VZCZCXRO5554
PP RUEHRN
DE RUEHRN #0020/01 0481128
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 171128Z FEB 10
FM USMISSION UN ROME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1289
INFO RUEHC/USAID WASHDC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE USD FAS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0380
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY 0317
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0483
RUEHFR/USMISSION UNESCO PARIS FR PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 0027
RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE PRIORITY 0029
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 0141
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0105
RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO PRIORITY 0004
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME 1367

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 UN ROME 000020 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR C, IO/HS, EEB/IFD/ODA 
USAID FOR DCHA, LAC, EGAT, AFR 
USDA FOR BPHILBROOK, ATUTWILER, PSHEIKH, GDOUVELIS 
TREASURY FOR LMORRIS AND PGANDHI 
NSC FOR GSMITH AND CPRATT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: FAO IFAD WFP UN EAID EAGR PREL HA
SUBJECT: COUNSELOR MILLS DISCUSSES NEXT STEPS IN GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY 
ON MARGINS OF ROME MEETING ON SUPPORTING HAITIAN AGRICULTURE 
 
REF: UN ROME 19 
 
¶1.  (U) This message is sensitive but unclassified.  Not for 
dissemination outside the U.S. Government. 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On February 12, Cheryl Mills, Secretary Clinton's 
Chief of Staff and Counselor, discussed next steps on food 
security issues with key interlocutors on the margins of the 
`Supporting a Haitian-led Food Security Program' event held at 
the World Food Program (reftel).  During a meeting with Food and 
Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director General Jacques Diouf, 
Mills encouraged Diouf to help develop five to seven country 
strategy plans, similar to those of the Comprehensive Africa 
Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), in advance of the June 
G8 summit. In a meeting with International Fund for Agricultural 
Development (IFAD) President Kanayo Nwanze, Mills signaled 
continued U.S. strong support for IFAD.  Canadian Ambassador 
James Fox told Mills that Canada plans to use the G8 to 
emphasize donor accountability as well as maternal and child 
nutrition.  Lastly, Milton Rondo, Brazil's food security lead, 
described the important role Brazil's school feeding program 
played in improving food security within Brazil and maintained 
it could serve as a model in other developing countries.  END 
SUMMARY 
 
FAO Support for Developing Country Strategies 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Counselor Mills complimented Diouf on the FAO's work 
in Rwanda where it had provided important technical knowledge 
support in the development of Rwanda's CAADP plan. She said that 
by the time of the G8 summit in June, the U.S. would like five 
to seven other countries, including Haiti, to have similar 
national plans with policy meetings in the countries themselves, 
as had been done in Rwanda. Diouf noted that the head of FAO's 
Investment Center, Chuck Riemenschneider, would be going to 
Haiti on February 14 and, as a result of their conversation, 
would ask him to develop a CAADP-like plan for Haiti.  Mills and 
Diouf agreed that FAO could usefully develop similar country 
programs in Ghana, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Liberia and 
Bangladesh. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Counselor Mills said the USG was encouraged by FAO's 
reform agenda as well as the technical work performed by the 
organization.  She asked if FAO could serve as a repository of 
best practices as well as measures to gauge progress for common 
platforms.   Diouf responded that was "exactly the direction of 
the reform" taking place in FAO which has established two 
networks to this end: a) "knowledge networks" focused on 
sectoral issues;  and b) a "best practices network" which 
includes, for example, experiences in rice production and 
various types of irrigation pumps. Diouf also said he was 
focusing on impact assessment and noted that the Initiative 
against Soaring Food Prices (ISFP, which the U.S. supported in 
Afghanistan) led to an EU contribution of $285 million (with 
total contributions from all countries of $440 million) that is 
being used mainly for food, fertilizer and other inputs. 
 
IFAD 
---- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) During a brief meeting with IFAD President Kanayo 
Nwanze, Mills thanked Nwanze for his and IFAD's leadership in 
agriculture development and food security.  She said that, as 
the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) provides resources for food 
security, the U.S. would be looking to IFAD for implementation 
and expertise.  Mills also told Nwanze that the U.S. expects the 
MDTF to be operational by June with several projects identified. 
 
Canadians to Emphasize Food Security at G8 Summit 
 
UN ROME 00000020  002 OF 002 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶6.  (SBU) In a meeting with Canadian Ambassador James Fox, Mills 
asked whether the Canadians had plans for food security in their 
role as hosts of the G8 summit in June 2010.  Fox replied that 
Canada would emphasize donor accountability and maternal and 
child nutrition.  In an effort to get donors to deliver on their 
commitments, Canada will focus on a donor accountability 
tracking exercise similar to the OECD format.  Fox said that 
Canada has concerns about which assistance should qualify as 
food security funding.  Mills and Fox agreed that broad criteria 
would diffuse responsibility and that emergency aid should not 
qualify as food security pledges by the G8.  Fox reported that 
Canada's own accountability tracking document is ready but that 
Canada is waiting for other countries to submit theirs.  Mills 
responded that the U.S. had not yet sent its tracking document 
but that it would be able do so in the near future.  In regard 
to nutrition, Fox said that Canada has continued to work with 
WFP and the UN's Standing Committee on Nutrition. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Fox told Mills that Canada's public commitment to 
doubling official development assistance (from 2001-2002 levels) 
will positively impact its contributions to food security. 
Canada plans to contribute $230 million for the MDTF and will 
also double its contribution to IFAD, resulting in an additional 
$37 million.  Bilaterally, Canada will give an additional $260 
million to 20 countries, including Ghana, Ethiopia, Mozambique 
and Mali.  Some additional funding will also go to research in 
agricultural development, including through the International 
Development Research Centre (IDRC). 
 
Brazil Emphasizes Importance of School Feeding Programs 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Milton Rondo, Brazil's Coordinator-General of 
International Actions in the Fight Against Hunger in the 
Ministry of Foreign Relations, told Counselor Mills of the 
important role school feeding programs have played in addressing 
food insecurity in Brazil.  Brazil requires schools to purchase 
a third of their food from household gardens or local markets 
and an additional third from disadvantaged farmers.  He 
maintained that this arrangement creates markets for local 
products and provides farmers who have little market power 
access to formalized market structures.  As a result, all 
children in Brazil, regardless of income, have access to free 
lunches. Rondo explained that Brazil has been promoting this 
model for school lunches in Latin America and other developing 
countries, including the Lusophone countries in Africa.  Rondo 
expressed interest in cooperating with the United States to 
implement this type of school feeding program model as part of 
the global food security initiative. 
 
¶9.  (U) Counselor Mills cleared this cable. 
COUSIN