Cablegate: Ivlp Alumni Breakfast Discusses Diversity in France

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Lucia A Keegan 12/01/2006 05:52:49 PM From DB/Inbox: Lucia A Keegan

Cable
Text:

UNCLAS PARIS 07623

SIPDIS
cxparis:
ACTION: PAO
INFO: CONS AMB ARS DCM POL

DISSEMINATION: PAOX
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: PA:BULLOCK
DRAFTED: PA:RPECCOUD
CLEARED: PA:CBARROSSE; PA:HMARGIOU

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RR RUEHC RUEHMRE RUEHSR
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FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
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INFO RUEHMRE/AMCONSUL MARSEILLE 1455
RUEHSR/AMCONSUL STRASBOURG 0257

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 007623

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/PPD, EUR/WEA, ECA, and ECA/P

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OEXC PGOV KPAO FR

SUBJECT: IVLP ALUMNI BREAKFAST DISCUSSES DIVERSITY IN FRANCE

REF: NONE

1. SUMMARY: The Ambassador recently hosted a breakfast discussion
for IVLP returnees, the eighth in a series that has now become an
established routine here. This latest event brought together eight
recent IVLP and VolVis alumni - including government officials,
researchers, entrepreneurs, and NGO representatives - for a
discussion of "Diversity and Pluralism in the U.S." and how it
compares to the integration experience in France. END SUMMARY.

2. On October 31, Ambassador Stapleton hosted the seventh in a
series of alumni breakfast discussions that have now become routine
at this post. This breakfast brought together eight IVLP/VolVis
alumni, who are government officials, researchers, entrepreneurs,
and NGO representatives in France, to discuss their exchange
experiences, in general, and to compare, more specifically, U.S. and
French perspectives on diversity and tolerance as they relate to
their particular fields. A major theme of the discussion was the
difficulty that even well educated French minorities have in access
to employment and political power as well as the challenges first
and second generation immigrant youth face in their integration into
mainstream society.

3. The participants were:

- Christophe (Adji) AHOUDIAN, Ali BAKRI and Sidibe BALLA, members of
a youth association, VolVis 2006

- Carole DA SILVA, director of an NGO to assist youth for jobs, IVLP
2006

- Manuel MARTINEZ, local elected official and HR director, IVLP
2006

- Sophie NERBONNE, from CNIL (French Data Protection Authority),
IVLP 2003

- Aziz SENNI, entrepreneur and author, IVLP 2006

- Mouna VIPREY, researcher, author, IVLP 2004

4. Welcoming the guests along with the Ambassador and participating
in the discussion were the DCM, POL Min-Counselor, ECON
Min-Counselor, PA Min-Counselor and ACAO Exchanges Officer.

5. All of the guests had an opportunity to speak, and each
explained how important his or her trip to the U.S. was for
understanding how Americans address the issues of diversity and
integration. This led to a discussion of the continuing debates in
France over who is a minority; how/whether they should be
identified; and whether affirmative action is an appropriate remedy
to address problems of discrimination.

6. With French presidential elections only months away, the
suburban riots of 2005 still a recent memory, and the underlying
causes of those riots still present, integration remains a
controversial topic in France. The breakfast discussion became
somewhat heated when the issue of monitoring the success (or lack
thereof) of minorities within French corporations was raised. Some
stressed privacy issues, concerned that any identification of
minority status could be used for discriminatory purposes and/or
place too heavy a burden on businesses. Others expressed concern
that "privacy protection" might be used to avoid addressing racial
problems. The latter cited the so-called "French model of
integration" as only serving to preserve the (unequal) status quo.

7. The representative of the French Data Protection Authority
(CNIL), an independent institution that makes recommendations to the
French government on these issues, asked the other IVLP alums
present to participate in a series of hearings CNIL will soon hold
on diversity and integration. She expressed hope that they would be
able to make useful suggestions and recommendations based on the new
perspectives gained from their IVLP experiences in the U.S.

8. The breakfast concluded with a lively exchange of business cards
and contact information. One attendee, just back from her IVLP
trip, said the visit was energizing: "far from calming me down, it
gave me even more energy and reasons to fight for diversity and
integration in France, reaffirming my conviction that there are
models that can work for us in France."

9. Lessons learned: The experience of these breakfast encounters
reaffirms for us the continuing relevance of the IVLP and VolVis
exchange programs to Mission efforts to influence public debate in
France. On the subject of diversity, the exchange experience in the
U.S. gave these individuals new tools with which to participate in
and advance the democratic process here. Post will continue follow
up with these USG exchange alumni and continue to involve them in
our public diplomacy program activities.

STAPLETON

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