Cablegate: Education Reform Atmospherics and Gathering Storm Clouds At

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Lucia A Keegan 07/31/2006 10:29:53 AM From DB/Inbox: Lucia A Keegan

Cable
Text:

UNCLAS SENSITIVE PARIS 05084

SIPDIS
cxparis:
ACTION: UNESCO
INFO: POL ECON AMBU AMB AMBO DCM SCI

DISSEMINATION: UNESCOX
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: AMB:LVOLIVER
DRAFTED: POL:DOSTROFF
CLEARED: ED:SLOVEJOY

VZCZCFRI671
RR RUEHC RUEHTV RUEHCO
DE RUEHFR #5084/01 2081052
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271052Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9839
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0536
RUEHCO/AMEMBASSY COTONOU 0841

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 005084

SIPDIS

FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS

SENSITIVE

STATE PASS TO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOR ROBIN GILCHRIST AND
STEPHANIE WHELPLEY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: UNESCO SCUL
SUBJECT: EDUCATION REFORM ATMOSPHERICS AND GATHERING STORM CLOUDS AT
UNESCO

REFTEL: PARIS 04674

1. (SBU) Summary: UNESCO's ADG for Education Peter Smith's
information briefing on reform in the Education Sector provided an
insight into the first signs of a deteriorating climate of consensus
and goodwill at UNESCO. The repercussions of the current political
situation in the Middle East are starting to be felt here, and may
open some rifts prior to September's Executive Board meeting. End
summary.

2. (U) Attempting to make up for missteps in process, Peter Smith,
UNESCO's Assistant Director General for Education, held a general
information meeting on his plans for reform of UNESCO's Education
Sector yesterday, 25 July, at UNESCO headquarters, attended by
Ambassador Oliver.

3. (SBU) Smith began the meeting by requesting delegates to stand
and observe a minute of silence for all those suffering in the
"stress and violence" of the Lebanese-Israeli crisis, adding a
slight political edge to the gathering. The Israeli delegate,
sitting very much by himself throughout the meeting, later said that
things are getting "uncomfortably hot" at UNESCO in terms of his
contacts at the international organization since the start of the
conflict.

4. (U) Later in the meeting, the Lebanese delegate used the
opportunity to talk about the current crisis in his country, saying
the "doors of hell have opened", and asked Smith what specific
relief plans UNESCO had prepared for Lebanon. Smith replied that
UNICEF and other United Nations organizations were principally
responsible for relief efforts in such situations. However, he said
that as far as UNESCO's Education sector is concerned, plans would
be readied to help assist in getting the education system up and
running as soon as a secure environment was restored to the country.
Smith invited the Lebanese delegate to meet with him privately to
discuss further his concerns after the meeting.

5. (U) Smith spent several minutes explaining the lack of French
documentation, complaining that he had been forced to hire outside
contractors to translate documents due to a shortage of translation
personnel, and that the French versions would be coming soon. While
not on its face an important problem, there are several Francophone
delegations that find the American-accented voice of the Education
sector to be an irritant.

6. (U) Smith spoke to a full room, despite the late hour, with over
a dozen ambassadors present, including India, Japan, the
Netherlands, Benin, Niger and the Congo. Smith had previously held
an information meeting for representatives from the UNESCO Executive
Board Group I membership on July 6th(see reftel). Smith had planned
to hold similar meetings for delegates from the other electoral
groups earlier in the month, but said that he was unable to organize
meetings due to various scheduling conflicts. He said he has
regional group consultations planned for September.

7. (U) What is increasingly clear is that this lack of prior
consultation on Smith's part, has given several member states, in
particular the African member states, what they see as a legitimate
complaint about Smith's handling of the reform process.

8. (U) The Ambassador from Benin, Olabiyi Babalola Joseph YAI, who
is Chairman of the Financial and Administrative Commission of the
Executive Board and President of the Circle of Permanent Delegates,
promised Smith that several issues would be raised before the F&A
Commission this fall during the 175th Executive Board.

9. (U) In particular, Ambassador Yai focused on Smith's lack of
consultations with the African Group, suggesting that "informing"
them through this information meeting, after decisions were taken
and the Director General had already given Smith the green light to
implement his program of reforms, was insufficient.

10. (SBU) Algeria also questioned the lack of consultations. Smith,
attempted to reply by talking about his extensive consultations with
Education Sector personnel, at headquarters and in the field
offices. He also said that for reasons of confidentiality, he had
kept his internal consultations on close-hold with the Director
General and, at one point responded by saying, at UNESCO, we often
"talk things to death."

11. (SBU) Yai also questioned Smith about the choice of the
consulting firm, Navigant, asking what expertise they, a
Chicago-based consulting firm, could have regarding the problems of
education in Africa. Smith replied that the choice of Navigant,
centered on its experience in management consulting, and that the
international education experts are UNESCO's staff. Yai, seemingly
unconvinced, also said that he would question Smith about the costs
involved in the reform process, including the contract with
Navigant. Smith replied saying that costs were "neutral", but Yai
made it clear that the subject was far from closed.

12. (SBU) Yai's intervention was not unexpected, as we had
previously reported (see reftel), that the Benin Ambassador had
questioned whether Smith had received the necessary mandate from the
Executive Board before launching into this reform program.
13. (SBU) India's Ambassador Mukherjee then asked Peter what he
meant by "unitary budgeting" in terms of extra budgetary and core
education sector funding. He said that he will continue to keep the
two separate, but will try to anticipate future extra budgetary
support on the basis of past extra budgetary support so that he can
factor in those funds when preparing budgets for the sector. On the
subject of South/South coordination, we also heard from the Indian
DCM that India will insist that Smith agree to have a point person
at headquarters dedicated to this issue, or they will raise it
before the Executive Board.

14. (U) Finland's Representative, who announced herself as speaking
for the EU, stated that the EU was supportive of the reform process.
However, she asked whether the overall process could be more
transparent, and wondered if member states could be briefed from the
perspective of the individuals who may be affected by the reform.
Smith said that all reorganizations are painful processes, and that
he is attempting to make the reform as humane as possible.

15. (U) While Smith may be telling the truth from his perspective,
UNESCO's staff unions have recently called on the Director General
to freeze implementation of the reforms until the cases of several
employees are reviewed and resolved to their satisfaction.

16. (SBU) In another meeting yesterday, but on the same subject,
Georges Haddad, one of Smith's key directors, complained that the
restructuring of the Education Sector has obliged him to take on
several employees that he has no place for in his section.

17. (SBU) Following the meeting, the Ambassador of the Netherlands
told Ambassador Oliver that the Ambassador from India complained
that Smith did not give an adequate response to her question about
South/South cooperation. She also commented on the fact that Smith
was alone on the stage and seemed to have only the support of the DG
in pursuing his reform.
OLIVER

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