CANF STATEMENT ON USAID CUBA DEMOCRACY PROGRAMS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                          January 27, 2010

FOR MORE INFORMATION:                                           CAMILA R. GALLARDO

                                                                                  305-215-4259/ 305-592-7768

CANF STATEMENT ON USAID CUBA DEMOCRACY PROGRAMS

In recent days much has been reported in the local media regarding the status of the Cuba Democracy Program at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  While it has been alleged that the delay in announcing new funding by the Agency implicates a lack of commitment to the program on behalf of the Obama Administration, we have been assured by Administration officials on a visit yesterday to Washington where we discussed the issue at length, that their commitment to the program and the cause of freedom for the Cuban people remains resolute.   Throughout all of our discussions, we emphasized the need to continue a robust program of direct assistance to Cuba’s dissidents in support of their efforts to bring about a peaceful, democratic transition.

In view of the Castro regime’s recent actions to detain an American working for a grantee of USAID, it is reasonable for the Administration to be cautious, but certainly no reason to cease their support of Cuba’s civil society groups.  To do so would send the wrong message to the Cuban people who would interpret the change as a downscaling of support for the cause of democracy and human rights in their country.  After recent discussions, we do not believe that they intend to withdraw that support.  Any delay in releasing additional funds is related to USAID and the State Department’s desire to ensure that there is “consistency and security in the implementation of the program” and that the funding reaches Cuba’s brave dissidents, enhancing their work to promote a peaceful, democratic transition, as is the program’s intent.  The financial pressures voiced by some grantee organizations due to a delay in funding, is precisely why CANF has been urging USAID to implement a cost-share requirement (for many years not implemented) that would prevent the situation we have today with groups that rely almost 100% on government funding for their existence.

The Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) was instrumental in helping pass legislation (Helms-Burton) that allowed for the creation of these programs because we believe that they are critically important in helping to empower the Cuban people with the necessary tools to promote change from the ground up.  Throughout the years, we had become increasingly alarmed by the lack of consistency with the original purpose of the program. In March of 2008, we conducted and published a study detailing serious irregularities in USAID’s Cuba democracy program.  The result of that report demonstrated that the overwhelming amount of grant funds were being utilized by grantees to cover office overhead, salaries, and trips abroad, rather than in material aid for Cuba’s brave dissident groups.  In addition, the program lacked proper oversight and controls, reporting requirements were extremely lax, and many times, grantees were extended additional funding without the agency conducting an evaluation of the programs’ effectiveness in-country. 

 It is critically important that additional funds to be distributed under the present Administration have the proper controls in place that safeguard, as much as possible, against any future mismanagement or misdirection of funds.  Our support for the program and its goals remain unequivocal but we must require the utmost transparency and efficiency of those who receive funding directed at promoting freedom for Cuba.

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