(U) UNESCO PRIZES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 004296 SIPDIS FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CU VE UNESCO SUBJECT: (U) UNESCO PRIZES REF: A) Paris 2786, b) Paris 2138 Classified by Ambassador Louise Oliver, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is a guidance request, see para. 11. ¶2. (C) Summary. The awarding of prizes at UNESCO continues to be done on an ad hoc basis and often with little advance notice. This week's inclusion of Cuba in the announcement of UNESCO's literacy prizes is but one more example of how easily determined staff can bypass UNESCO's internal controls. The awarding of one of the five UNESCO literacy prizes to the Cuban Youth and Adult literacy and Education Chair of the Latin American and Caribbean Pedagogical Institute and its "Yo se puedo" literacy program follows the awarding several months ago of the Cuban Jose Marti Prize to Hugo Chavez. The Cuban Government is already milking the prize for its propaganda value. (End Summary) ¶3. (C) At its spring 2005 session, the UNESCO Executive Board passed a decision (171 EX/19) asking the Director General (DG) to report, beginning in 2007, on a biannual basis, on the implementation of the strategy and the development of the overall situation with regard to UNESCO prizes. While awaiting that strategy, UNESCO prizes continue to be awarded with little transparency and on an ad hoc basis. The awarding of the Marti prize to Hugo Chavez was the most egregious example of these problem as well as an indication these prizes are becoming increasingly politicized. ¶4. (C) Following the Chavez episode, the DG (after speaking with Ambassador Oliver),in an effort to prevent another similar occurrence, indefinitely postponed the awarding of the Venezuelan Simon Bolivar Prize "for an activity contributing to the freedom, independence and dignity of peoples and to the strengthening of a new international, economic, social and cultural order." Therefore, the announcement this week that UNESCO will award the King Sejong Literacy Prize (supported by the Republic of Korea) Cuban Youth and Adult literacy and Education Chair of the Latin American and Caribbean Pedagogical Institute and its "Yo se puedo" literacy program is very troublesome. While other prizes went to Moroccan, Pakistani, Indian and Turkish programs, the award to Cuba highlights the problems with the whole system of prizes at UNESCO. ¶5. (C) While awaiting a new strategy from the DG, there is no standard policy for prizes. The announcement of competitions is done on an ad hoc basis, often with little advance notice, and juries are often self-serving, self-selecting and very independent. Moreover, there is no final vetting of awardees before names are given to the DG for his final approval. During the discussion of the Marti Prize, the DG indicated he is unwilling to overturn the decisions of the juries. ¶6. (C) In the case of the Cuban literary prize, as occurred with the Marti prize, UNESCO's internal controls were bypassed by secretariat staff who clearly intended to get the prize decision on the Director General's desk as quickly as possible. In doing so, they failed to get clearances from the two senior Americans at UNESCO, the ADG for Education and the Deputy ADG for External Relations, both of whom were caught completely by surprise by the announcement, as was the Mission's primary contact within the DG's cabinet. ¶7. (C) There was likely a purposeful attempt to create mischief on the part of two Education Sector staffers. Both currently encumber positions that will be eliminated in the Sector's new reorganization. Peter Smith, the ADG for Education, will be asking the DG to terminate the employment of the two staffers. At the very least, they were already scheduled under the reorganization to be transferred to field offices. ¶8. (C) One of the annual literary prizes is supported by the U.S.-based International reading Association (IRA) and was established in 1979. The IRA prize was awarded to a Turkish foundation. Alan Farstrup, the executive director of the IRA, met with Ambassador Oliver when he was in Paris to serve on the jury. At the time he told the Ambassador that a prize for a Syrian organization had been turned down, but he made no mention of the Cuban prize. ¶9. (C) Fortunately, Cuba is no longer on the Executive Board, but that has not prevented the Cubans from creating mischief and trying to undermine the U.S. re-engagement at UNESCO. While the Marti Prize was probably the most egregious example of Cuban behavior, Cuba also managed to get elected to the board of the International Program for the Development of Communications (ref a) (comment: this was a joke given the program's mandate for a free press) and delivered anti-American broadsides in the final session of the General Conference and during the Commission on Recommendations at the last Executive Board (ref b). Cuba has also been actively pushing "Yo se puedo" at UNESCO, and organized a literacy conference in Havana in 2005 to highlight the program. The last Executive Board deflected a draft resolution to praise the Cuban program by taking the position that there are many valid ways to approach literacy, and it would be inappropriate to single out just one method. A report from the Secretariat on the evaluation of "Yo se puedo" will be on the agenda of the next Executive Board. ¶10. (C) The literacy prizes normally would be awarded on September 8, just over a week before a major international literacy conference to be hosted by First Lady Laura Bush in New York. A contact in the secretariat has told us the Chinese government is interested in hosting an awards ceremony in China on Confucius' birthday, September 23 to publicize a new Chinese literacy prize. The contact says that one unnamed recipient is resisting. (Comment: we are a bit perplexed how the Secretariat has already received a response from capitals so SIPDIS soon after the prize was officially announced.) Ambassador Oliver has also been informed that the DG has a great deal of flexibility in how these prizes are publicized and awarded. In the past these prizes have been awarded in the recipient countries, and we will push to ensure that the prizes are not awarded at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Mission has also been told that a memo will soon go out to the Secretariat instructing that the DG be given a choice of awardees for future prizes, so that he does not have to accept one choice from the juries. ¶11. (C) Comment and guidance request. The first indication that something was up came when we saw stories on Monday in the Cuban press accusing the United States of opposing "Yo se puedo" and politicizing the fight against illiteracy with the appointment of the First Lady as UN Ambassador for the Decade of Literacy. While monitoring UNESCO prizes remain a top Mission priority, and, thus far, difficult challenge, the reorganization of the Education Sector should at least remove two of its most anti-American staffers. The Mission requests guidance on how to react to this prize. Oliver