Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume II, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs

316. Memorandum From the Director of the Policy Planning Staff (Lake) to the Under Secretary of State for Security Assistance, Science, and Technology (Benson)¹

Washington, July 19, 1978

SUBJECT

• Issues and Options Paper for UN Water Decade

Attached at Tab 1 is a revised issues and options paper for the U.S. policy toward the UN Water Decade, reflecting comments of AID and OES as well as our own up-dating of certain data.² We briefed OMB staff on the paper and invited their comments. However, despite general admonitions about need for fiscal restraint they have not offered us any specific thoughts.

The paper contains three basic options. We have assumed that Option 1 would be subsumed in Options 2 and 3.

1. Early provision for planning assistance to all relevant LDCs in community water sector (CWS) at $2.2 million spanning FY 80 and 81. This should not be very controversial since AID is already moving in this direction, although the extent of their intended funding is not yet certain.

2. Two medium level efforts:

(a) US would assist a limited number of “lower tier” LDCs to develop replicable model programs and then to implement them in a limited number of countries. Estimated cost would be $2.5 to $3 billion over a decade with FY 80 funding at about $100 million development assistance (DA).

(b) US would assist both lower and upper tier countries as in (a) above. Estimated cost: $3.75 billion over the decade.

3. US would take lead in major effort to largely fulfill the rural sector UN Water Decade goals for most LDCs reaching 1 billion people over 10 years. (Cost to US: $3.75 billion over the decade; perhaps only $150 million in the first year.)

These figures compare with a total CWS AID development assistance in FY 78 of $73.3 million and in FY 79 of $44.6 million. Thus option 2 at $100 million and Option 3 at $150 million for the first year of the decade is not an extraordinary increase over past expenditure. In fact AID currently spends about 3% of its DA budget on CWS. Option 2 would bring this percentage to 4.35%. Option 3 would increase it to 6.5%.

We’ve arranged with your staff for a senior level UN Water Decade coordinating group meeting to be held on August 2nd. At Tab 2 is a draft memo from you to members of the Senior Group announcing the meeting.³

Before August 2 we would like to offer some suggestions on the meeting itself.⁴

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Policy and Planning Staff—Office of the Director, Records of Anthony Lake, 1977–1981, Lot 82D298, Box 4, TL 7/16–7/31/1978. Unclassified. Drafted by Blaney.
2. Attached but not printed is the undated 17-page “Issues and Options for U.S. Policy on Community Water and Sanitation (CWS) and Response to UN Water Decade (1980–1990)” and seven annexes. (Ibid.) Under an April 26 action memorandum, Lake sent Christopher an earlier version of the “Issues and Options” paper. (National Archives, RG 59, Policy and Planning Staff—Office of the Director, Records of Anthony Lake, 1977–1981, Lot 82D298, Box 3, TL 4/16–4/30/ 1978)
3. Attached but not printed is an undated draft memorandum from Benson to Gilligan, Warren, Joseph, Bourne, Jayne, Pickering, and Lake outlining the proposed August 2 meeting. (National Archives, RG 59, Policy and Planning Staff—Office of the Director, Records of Anthony Lake, 1977–1981, Lot 82D298, Box 4, TL 7/16–7/31/1978)
4. According to an August 2 memorandum from Blaney to Lake, Benson indicated that she did not want to hold the senior-level meeting, preferring “to talk informally” with Lake that day before convening a larger meeting. (National Archives, RG 59, Policy and Planning Staff—Office of the Director, Records of Anthony Lake, 1977–1981, Lot 82D298, Box 7, TL Papers on Specific Mtgs./Appoint. 1978) No record of the conversation between Lake and Benson has been found.