UNCLASSIFIED   UNESCOPARI   03130369 
VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHFR #0369/01 0720940
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 130940Z MAR 09
FM UNESCO PARIS FR
TO SECSTATE WASHDC

UNCLAS PARIS FR 000369 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS TO DEPT OF INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, ATTN: STEVE 
MORRIS AND JONATHAN PUTNAM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC SCULUNESCO
SUBJECT: WORLD HERITAGE BUDGET MEETING 
 
¶1. (U) Summary.  In conjunction with meetings on the Future of the 
World Heritage (WH) Convention and on the WH emblem (septels), 
UNESCO convened an experts meeting on the WH budget on February 24. 
Discussion consisted largely of a review of familiar ideas with 
little progress made.  WH Chair Ambassador Maria San Segundo of 
Spain proposed creation of a budget working group modeled on the 
existing working group on the WH emblem to deal with issue.   The 
U.S. was represented by Steve Morris and Jonathan Putnam from the 
National Park Service at the Department of the Interior.  David 
Ostroff accompanied them from the U.S. Mission staff.  End Summary. 
 
Budget Issues - Far from Decided 
 
¶2. (U) The budget meeting was chaired by Ambassador Maria San 
Segundo, (Spain) in her capacity as chairman of the WH Committee. 
She indicated that the meeting was a follow-up to discussions of the 
lunchtime, informal working group on the budget held during the last 
Committee meeting in Quebec.  The WH Center's Director, Francesco 
Bandarin, attempted to channel discussions unsuccessfully on issues 
like exchange rate problems.  After participants complained about a 
lack of sufficient information as well as a lack of broader vision, 
many suggested that the meeting be delayed until the "Future of the 
WH Convention" meeting later in the week had been held. 
 
¶3. (U) Mr. Bandarin's overview of the WH Center's budget left some 
with the impression that things were intentionally kept a bit vague. 
 Bandarin said that there has been a 33 percent decrease in the 
budget from 2002-2003 biennium, dropping from $10 million to $7.2 
million. (He indicated that the decrease was due to spending down 
the reserves following a decision by the Committee to that effect.) 
He noted that the fixed contributions of the WH Fund, made up of one 
percent of each Member State's contribution to UNESCO, remain stable 
at $6.5 million per biennium. 
 
¶4. (U) Bandarin said that the WH Fund counts on an additional 
$400,000 to $600,000 per biennium in income from earmarked extra 
budgetary funds, accrued interest, and royalties from the use of the 
WH logo.  He also mentioned that he would like to increase 
"contingency reserves" from $700,000 to $1 million to help gap cash 
flow problems at the beginning of each cycle, which has obliged the 
Advisory Bodies to advance their own funds for up to seven months at 
the start of each budget cycle.  He also asked to shift the 
contracts for the Advisory Bodies from August to July of each year 
to help ease the problems related to UNESCO cash flows.  Bandarin 
also noted a decrease in funding due to the U.S. dollar/Euro 
exchange rate fluctuation though the immediacy of the problem had 
diminished in recent months with the growing strength of the dollar. 
 
 
¶5. (U) Australia noted that the States Parties hadn't addressed the 
issue of static resources and the increasing number of properties on 
the WH List.  Bahrain said that there is a "lack of commitment" by 
States Parties to fund the WH Center's work properly.  Several 
States Parties complained about the lack of transparency, and said 
that it was necessary for the WH Committee to be well-briefed. 
Bandarin said that many of the budget concerns are linked to the 
"big questions" that would be dealt with during the "Future of the 
WH Convention" meeting held the next day.  Others questioned the 
relatively small percentage of its budget that UNESCO gives to the 
WH Center, asking why its flagship program does not receive more 
funding. 
 
¶6. (U) Other ideas were raised, including charging according to a 
sliding scale based on the number of sites per country, or a fixed 
percentage per site.  Israel gave the example of Ethiopia, which has 
eight sites, and pays only $92 per year to the WH Fund.  It was 
suggested that an additional 10 percent would not be stressful to 
the poorest countries, but could add up to real money for more 
developed nations.  Bandarin noted that the WH Committee had 
previously rejected such proposals or the idea of a $300 minimum 
contribution.  Bandarin noted that over one half of the WH Center's 
staff is paid through extra budgetary funding, and suggested that 
one possible solution to the growing workload would be to 
decentralize the work to other parts of the world. 
 
¶7. (U) Another solution suggested was to develop regional WH funds, 
like the Africa Fund, which has already been created and has 
received several million dollars in donations.  Chairman San Segundo 
mentioned that a similar regional fund is being planned for Asia 
(ASPAC), adding that it is up to us to be sure that all monies are 
used efficiently. 
 
¶8. (U) The U.S. delegation, among others, complained that we don't 
yet have a clear idea about where we are going, and lack necessary 
preparation for this discussion.  The U.S. said it would be 
interested in seeking an increase from the UNESCO regular budget for 
the WH Center.  Morocco, in turn, said that it would be problematic 
to reduce funds available for other UNESCO programs.  Israel noted 
that we shouldn't be in the position of muddling through every year, 
dependent on extra budgetary funds, and that we should be 
investigating how to increase our basic budget. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS TO DEPT OF INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, ATTN: STEVE 
MORRIS AND JONATHAN PUTNAM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC SCULUNESCO
SUBJECT: WORLD HERITAGE BUDGET MEETING 
 
 
¶9. (U) Australia summed up the concerns well, saying that this is a 
multi-faceted problem that requires multi-faceted solutions.  In 
order to move forward, we need to know what things cost.  It's not 
only a question of deciding how to cut up the pie, but needing to 
make the pie bigger.  Bandarin said that he would make an effort to 
get more information to the working group, but that the deadlines 
would make it difficult to present more information in the short 
timeframe before the next round of meetings.  Chairman San Segundo 
decided that the best way to move forward was to create a working 
group, and suggested that, like the working group regarding use of 
the WH emblem, the budget working group could meet again in mid-May 
in conjunction with the next information and preparatory meeting for 
the Seville WH Committee meeting.  ENGELKEN