UNESCO AND RICKY MARTIN PARTNERSHIP

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 003255 SIPDIS FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO EAID UNESCO SUBJECT: UNESCO AND RICKY MARTIN PARTNERSHIP ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: The Ricky Martin Foundation (RMF),whose President, Puerto Rican singer and humanitarian Ricky Martin, was named a hero against trafficking in persons (TIP) by the U.S. Department of State in 2005 for his work to promote awareness and protect children from trafficking, has joined forces with UNESCO on a global initiative aimed at safeguarding children against exploitation and abuse. UNESCO will use its network of Associated Schools in Latin America and the Caribbean to distribute educational materials featuring Martin from the "Navega Protegido" campaign (launched by the RMF and Microsoft) in order to promote child safety online and secure children from dangers such as child pornography, sex predators and identity theft. UNESCO's Children in Need program will also develop a project for Puerto Rico, Mr.. Martin's birthplace, to help reach youth at risk through artistic education. A signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two partners, attended by the U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission to UNESCO, Andrew Koss, took place on May 5. END SUMMARY. -------------- NAVEGA PROTEGIDO: -------------- ¶2. (U) Angel Saltos, President of the RMF, (COMMENT: Saltos stated before joining the RMF, he worked as a consultant on development projects, including information and communication interconnectivity in Latin America for Compaq and other companies. END COMMENT.) stated that RMF is now "co branding" with Microsoft to make videos to create awareness on the dangers that the Internet can pose to children. The main message of the videos, Saltos stated, is that the internet is a fantastic tool, but kids have to be safe. Martin, he added, has taped several spots telling kids to be careful, not to chat with anyone they do not know. The spots are in post-production and their introduction will be timed with the beginning of the school year in Latin America. UNESCO will now join the partnership and lend its network of Associated Schools in Latin America and the Caribbean to distribute the spots. UNESCO could also potentially help shape future content and provide access its worldwide network of NATCOMs and Education Ministries. It could also provide greater distribution of other informational materials Martin has produced in the past. -------------- UNESCO's CHILDREN IN NEED PROGRAM: -------------- 
¶3. (SBU) The Ricky Martin Foundation had been in discussions with UNESCO since meeting the head specialist of its Children in Need Program, Francoise Pinzon-Gil program at a conference on trafficking in persons in Athens last January. Saltos stated that they both saw a lot of synergies between the two organizations because of UNESCO's educational network and its neutral platform in the developing world. Pinzon Gil, whose program since 1992 has been financed by the German UNESCO Special Ambassador for the Education of Children in Need, Ute-Henriette Ohoven, sought to increase the program's visibility through partnership with Martin. To finance the program, Ohoven organizes an annual gala in Dusseldorf, which attracts celebrities and raises approximately 2 million Euros per year. Pinzon Gil works with UNESCO field offices to distribute the funds in small grants to NGOs focused on children's issues. The program has had several audits and enjoys a solid reputation within UNESCO, even if nobody is sure which of UNESCO's mandate it addresses. It was housed in the education sector (and provides many grants in this realm) until a few years ago and it is now housed in the Social and Human Sciences sector. -------------- RMF's OTHER PROJECTS: -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Saltos stated that the SMF realized it alone could not protect children by fighting abuse, exploitation (child pornography on the internet) and trafficking. He stated that RMF is looking for partnerships at the governmental, institutional and corporate level and outlined several other RMF partnerships including one with the Organization on Migration (OIM) to make 2 videos on trafficking in persons for Puerto Rico. These are being customized for other countries by adding on local hotline numbers and are now being used in Columbia and Ecuador. RMF met President Bush in February and has partnered with HHS to get a trafficking information hotline number in the U.S. It plans to introduce trafficking hotlines in Central America as well. RMF is also working with the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) and filmed 3 more public service announcements on human trafficking, which are currently in post-production. These are expected to premiere in Peru this month on television stations and then will be introduced in Costa Rica. When asked about whether RMF has specific initiatives in Mexico, Saltos stated that these videos could potentially be used there with a local hotline number. Martin has also completed a 25-minute video of 4 segments (an introduction on TIP, prevention, protection and prosecution) using real stories from Argentina, Colombia and Guatemala. Potentially, all of these information tools could be distributed through UNESCO's network if the partnership takes off. ¶5. (SBU) COMMENT: Mission found the occasion of the partnership as a good opportunity to showcase U.S. and Puerto Rican philanthropy, and gained a useful readout on the RMF's progress on protecting children from the dangers of TIP and cyberspace. Martin and his interlocutors seemed genuinely concerned about making a difference on these issues and sincere in their commitment to preventing them. END COMMENT. Oliver