Cablegate: Canada Announces New Afghan Aid in Partnership

VZCZCXRO1856
PP RUEHDBU RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHIK RUEHQU RUEHVC RUEHYG
DE RUEHOT #3630 3552159
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 212159Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4662
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0283
RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS OTTAWA 003630

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAN, EB/IFD, SA
PASS USAID

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ECON PREF PREL CA AF
SUBJECT: CANADA ANNOUNCES NEW AFGHAN AID IN PARTNERSHIP
WITH UNICEF AND WFP

1. (U) Summary: On December 20, Canadian Minister of
International Cooperation Josee Verner announced that Canada
will contribute C$4.5 million to UNICEF and C$4 million to
the World Food Program (WFP) to assist families in Kandahar
province. Minister Verner said that "Canada is committed to
supporting Afghanistan in its efforts to address the basic
needs of its most vulnerable citizens. Today's contributions
to UNICEF and the World Food Program will improve the lives
of tens of thousands of people living in Kandahar, primarily
women and children, by providing food aid, improving health
and nutrition, access to clean water and basic shelter." End
Summary.

2. (U) UNICEF will provide 20,000 families with non-food
items such as tents, blankets and warm jackets which are
needed as winter approaches. With Canada's support, UNICEF
will also provide health and medical supplies to hospitals
and clinics as well as micro-nutrients to children and
pregnant women. Through UNICEF, support will be given to the
Public Health Department's measles vaccination campaign to
immunize as many as 189,000 children. Through the Afghan
Department of Education, UNICEF will procure and distribute
materials for about 40,000 students who are now going to
school in temporary centers. The non-food aid focus of the
UNICEF initiatives complements Canada's C$4 million
commitment to the WFP to provide food assistance to about
31,000 families in Kandahar who have been affected by the
conflict and by a drought. The funding is in response to the
WFP's Drought Joint Appeal to help displaced persons in
Kandahar.

3. (U) The announcement of aid builds on existing
initiatives. In October, Minister Verner announced a C$4.9
million emergency food aid contribution to the WFP and a C$5
million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to
immunize all children in southern Afghanistan against polio.
Canada is contributing nearly $1 billion over 10 years aimed
at reconstruction, reducing poverty and strengthening Afghan
governance.

Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa

DICKSON

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