USUNESCO: UNESCO ADOPTS PROGRAM AND BUDGET

UNCLAS PARIS 007234

SIPDIS

FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS
FOR IO/T, IO/S, L/UNA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ABUD FR UNESCO
SUBJECT: USUNESCO: UNESCO ADOPTS PROGRAM AND BUDGET
FOR 2006-07. US VOTES NO.



1. Summary: The United States voted against adoption
of the 2006-07 Program and Budget for the UN
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO). The budget was adopted by vote, 126 in
favor, 1 against (US),with no abstentions. In
explaining the U.S. vote, Ambassador Oliver, U.S.
Permanent Representative to UNESCO, said that this
budget does not sufficiently move funds away from
ineffective activities toward effective program and
activities. Furthermore, this budget includes funding
for the promotion and implementation of the Convention
on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of
Cultural Expressions. End Summary.


2. On October 21, the Plenary of the UNESCO General
Conference convened in order to adopt the draft Program
and Budget for 2006-07. The Vice Chair (Japan) of the
Administrative Commission provided an oral report of
the meeting of the Commission in which the Commission
recommended that the Plenary adopt the draft Program
and Budget. In his report, the Vice Chair noted that
one delegation had referenced a previous objection to
the budget as adopted by Commission IV (Culture). The
Vice Chair, who had previously appealed to the U.S. to
avoid a vote on the budget, stressed in his oral report
the importance of adopting the budget by consensus.
Before the vote, the Ambassador of Japan noted that the
vote should not be seen as a precedent for future
Conferences.


3. The program and budget was then adopted by the
Conference by vote, 126 in favor, 1 against (US),with
no abstentions. The United States took the floor to
explain that the U.S. vote against the budget was the
result of the failure of this budget, despite months of
effort, to adequately move funds aware from ineffective
activities. Moreover, this budget includes funding for
the implementation of the Convention on the Protection
and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
The solemn mood of the meeting was then broken by an
intervention from Cuba, which stated that the UNESCO
had done well during the time that the United States
was not a member. Now that the United States has
returned to UNESCO, the Cuban delegation continued, it
should be more prepared to join other delegations in
their work at UNESCO and to change its conduct. He
further claimed (inaccurately) that the United States
is $75.2 million in arrears. This intervention was
followed by loud applause from the room. Notably,
Canada, Russia, the EU states, and Australia, plus a
few others, did not join the applause. The Secretary
of the General Conference, several EU countries and
Caribbean states came up to the U.S. delegation
afterwards to apologize for the Cuban intervention.

OLIVER