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R 291456Z OCT 09
FM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS FR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
RUCNSCO/UNESCO COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS FR 001454 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR IO UNESCO 
 
E.O. 12598: N/A 
TAGS: SCUL PREL UNESCO AJ AM IS JO KWBG
SUBJECT:  UNESCO'S 35TH GENERAL CONFERENCE:  CULTURE COMMISSION 
 
¶1.  The 35th session of UNESCO's General Conference was held in 
Paris October 5-23.  This is the first in a series of messages which 
will report on the deliberations of the seven General Conference 
Commissions. 
 
¶2. Summary.  The Culture Commission of UNESCO's 35th General 
Conference met October 15-19 and considered 15 proposed draft 
amendments to the 2010-2011 Budget as well as a number of more 
substantive items.  Key resolutions included one on "safeguarding 
and preserving cultural heritage in countries in conflict, 
particularly in occupied territories," a second dealing with 
attempts to negotiate a Declaration of Principles on WWII Cultural 
articles, and a third on the Protection of Indigenous languages. 
The Jerusalem and the Occupied territories resolution was settled 
with minimal debate as the result of off-line Israeli-Jordanian 
discussions.  End Summary. 
 
BUDGET RESOLUTIONS MIRROR US POSITIONS EXCEPT ON AZERBAIJAN 
 
¶3.  The Culture Commission supported U.S. positions on the proposed 
amendments to the 2010-11 strategic program and budget in all but 
one instance.  The sole exception came when Azerbaijan was 
successful in including wording calling for the "implementation of 
necessary measures to safeguard and preserve cultural heritage in 
countries in conflict, particularly in occupied territories."  The 
Azeri delegation had originally proposed to insert this language 
into Main Line of Action 1 of the draft program, which concerns the 
1972 World Heritage Convention.  Enough delegations, including the 
United States, objected to the placement of the language there that 
it was deflected into Main Line of Action 3, which relates to the 
protection of cultural objects in time of conflict and the fight 
against their illicit traffic.  The US acquiesced to the Main Line 
of Action 3 alternative, because it narrows the scope of the 
original proposal and because there was insufficient support to 
block the proposal entirely.  Comment:  Adoption of the Azeri 
resolution not only opens the door for Azerbaijan to raise 
complaints about the treatment of cultural property in 
Nagorno-Karabakh , but also may give an opening to other countries 
to ask UNESCO to weigh in on their disputes.  End Comment. 
 
WWII CULTURAL OBJECTS 
 
¶4.  The U.S. delegation was actively involved in informal 
negotiations on the margins of the Culture Commission's meetings 
with a view to developing a consensus resolution concerning the 
"Draft Declaration of Principles Relating to Cultural Objects 
Displaced in Connection with the Second World War."  The U.S. sought 
a formulation that would definitively end UNESCO's consideration of 
this matter, since three intergovernmental meetings had failed to 
find a formulation for the Declaration acceptable to all Member 
States. 
 
¶5.  During Culture Commission sessions, Russia took the lead and 
penned a draft resolution on the topic that, with modifications, 
allowed China, Greece, Japan, India and other key players to join 
consensus.  The final wording takes note of the draft declaration 
produced during the intergovernmental process, refers to "all 
possible paths to find consensus" being exhausted, and invites 
Member States to "pursue opportunities to utilize the work completed 
thus far, as appropriate."  While this language is less final that 
the United States would have liked, USDEL was gratified that the 
subject has not been placed on the agenda of any future Executive 
Board or General Conference sessions. 
 
JERUSALEM AND THE OCCUPIED ARAB TERRITORIES 
 
¶6.  The Jerusalem and the Occupied Arab Territories resolutions 
caused much less difficulty than in recent sessions of the General 
Conference, Executive Board and the World Heritage Committee. 
Israel and Jordan worked behind the scenes with the Secretariat of 
the Culture Sector to produce a draft resolution on Jerusalem and 
the Implementation of the Action Plan for the safeguarding of the 
cultural heritage of the Old City of Jerusalem.  The United States 
was not involved in the negotiations. As a result of the off-line 
negotiations, debate on this matter took a mere fifteen minutes. 
Both resolutions were adopted by consensus, with neither Israel nor 
Jordan making interventions.  The items also were referred to the 
Executive Board meeting in spring 2010 and the General Conference's 
next session in 2011. 
 
PROTECTION OF INDIGENOUS AND ENDANGERED LANGUAGES 
 
¶7.  The U.S. delegation sought to end permanently UNESCO's drawn-out 
consideration of a "preliminary study on the technical and legal 
aspects of a possible international standard-setting instrument for 
the protection of indigenous and endangered languages."  The study 
had been considered at several Executive Board meetings and had been 
recommended by the 34th General Conference, but had never been 
completed because its sponsors, notably Venezuela, had not provided 
the promised extra-budgetary funding for an experts meeting to 
evaluate the proposal.  The United States had hoped that in light of 
 
PARIS 00001454  002 OF 002 
 
 
the apparent lack of interest in funding the study, it would be 
possible to end discussion of the topic.  Despite U.S. interventions 
on this point and support from like-minded delegations, Venezuela, 
joined by Cuba, Guatemala and Bolivia, convinced the Commission that 
the necessary funds would be forthcoming.  These delegations thus 
succeeded in having the item put on the agenda of the 36th General 
Conference. 
 
ELEVEN CATEGORY II CENTERS CREATED 
 
¶8.  The Commission also approved the creation of 11 new Category II 
centers, with particular attention being paid to the establishment 
in South Africa of a new African World Heritage Fund and in 
Zacatecas, Mexico of a regional World Heritage institute. 
KILLION