UNESCO: EXECUTIVE BOARD DECISION ON EFA

UNCLAS PARIS 002791

SIPDIS

FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO EAID UNESCO
SUBJECT: UNESCO: EXECUTIVE BOARD DECISION ON EFA



1. (SBU) SUMMARY: UNESCO adopted a decision on a Report by the
Director-General on the Global Action Plan to achieve the Education
For All (EFA) Goals at the 174th Executive Board. In late March,
the U.K. together with Program and External Relations Commission
chair Norway convened a working group to redraft the Secretariat
draft decision in advance of the board meeting. Participants were
Brazil (representing GRULAC) India (representing the g-77) and
France and the U.S. as Group I members. Negotiations were primarily
driven by a strong desire among member states to maintain EFA
momentum and to add myriad laundry lists of priorities to the plan,
including pressure on the G-8 for funds. Strong advance efforts in
the working group avoided a potentially brutal and contentious
debate during the Executive Board. END SUMMARY.

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WORKING GROUP PROPOSALS:
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2. (SBU) The UK and Norway told participants that they had convened
the working group, which met periodically from March 30 to April 6,
out of dissatisfaction with the draft Global Action Plan report in
and of itself and the vague text of its accompanying draft decision.
All working group members expressed frustration that the plan was
incomplete, and Ambassador Oliver steered discussion toward the
importance of getting the 5 convening EFA agencies to agree on their
appropriate roles rather than moving forward with a detailed plan
that might set unrealistic goals in haste. ADG Peter Smith, she
noted, has been told by previous Executive Boards that the plan
should be conceptual and concise. (COMMENT: This helped to deflect
most attempts at departing long laundry lists of initiatives and
goals that member states wanted to add to the decision. END
COMMENT.) The UK wanted clearer language about the plan being
endorsed by the Executive Board in October and then by the heads of
5 convening agencies, but Mission maintained the argument that we
would not want to pressure the next Executive Board to endorse a
plan that might not be ready.


3. (SBU) Brazil, speaking on behalf of GRULAC member states and
supported by India, still wanted more references to South-South and
other triangular modes of cooperation, and to a myriad of issues
outlined at the November 2005 Beijing meeting. Speaking on behalf
of the g-77, India pushed hard for language that recognized the need
to mobilize extra funds to achieve EFA goals and called upon
potential donors to make increased commitments. Mission argued that
the plan should not be seen primarily as a fundraising vehicle.
Although sympathetic to India, the UK maintained that a deadline was
necessary to maintain momentum. After much negotiation, Mission
succeeded in moving the deadline to mid-July, noting that this would
be a deadline for review only and deleting the word "acceptance"
from the text. At the end of the working group negotiations,
France, UK, Brazil, Norway and India offered to co-sponsor the new
draft decision and lobby other member states. Mission noted that
while it would not break consensus with the working group's draft
decision, it would not be a co-sponsor.

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PX Debate:
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4. (SBU) During interventions, member states almost universally
lamented the fact that the plan was not yet ready and cited the
importance of maintaining momentum. Requests to amend the text
beyond the working group's proposed changes were few because the
working group's co-sponsors built significant support for the new
draft decision in advance. Russia expressed strong concern that a
mid-July deadline for the GAP was too late for the G-8 meetings, but
Ambassador Oliver was able to work out last minute compromise
language stating "as soon as possible, at the latest by mid-July
2006." The Ambassador from Mali requested references to "the
convening 5 agencies of Bamako and Jomtien", where EFA meetings were
previously held. Mali also inserted language calling for the
inclusion of civil society, which we supported.


5. (U) The text of the adopted draft decision can be found on the
UNESCO Website as Executive Board document 174 EX/48 parts I and II,
or on page 5 of the overall document list entitled EX Main Series,
under Executive Board documents.

Oliver