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DE RUEHGV #0543/01 1811602
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R 301602Z JUN 09
FM USMISSION GENEVA
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RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 0034
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0433
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5859
RUEHPG/AMEMBASSY PRAGUE 0775
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 6879
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 2836
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 3678
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 2004

UNCLAS GENEVA 000543 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR IO/T, IO/EDA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON UNCTAD
SUBJECT: UNCTAD Communication Strategy-Mission assists 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: In order to help the UN Conference on Trade and 
Development (UNCTAD) elaborate its first ever communications 
strategy, on June 16, the Mission hosted a meeting between delegates 
from 11 key missions, including regional coordinators, and UNCTAD 
staff.  After hearing a presentation on UNCTAD's draft communication 
strategy and website plans, delegates completed a survey on their 
website usage and provided feedback to the UNCTAD Communications 
Director.     Based on that feedback UNCTAD will revise its 
communications strategy to make meeting delegates needs its top 
communications priority.  The luncheon was followed-up with a visit 
by the US mission public affairs counselor to UNCTAD, at which 
UNCTAD's lack of budget and staff to work on communications, and the 
need to educate staff and management on communications venues was 
highlighted. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. Mission officer invited the United Nations Conference on Trade 
and Development (UNCTAD) Secretariat, and delegates who serve as 
UNCTAD regional coordinators, to a working luncheon at the Mission 
on Tuesday, June 16, 2009.  Recognizing that its website is used 
differently by different users, UNCTAD has attempted to identify 
different groups of users and how to best address their needs. 
 
Website use by delegates 
------------------------ 
¶3. The regional coordinators indicated that mainly they use the 
website for the calendar and background papers, and that an updated 
calendar program and a bigger electronic archive of past resolutions 
and papers would be useful.   The coordinators confirmed that higher 
levels of government usually do not visit the website, as UNCTAD is 
usually not at the top of their priority list, but rather that the 
website should cater more towards mid-level government officials, 
experts and  academics, particularly in developing nations where 
many users lack access to high speed internet.  Delegates suggested 
policy makers in home countries and Geneva would also be interested 
in knowing travel by UNCTAD staff so that Geneva delegates could 
facilitate introductions to relevant offices and would know in 
advance about UNCTAD travel to their countries. 
 
Website Design 
-------------- 
¶4. Most delegates found the website layout unsatisfactory.  A 
Mission officer presented the World Bank's website as a good example 
UNCTAD could try to emulate, pointing out the utility of country and 
regional profiles linked to a world map.  The UNCTAD search engine, 
a recognized weak spot, was also an issue for many countries, who 
wanted to see links to relevant pages outside of UNCTAD.  Delegates 
recommended that the website more thoroughly reflect the three 
pillars of UNCTAD's work program, and particularly asked for more 
information about technical assistance projects in each country. 
 
¶5. Delegates requested UNCTAD provide training on its programs to 
new delegates and the public and NGOs who would like to learn more 
about UNCTAD.  One coordinator suggested a training session, similar 
to the one held by the WTO during "Geneva Week," as a model. 
 
¶6. Several new applications for the website were suggested to 
supplement the current materials.  Delegates favored establishment 
of a delegate portal on the UNCTAD website.  Podcasts and webcasts 
were also suggested by UNCTAD, but delegates said they would not 
have enough time to watch and listen to them. 
 
¶7. The officials from the UNCTAD secretariat were very happy to have 
the input from everyone who attended, and planned to include their 
feedback in the design of the website as they continued to update 
it. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶8. The UNCTAD website (www.unctad.org) fails to live up to its 
potential in its current state, and is lacking in utility for most 
of its users, especially the delegates.  The Accra Accord, UNCTAD's 
governing mandate, calls for development of a communications 
strategy and implementation of an updated publications policy in 
paragraphs 186-188, but UNCTAD has no funding earmarked for 
communications in the budget, and an extremely broad and 
unprioritized mandate.  UNCTAD's director of communications and two 
staff are acutely aware of the challenges and lack of resources, so 
particularly appreciated hearing delegates needs so the 
communications office can better prioritize its work within very 
limited resources.  UNCTAD'S first priority should be to redesign 
the website to be more useful to the delegates, reflecting the 
suggestions given during the working lunch, and then to hold similar 
focus groups with other targeted users, like academics or the media. 
End Comment. 
 
FOLLOW UP 
-------- 
¶9. The US Mission Public Affairs Counselor to UNCTAD met with UNCTAD 
staff on June 24 to discuss the creation of a communications 
strategy.  During this meeting, UNCTAD made apparent the lack of 
resources and staff UNCTAD has to create and execute a 
communications strategy. 
 
¶10. COMMENT: UNCTAD staff showed a great interest in improving 
communications, and candidly admitted that they were lacking in that 
department.  Although the United States generally pushes for UNCTAD 
to be more frugal in its spending, it is essential that UNCTAD stay 
in contact with the populations the organization is trying to serve. 
Public Affairs Counselor met with UNCTAD's new Deputy Secretary 
General Draganov (Bulgaria)and emphasized the importance of an 
effective and funded communications strategy to the organization's 
ability to make an impact. END COMMENT 
 
STORELLA