VZCZCXRO7031
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0894 2761340
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 021340Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3518
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2335
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2453
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0967
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1731
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 2086
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2507
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4939
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1602
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
UNCLAS HARARE 000894
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR B. WALCH
DRL FOR N. WILETT
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EAID PGOV PREL ASEC UNDP ZI
SUBJECT: UNDP HOSTS FORUM ON ZIMBABWEAN RECOVERY
1. (U) The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) hosted
a forum in Harare on October 1 at which they discussed the
recently unveiled UNDP Zimbabwean economic recovery plan.
The research team that produced the 230 page document
entitled, "Comprehensive Economic Recovery in Zimbabwe" was
comprised of senior Zimbabwean economists who spent a year
producing the assessment. The presentation focused on the
imperative of restoring macroeconomic stability as a
pre-condition to economic recovery. The recommendations
produced within the report are wide ranging and deal with
sectoral improvements in the areas of trade policy, public
enterprises, the financial sector, agriculture,
manufacturing, mining, tourism, the informal sector, and the
labor market.
2. (U) The forum also included discussion of how Zimbabwe
could best manage international assistance if Zimbabwe's
traditional development partners were willing to reengage
with and support its recovery efforts. The entire report is
available on the UNDP website.
3. (U) The forum was well-attended by a mix of Heads of
Mission, World Bank officials, international aid
organizations, and local trade and labor groups. The
audience filled the conference room to capacity and engaged
the team during the question and answer period. A
significant portion of this discussion included remedial
efforts that would be necessary to ease the pain of
transition from an informal economy back to a formal economy,
as numerous informal money changers, gasoline peddlers, and
black market entrepreneurs will be displaced.
4. (SBU) GOZ officials were notably absent from the forum.
UNDP Chief Technical Advisor, Mark Simpson, told poloff that
the team had sent copies of the report to four ZANU-PF
officials who the UNDP had identified as being potentially
receptive, as well as positioned within economically
important ministries. No response had yet been received from
these officials. Ian Makone, MDC director of elections and a
close Tsvangirai advisor, was the only MDC representative
present.
MCGEE