This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

211138Z Jun 06

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 004258 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM USMISSION TO UNESCO PARIS 
 
NAIROBI FOR KAREN LEVINE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SMIG UNESCO UN IOM
SUBJECT: UNESCO: MEETINGS ON MIGRATION, "RIGHT TO THE CITY," AND THE 
HUMAN SECURITY PROGRAM 
 
 
¶1.  INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY.  On June 14 DCM and HHS Attache met 
with members of the UNESCO secretariat to discuss UNESCO's Migration 
without Borders and the Right to the City programs.  Paul de 
Guchteneire, Chief of the International Migration Section, and 
Wataru Iwamoto, Director of Social Sciences Research and Policy, 
discussed UN SG Kofi Annan's proposal for a forum on International 
Migration and Development, as well as UNESCO's possible role in the 
forum.  The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and 
UNESCO will hold a conference of experts on migration museums; U.S. 
delegates discussed Ellis Island as a model.  The conversation then 
turned to the "Right to the City."  A UNESCO program specialist 
explained the meaning of the expression and revealed that the staff 
has been trained to take a rights-based approach in all their work. 
In a separate meeting, Mr. Hoff met with Rene Zapata, of UNESCO's 
Bureau of Strategic Planning, to discuss the Human Security Program. 
END INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY. 
 
INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION: A UN FORUM, A UNESCO CONFERENCE 
 
¶2.  According to de Guchteneire, the Secretary General is organizing 
a High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development in 
New York on September 14-15, 2006 and is recommending the creation 
of a UN Forum on the subject.  De Guchteneire also said UNESCO is 
working on a document that will set out the role UNESCO seeks to 
play in the forum, and noted that it will involve the relationship 
between cultural diversity and integration of immigrant populations 
(social cohesion).  He felt this was key issue that the cultural 
diversity convention had failed to address.  The UNESCO Secretariat 
will consult with Member States on UNESCO's role. 
 
¶3.  De Guchteneire added that UNESCO and the IOM will work together 
to promote development of a new type of museum on migration that 
does not just take an historical approach.  U.S. delegates spoke of 
the Ellis Island Immigration Museum; Mr. de Guchteneire was aware of 
the site but not of the interactive project that has been created 
there.  IOM and UNESCO will hold a conference of experts about 
migration museums in Rome, most likely October 23-25.  As a 
follow-up to the meeting, Mr. de Guchteneire sent the U.S. 
delegation a draft of the organizational document for the meeting, 
which cites the Ellis Island Immigration Museum as the example for 
migration museums worldwide.  (Comment:  The High Level Dialogue on 
September 14-15 in New York may be an opportunity to showcase the 
Ellis Island Immigration Museum.  Mission will try to insist that a 
U.S. expert be invited to the Rome meeting.) 
 
"RIGHT TO THE CITY" AND A RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH TO EVERYTHING 
 
¶4.  The meeting turned to the subject of the "Right to the City." 
U.S. delegates expressed their continuing concern with the phrase, 
which, they noted, is being used in connection with the World Urban 
Forum 3 (which is taking place June 19-23, 2006 in Vancouver).  Mr. 
Iwamoto introduced Brigitte Colin, a UNESCO program specialist on 
the issue.  She explained the ideas behind the wording, saying that 
it had to do with the rights and obligations of the citizens of a 
city.  Ms. Colin also mentioned that the UN had provided training 
for members of the section by the United Nations System Staff 
College in Geneva that emphasized that UN staff should use the 
concept of a "rights based approach" rather than a "needs based 
approach" (the language that accompanies the problematic 
questionnaire sent out on the Right to the City).  When questioned 
on what basis they were claiming the need to use a rights based 
approach, she said she was told the language was included in last 
fall's World Summit outcome document. (Comment:  We have looked at 
the document and do not find where it says this.) U.S. delegates 
also expressed concern about the phrase Inclusive City (which 
UN-Habitat uses), stating that it could be interpreted to imply a 
socialist agenda. 
 
THE HUMAN SECURITY PROGRAM: AN UNCLEAR APPROACH 
 
¶5.  HHS Attache Hoff later met with Rene Zapata, of the UNESCO 
Bureau of Strategic Planning, to discuss the Human Security Program. 
 Zapata emphasized the inter-sectoral nature of human security.  He 
said the USG intervention at the December meeting was extremely 
helpful, and changed the approach UNESCO was taking.  However, the 
way in which the approach had changed was unclear to Mr. Hoff.  Mr. 
Hoff expressed concern about the possibility of UNESCO's having 
consultants write the upcoming report without Member States' review, 
and stressed the U.S.' concern over the inappropriate political 
statements in the book on Arab security.  The next concrete steps 
for the Human Security Program are regional meetings: ASEAN, Arab 
league (preceded by experts meetings), and then, but somewhat 
delayed, Africa.  Mr. Zapata also touched on the effect of UN reform 
on human security. 
 
¶6.  Comment.  The Social and Human Sciences Sector is appearing to 
be responsive to U.S. concerns-it recognizes the validity of U.S. 
concerns about "Migration without Borders" and has deleted that 
phrase from their website; and it has downplayed use of "Right to 
the City," although the phrase is still being used, particularly in 
connection with the World Urban Forum.  However, the mind set behind 
these terms is still of course worrisome, and each discussion 
reveals new expressions of it (such as the information about 
training to use "the rights based approach."  We will continue to 
oppose particular initiatives that are based on this rights based 
approach (but given the Mission's limited resources it is difficult 
to keep up with all of them). But this has to be addressed 
systemically, in particular by opposing efforts by the Secretariat 
to promote or create these rights by new normative instruments or by 
expanding existing ones. We can only hope that the present review of 
natural and social science programs at UNESCO will redirect these 
programs in a more positive direction. 
 
¶7.  Comment continued.  Since we cannot find a mention of the need 
to take a rights-based approach in the summit outcome document, we 
are curious on what basis the United Nations System Staff College in 
Geneva is conducting this training and if they are doing the same 
thing in other UN organizations. One bright note, UNESCO's appraisal 
of the cultural diversity convention's failure to address social 
cohesion may also provide a good opportunity to point out one of the 
convention's most serious flaws. 
OLIVER