Cablegate: President's Cairo Agenda: Embassy Tunis Actions

VZCZCXYZ0012
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTU #0833/01 3171705
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131705Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY TUNIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6977
INFO RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS TUNIS 000833

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR S/P:GBEHRMAN,S/SRMC:KCHANDLER, R:SNOOR-ALI
ALSO FOR NEA/RA AND NEA/MAG
NSC STAFF FOR SENIOR DIRECTOR RAMAMURTHY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EAID PREL SOCI TS
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT'S CAIRO AGENDA: EMBASSY TUNIS ACTIONS

REF: A. STATE 112468
B. 9/16 DESJARDINS-HAYES EMAIL
C. TUNIS 507

Sensitive but Unclassified. Please protect accordingly.

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Summary
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1. (SBU) Embassy Tunis has established a steering group and
begun extensive outreach in preparation for the Presidential
Summit on Entrepreneurship. With a strong private sector and
a government focused on creating economic opportunity,
Tunisia offers opportunities to implement the President's
vision of comprehensive engagement through partnerships in
areas of mutual interest. End summary.

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Efforts on Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunity
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2. (SBU) Steering Group: The Embassy has established an
Economic Opportunity Steering Group chaired by the Ambassador
and includes the DCM, Pol/Econ Counselor, Public Affairs
Officer, the Director of the MEPI Regional Office, and
others. The Steering Group is coordinating and overseeing
mission efforts to support the Entrepreneurship Summit and
other elements of the Cairo and Marrakech speeches.

3. (SBU) Summit Participants: On September 16, Embassy
submitted, via email to the desk, the names of three
Tunisians as nominees for the Presidential Summit on
Entrepreneurship (ref B). We will submit additional names
with supporting information by November 30. Embassy will
seek to engage Tunisia's strong private sector by putting
forward a diverse list of business and social entrepreneurs
from various sectors, regions, and social groups.

4. (SBU) Roundtables: The Embassy's Steering Group has begun
planning two roundtable discussions for the month of
December, hosted by the Ambassador for dialogue with key
Tunisian stakeholders on the goals of the Summit. The first
roundtable will bring together members of Tunisia's business
establishment, while the second will target small-scale
entrepreneurs, micro-credit lenders and borrowers, and other
emerging leaders. We will report on the outcomes of these
roundtables in late December.

5. (SBU) Stakeholder Outreach: The Ambassador and emboffs
have been in consultation with government, private sector,
and civil society actors on implementing the President's
vision of comprehensive engagement defined by partnerships in
areas of mutual interest. We will continue to seek their
views as we move toward the Summit and beyond. The Embassy's
Public Affairs Section will continue its active outreach to
Tunisian media and civil society on the broad Cairo
Initiative goals. Members of the Economic Opportunity
Steering Group will take advantage of USG-funded programs in
Tunisia to advance local entrepreneurship and economic
opportunity. These include:

- a $1.75 million, multi-year, multi-country program to
promote small business and entrepreneurship opportunities for
women;

- a $200,000 program to support entrepreneurship and good
governance through training, skills development, and
mentoring;

- a $150,000 program on technology-driven development with
the Tunisian Agency for Research and Innovation;

- a $150,000 program to link college graduates with the job
market through internships and English language instruction;

- a multi-year program providing English instruction to
disadvantaged adolescents;

- a $95,000 English-language youth immersion course with
leadership and citizenship-building activities;

- a $300,000 university partnership on biomass fuel
processing engineering;

- an $850,000 program for scientific partnership on tropical
diseases;

- a $500,000 community center for rural youth; and

- a $500,000 rural women's vocational training center.

GRAY

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