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

261639Z Jun 06

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 004407 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SCUL CU CH UNESCO
SUBJECT:  EXECUTIVE BOARD EARLY PREVIEW 
 
 
¶1.  Summary:  Executive Board Secretary Parsuramen met with 
Ambassador Oliver to review preparations for the 175th Executive 
Board.  Deadline for new agenda items for the 175th Executive Board 
is 22 July.  End summary. 
 
¶2.   Ambassador Oliver met on Thursday, 22 June, with the Secretary 
of the Executive Board of UNESCO, Mr. Armoogum Parsuramen.  Three 
issues stood out for our possible action in advance of the 175th 
Session of the UNESCO Executive Board this fall. 
 
a) Discussion on the Cuban Literacy initiative (septel). 
 
b) In an effort to hear directly from the field, instead of through 
Secretariat staffers, Ambassador Oliver would appreciate 
 
SIPDIS 
Washington's comments and advice on our proposing a "Directors Day" 
giving an opportunity for a number of UNESCO field office directors 
to personally brief the Executive Board on their activities during 
the year, either focusing on Education issues, Water-related issues, 
or potentially linked with the Thematic debate. (see below). 
 
c) For the moment, no speakers have been selected for the Thematic 
Debate during the Executive Board.  The topic is "UNESCO as a 
Specialized Agency of the Reforming UN System: Challenges, Roles and 
Functions at Global, Regional and Country Levels."  If Washington 
has any suggestions or recommendations regarding speakers for a 
three person panel (debate format) that could participate, Mr. 
Parsuramen would be grateful to have a wider selection before making 
any choices with the Chairman of the Executive Board, who will be in 
Paris next week. 
 
¶3.  On other matters, Mr. Parsuramen said that, clearly, the C/4 and 
C/5 discussions will be at the heart of the fall Executive Board's 
work, beginning to set the stage for the next UNESCO General 
Conference in 2007. 
 
¶4.  Regarding the Medium-Term Strategy proposals, the main 
recommendations coming from the regional consultations with each 
geographic group's national commissions will be arriving in Paris 
shortly, along with comments from various consultations by the 
Secretariat, the President of the General Conference, and 
 
SIPDIS 
discussions with Ambassadors, all to be reviewed, filtered, and 
coalesced into a 10-15 page preliminary document which will be 
presented at the next Executive Board.  The document will then be 
reworked and polished for formal presentation to the 176th Executive 
Board in Spring 2007, and ultimately readied for discussion, debate 
and decision at the 34th General Conference in fall 2007.   The 
other major work in progress, the major review by the Science 
Committee will have its major lines communicated orally at the next 
Executive Board. 
 
¶5.  Other issues that will be at the forefront during the fall 
Executive Board will, of course, be the reform of the Education 
Sector, guided by ADG, Peter Smith.  The opening of new UNESCO 
centers in Libya (water) and Venezuela (education), though the 
Ambassador told Parsuramen that it is important that the need for 
these centers be fully documented before any serious discussion can 
be had.  Another issue that will surely be raised either formally or 
informally will be the need to tighten internal procedures regarding 
the increasingly out of control system of awarding UNESCO prizes. 
 
¶6.  Another issue where both Ambassador Oliver and Mr. Parsuramen 
were in agreement was the need to find standardized language for 
Executive Board resolutions.  The Ambassador said that using 
standardized language, negotiated and clearly understood by 
interested parties, will lessen many of the problems faced in 
previous Boards. 
 
¶7.  In the same vein, the Ambassador suggested that, as far as 
possible, any need for changes in language be negotiated informally 
between the concerned parties before documents are published and 
distributed by the Secretariat.  She noted that once documents have 
been publicly disseminated, the context of the negotiation changes, 
often raising discussions to a different and more difficult level 
before solutions are found. 
 
¶8.  Parsuramen also agreed with the Ambassador that there are costs 
and benefits in the negotiating process for drafts and resolutions, 
where the line between editorial changes and substantive changes are 
often extremely fine.  Ambassador Oliver suggested that, as far as 
possible, the rule should be to leave the language as is, unless 
there is a serious problem. 
 
¶9.  Parsuramen went down a long list of issues that will likely be 
on the agenda.  They included:  Displaced WWII Cultural Objects, the 
Cuban feasibility study on the effectiveness of literacy teaching 
methods, a report from Brazil on the African Intellectual Diaspora, 
a review of the three organs, updates regarding the Brasilia office, 
CR Committee issues, fixing a date for the General Conference, 
Extrabudgetary matters, Headquarters committee, staffing issues, NGO 
candidatures, cooperation with African organizations, the thematic 
debate, UN reform, reflection on the future of UNESCO, Items for the 
next Executive Board, etc. 
 
¶10.  Finally, the Ambassador mentioned that India might raise an 
issue regarding Executive Board procedures, with the UK and German 
delegations' musical chairs in mind.  She said that currently there 
is a "feeling of unease" regarding the situation.  The fact that 
rules are not being followed in spirit raises legitimate questions 
about what it means to be a member of UNESCO, and could lead the 
organization down a slippery slope. 
 
¶11.  Parsuramen agreed, saying that he is concerned about the 
precedent it sets, and indicated that he and UNESCO's legal section 
are actively researching the question.  He noted that in New York, 
while there are delegations that are represented by non-nationals of 
that country, it would, in his view, be problematic if an Ambassador 
speaks on behalf of another country. 
Oliver