Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06PARIS7796
2006-12-14 14:20:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Paris
Cable title:
USUNESCO - BRASILIA OFFICE UPDATE
how-tonull Lucia A Keegan 12/18/2006 03:04:14 PM From DB/Inbox: Lucia A Keegan Cable Text: C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 07796 SIPDIS cxparis: ACTION: UNESCO INFO: POL ECON AMBU AMB AMBO DCM SCI DISSEMINATION: UNESCOX CHARGE: PROG APPROVED: AMB:LVOLIVER DRAFTED: POL:DROSTROFF CLEARED: DCM:AKOSS VZCZCFRI338 RR RUEHC RUEHBR DE RUEHFR #7796 3481420 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 141420Z DEC 06 FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3795 INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 1729
C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 007796
SIPDIS
FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS
E.O. 12958: DECL 12/14/2016
TAGS: SCUL UNESCO BR
SUBJECT: USUNESCO - BRASILIA OFFICE UPDATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 007796
SIPDIS
FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS
E.O. 12958: DECL 12/14/2016
TAGS: SCUL UNESCO BR
SUBJECT: USUNESCO - BRASILIA OFFICE UPDATE
1. (U) Classified by USUNESCO DCM Andrew Koss, for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).
2. (C) During a meeting on 6 December by Mission Political
Assistant with Mrs. Lamia Salman-el Madini, Director of UNESCO's
Bureau of Field Coordination, the subject of the Brasilia field
office was raised, as she had just returned from a trip to
Brazil earlier in the week.
3. (C) Mrs. Salman said that the Human Resources division will
soon be re-advertising the posting for the Director of the
Brasilia office, as no candidate had been selected from the
previous announcement. (Note: the Brazilian government earlier
vetoed an American candidate who had been short-listed for the
position. End note).
4. (C) Salman said that based on her conversations, and from her
meetings with personnel in Brasilia, she believes that they
understand that things will be different in the future. She is
also confident that the recent Executive Board decisions on
reorientation had triggered change, and noted that new tools
were being put into place to ensure that UNESCO roles and
regulations would be followed.
5. (C) (Background note: Beginning in 1998, and with a major
increase in 2003, the Brazilian Ministry of Health by-passed
government hiring restrictions by contracting with UNESCO and
UNDP to provide employees for programs for Brazil's Ministry of
Health, an activity that is outside UNESCO's mandate. The sums
involved were large and have made up at least one-third of
UNESCO's global extra budgetary funding resources. The Ministry
of Health has grown dependent on the cost-effective hiring
system which keeps employees off their permanent roster. End
background).
6. (C) Regarding the Ministry of Health, Salman said that 70
percent of the Ministry's professional staff is being supplied
through the UN (UNESCO and UNDP). She mentioned that the office
that handles all of the social security cards for the country is
staffed with UN personnel. According to Salman, the key problem
now is finding an exit strategy for the Ministry of Health -
which is proving difficult. At this point, she said that there
is no solution at hand, and there have been no decisions taken
by the Ministry of Health to resolve their reliance on UN
personnel.
7. (C) Salman also mentioned that the amount of money UNESCO
receives from the 3-5 percent overhead charged to the Brazilian
government for providing services continues to increase. She
said that there could be an additional 19 million dollars for
resource-poor UNESCO.
8. (C) When Political Assistant suggested that the fear of media
exposure could possibly prompt some action by the Brazilians,
Salman said that she doubted it, noting that the Brazilian
newspapers are filled with nothing but corruption scandals.
9. (C) As for UNESCO's image, she said that the "reorientation"
of the Brazil office, as charged by the Executive Board is
moving forward. The impression Salman left was that with the
negligent former director out, a new personnel search underway,
new rules and regulations reinforced, and training for field
office personnel now being completed, that there is at least a
little more breathing room for UNESCO's Secretariat before they
are called to task before the Executive Board this coming
spring.
10. (C) Comment: How quickly UNESCO's Director General will
move to shut off the flow of millions into his cash-poor
organization is another question, as the Ministry of Health
continues to rely on UN personnel in Brazil. The 19 million
dollars is also a huge temptation for cash-poor UNESCO, but that
may make UNESCO reluctant to take immediate steps to end the
program.
11. (C) Comment continued: While the Director General, as a
result of conversations with the Ambassador and A/S Silverberg's
letter of November 2006, is keenly aware of the USG's deep
concern about the Brasilia office, and has said that he will
personally monitor the External Auditors investigation in
response to the current state of affairs. We recently heard
that he told the new Canadian ambassador that the situation is
delicate and that he feels caught between the United States and
Brazil. The US Mission to UNESCO will, of course, continue to
closely monitor the situation. End comment.
OLIVER
SIPDIS
FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS
E.O. 12958: DECL 12/14/2016
TAGS: SCUL UNESCO BR
SUBJECT: USUNESCO - BRASILIA OFFICE UPDATE
1. (U) Classified by USUNESCO DCM Andrew Koss, for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).
2. (C) During a meeting on 6 December by Mission Political
Assistant with Mrs. Lamia Salman-el Madini, Director of UNESCO's
Bureau of Field Coordination, the subject of the Brasilia field
office was raised, as she had just returned from a trip to
Brazil earlier in the week.
3. (C) Mrs. Salman said that the Human Resources division will
soon be re-advertising the posting for the Director of the
Brasilia office, as no candidate had been selected from the
previous announcement. (Note: the Brazilian government earlier
vetoed an American candidate who had been short-listed for the
position. End note).
4. (C) Salman said that based on her conversations, and from her
meetings with personnel in Brasilia, she believes that they
understand that things will be different in the future. She is
also confident that the recent Executive Board decisions on
reorientation had triggered change, and noted that new tools
were being put into place to ensure that UNESCO roles and
regulations would be followed.
5. (C) (Background note: Beginning in 1998, and with a major
increase in 2003, the Brazilian Ministry of Health by-passed
government hiring restrictions by contracting with UNESCO and
UNDP to provide employees for programs for Brazil's Ministry of
Health, an activity that is outside UNESCO's mandate. The sums
involved were large and have made up at least one-third of
UNESCO's global extra budgetary funding resources. The Ministry
of Health has grown dependent on the cost-effective hiring
system which keeps employees off their permanent roster. End
background).
6. (C) Regarding the Ministry of Health, Salman said that 70
percent of the Ministry's professional staff is being supplied
through the UN (UNESCO and UNDP). She mentioned that the office
that handles all of the social security cards for the country is
staffed with UN personnel. According to Salman, the key problem
now is finding an exit strategy for the Ministry of Health -
which is proving difficult. At this point, she said that there
is no solution at hand, and there have been no decisions taken
by the Ministry of Health to resolve their reliance on UN
personnel.
7. (C) Salman also mentioned that the amount of money UNESCO
receives from the 3-5 percent overhead charged to the Brazilian
government for providing services continues to increase. She
said that there could be an additional 19 million dollars for
resource-poor UNESCO.
8. (C) When Political Assistant suggested that the fear of media
exposure could possibly prompt some action by the Brazilians,
Salman said that she doubted it, noting that the Brazilian
newspapers are filled with nothing but corruption scandals.
9. (C) As for UNESCO's image, she said that the "reorientation"
of the Brazil office, as charged by the Executive Board is
moving forward. The impression Salman left was that with the
negligent former director out, a new personnel search underway,
new rules and regulations reinforced, and training for field
office personnel now being completed, that there is at least a
little more breathing room for UNESCO's Secretariat before they
are called to task before the Executive Board this coming
spring.
10. (C) Comment: How quickly UNESCO's Director General will
move to shut off the flow of millions into his cash-poor
organization is another question, as the Ministry of Health
continues to rely on UN personnel in Brazil. The 19 million
dollars is also a huge temptation for cash-poor UNESCO, but that
may make UNESCO reluctant to take immediate steps to end the
program.
11. (C) Comment continued: While the Director General, as a
result of conversations with the Ambassador and A/S Silverberg's
letter of November 2006, is keenly aware of the USG's deep
concern about the Brasilia office, and has said that he will
personally monitor the External Auditors investigation in
response to the current state of affairs. We recently heard
that he told the new Canadian ambassador that the situation is
delicate and that he feels caught between the United States and
Brazil. The US Mission to UNESCO will, of course, continue to
closely monitor the situation. End comment.
OLIVER