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R 171358Z FEB 10
FM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS FR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
RUCNSCO/UNESCO COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS PARIS FR 000184 
 
State for IO 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12598: N/A 
TAGS: EAID KPAO UNESCO SCUL
SUBJECT: U.S. ATTENDS FIRST COUNCIL MEEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL 
BUREAU OF EDUCATION 
 
¶1. (SBU) The U.S., represented by PAO and Dr. Larry Wexler, Director 
in the Department of Education's Special Education Programs, 
attended its first International Bureau of Education (IBE) council 
meeting in Geneva January 27-29. (The IBE is a UNESCO Category I 
institute specialized in providing expertise on curriculum reform 
and development.) The U.S. was elected to the 28-member council at 
the October 2009 UNESCO General Conference. This year's council 
meeting featured a forum on "Inclusive Education," as well a report 
on IBE's 2009 activities and the establishment of a strategic 
working group which will advise on transforming IBE into a UNESCO 
Center of Excellence. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The council also elected Norway's Ole Briseid as president, 
with the following regional group vice-presidents: Georgia, 
Dominican Republic, Pakistan, Tanzania and Oman. Group 1, comprised 
of Western Europe and North America, appointed Israel, also a new 
member, as its representative on the administrative committee. After 
some negotiation, Switzerland and the U.S. agreed to serve as Group 
1 representatives on the strategic working group, which will meet up 
to four times in 2010 as it maps out a plan of action to be approved 
at the January 2011 council meeting; the U.S. Department of 
Education has agreed to support Dr. Wexler as its designated expert. 
Switzerland, in its capacity as host country, has authorized the 
funding of an external consultant to facilitate the group's work. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Reporting on its plan of action for 2010, IBE reported that 
it will continue to give special attention to UNESCO priorities in 
gender and Africa, as well as possibly expand its work in 
post-conflict situations. (Note: During IBE's report on its 2009 
activities, several African delegates expressed concern that IBE was 
not active enough in Africa, which is a commonly heard refrain at 
UNESCO. End note.) While the catastrophic state of Haiti's education 
infrastructure was noted, council members agreed that the country's 
most urgent need was teacher training and counseling and school 
reconstruction; IBE's expertise in curriculum development would be 
best tapped once the situation stabilized. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The council also approved the continuation of eight 
specific programs for 2010: communities of practice in curriculum 
development; technical assistance in Angola, Sudan and Vietnam; 
capacity-building in HIV and AIDS education; integration of ICTs 
such as Carnegie Mellon's GigaPan module in country curricula; 
"Learning for Life and Work" in sub-Saharan Africa; expanded access 
to EFA resources; promotion of dialogue on inclusive education; and, 
strengthening of the IBE council itself. 
 
KILLION