VZCZCXYZ0030
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHFR #1177 1751404
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231404Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3515
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0737
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 0333

UNCLAS PARIS 001177 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: UNESCO SCUL
SUBJECT: UNESCO - UPDATE ON HOLOCAUST RESOLUTION NEXT STEPS 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY:  Warning that Washington's end of fiscal year budget 
priorities will be finalized soon, the US again asked UNESCO's 
education sector for details on the recommendations it will present 
to the upcoming Executive Board on Holocaust education.  ADG 
Education Burnett promised to deliver details next week.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) Charge d'affaires Engelken and Mission political specialist 
Ostroff met with ADG Education, Nick Burnett and Chief of Section 
for the Promotion of Right and Values in Education Linda King on 20 
June to review progress on the recommendations being prepared for 
the 180th Executive Board regarding the Holocaust Education 
resolution passed by the 34th General Conference in fall of 2007. 
 
¶3. (U) (Background: Today's meeting was the result of a misfire by 
the Education Sector's extra budgetary fundraiser, Svein Ostveitt, 
who called the Mission last week wanting to discuss funding for 
Holocaust Education.  He was told that we had had no contact with 
the Education sector on progress since February 28, and that any 
talk of funding was premature before we had more information on the 
recommendations that would be proposed to the Executive Board.) 
 
¶4. (U) Burnett started the meeting by complaining about a lack of 
resources, noting that his budget of $33 million per biennium is 
insufficient to accomplish the demands made on his sector.  He said 
that he hoped that his meeting in Washington last week with DAS 
Gerry Anderson would resolve the problem, at least in connection 
with the Holocaust Education initiatives.  Charge Engelken quickly 
disabused Burnett of the idea that funding would be available if 
Washington didn't have an opportunity to see and comment on the 
recommendations before they moved forward to the Executive Board. 
 
¶5. (U) Burnett noted that he had met with Israeli Ambassador 
Kornbluth yesterday, and had discussed possible financing of an 
associate expert position dedicated to the Holocaust Education. 
(Note:  Israel, like the US, does not yet have a memorandum of 
understanding with UNESCO to create associate expert positions. 
Also, as of one day before the hurriedly arranged meeting with 
Kornbluth, the Israelis had expressed their displeasure with 
progress made by the Education sector.) 
 
¶6. (U) Burnett pompously mentioned that he is personally heading a 
working group, "to signal the importance of the subject", which met 
for the second time on June 19.  Linda King said that all of 
UNESCO's sectors are represented, except Science.  King explained 
that they are working on developing ideas that can be worked into a 
funding proposal.  She added that they are trying to refine the 
ideas into something that will produce practical and tangible 
results. (Note:  Burnett mentioned that they had received the list 
of experts, US and others, that had been supplied by the Holocaust 
Museum experts in Washington through the Mission, but as far as the 
Mission knows, UNESCO has not been in touch with anyone we suggested 
they contact.) 
 
¶7. (U) For the moment, King said that they have three main 
"clusters" in mind:  The first is working with the Associated 
Schools program, UNESCO university chairs, and existing teacher 
training programs.  The second cluster of ideas is built around the 
idea of bringing together a group of experts to look at existing 
learning materials and to identify "good practices" on holocaust 
education that might be consolidated into a teacher's handbook. 
Finally, the third element is to work with the UN Outreach program 
by creating a link on the Education Sector's webpage to open an 
internet portal via UNESCO. 
 
¶8. (U) King also said that they are discussing the possibility of 
organizing a lunch-time seminar during the upcoming Executive Board 
on "good practices" spotlighting the UN Outreach program. 
 
¶9. (U) Charge Engelken told Burnett that Washington would be 
interested in getting some more detailed information about the 
recommendations Burnett will send to the Executive Board before we 
can seriously look at possible budget assistance. We do not want to 
read about UNESCO's plans for the first time when we see the 
Executive Board documents in September. Burnett again promised to 
deliver a more information next week. 
 
¶10. (U) Comment:  ADG Burnett's attitude during the meeting made it 
clear that he was grudgingly granting us an audience only due to our 
complaints about a lack of consultation on this since February 2008. 
 He appeared annoyed throughout our discussion that the meeting had 
been necessary.  Most disturbing, however, was the Burnett's 
apparent position that UNESCO can do little or nothing without 
extra-budgetary contributions.  End comment. 
 
OLIVER