Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07PARIS1011
2007-03-15 13:32:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Paris
Cable title:  

UNESCO DG REACTS TO HIGH-LEVEL PANEL REPORT "DELIVERING AS

Tags:  UNESCO AORC UNGA PREL PHUM SOCI EAID 
pdf how-to read a cable
null
Lucia A Keegan 03/20/2007 09:47:02 AM From DB/Inbox: Lucia A Keegan

Cable 
Text: 
 
 
UNCLAS PARIS 01011

SIPDIS
cxparis:
 ACTION: UNESCO
 INFO: ECON AMBO POL AMB DCM SCI AMBU

DISSEMINATION: UNESCOX
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: CHG: AKOSS
DRAFTED: SCI: NCOOPER
CLEARED: NONE

VZCZCFRI448
PP RUEHC RUEHGV RUCNDT RUEHIL RUEHHI RUEHTO
RUEHDR RUEHMN RUEHTI RUEHLGB
DE RUEHFR #1011/01 0741332
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 151332Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5650
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 2617
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1169
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0689
RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI 0225
RUEHTO/AMEMBASSY MAPUTO 0403
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM 0309
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 0092
RUEHTI/AMEMBASSY TIRANA 0171
RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI 1099
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 PARIS 001011 

SIPDIS

FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS

STATE FOR IO/UNESCO KELLY SIEKMAN, IO/S LISA SPRATT, IO/EDA GEORGE
DRAGNICH

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: UNESCO AORC UNGA PREL PHUM SOCI EAID
SUBJECT: UNESCO DG REACTS TO HIGH-LEVEL PANEL REPORT "DELIVERING AS
ONE": "WE'RE READY TO TEST PILOT OFFICES"

REFS: A) 06 State 187687 B) Paris 424

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 PARIS 001011

SIPDIS

FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS

STATE FOR IO/UNESCO KELLY SIEKMAN, IO/S LISA SPRATT, IO/EDA GEORGE
DRAGNICH

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: UNESCO AORC UNGA PREL PHUM SOCI EAID
SUBJECT: UNESCO DG REACTS TO HIGH-LEVEL PANEL REPORT "DELIVERING AS
ONE": "WE'RE READY TO TEST PILOT OFFICES"

REFS: A) 06 State 187687 B) Paris 424


1. This is a guidance request, see para 4.


2. Summary: After some initial hesitation, UNESCO's Director
General Matsuura continues to engage member states on the results of
the UN high level panel report "Delivering as One." At a March 9
question and answer session with member states, the DG stressed
UNESCO's proactive response to the "one country" approach, including
UNESCO's determination to participate in all eight of the pilot UN
country offices. He also reported on UNESCO's continuing engagement
in shaping the ongoing UN reform dialogue: his own recent visit to
New York, where he met with UN SecGen Ban, and the March 7 meeting
he hosted that brought together heads of the five large specialized
agencies (ILO, FAO, UNIDO, and WHO). Matsuura also announced that
UNESCO is a member of an informal "one UN" support group that will
next meet on April 19 in Geneva. Despite this pro-active approach,
Matsuura did note that the High-Level panel report must go through
the "intergovernmental stage," including action by the UNGA. The DG
explained that the mandate for work on the "one UN" at country level
is derived from the 2004 Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review
(TCPR) resolution of the UNGA.


3. Matsuura took pains to outline UNESCO's current role in areas
covered by the report of the High-Level Panel, citing the Education
for All (EFA) Global Action Plan as a "compelling example of
'delivering as one'", while stressing that culture, an element of
UNESCO's mandate, needs to be integrated into national development
plans. To strengthen UNESCO's role in humanitarian assistance,
Matsuura said that he would seek membership in the Executive
Committee for Humanitarian Affairs. On environmental governance,
Matsuura cautioned, "it would be an error to assume that the role of
more than 25 agencies should be merged into a single program or
organization." During the question and answer question, some

member states - including Norway, Switzerland, and Afghanistan -
expressed approval of the UNESCO DG's pro-active stance in
implementing the "one UN" proposals at the country level. But some
developing nations advocated caution, led by India, who recalled
reticence expressed by the G-77 and China in other UN fora (paras
10-13). Queried on funding for the "One UN" pilot offices, the DG
reported, "this element needs to be examined with a lot of
attention, because the details are not yet established."


4. Comment: Perhaps the reservations expressed by the UNESCO DG and
member states at this session can inform the USG strategy on UN
reform. The DG stressed in his speech that the panel's findings
have not been officially adopted. But UNESCO's reaction to the
"Delivering as One" proposals, as described by DG Matsuura, seems a
positive development, as it includes more pro-active engagement with
other UN agencies and a more strategic approach to country-level
planning. Post requests additional guidance on the High-Level Panel
Recommendations as they pertain to specialized agencies in order to
prepare for the debate on UNESCO's new Medium-Term Strategy at
UNESCO's April 10-26 Executive Board. End summary and comment.



5. Director General Matsuura began his speech by "welcoming and
endorsing" the main thrust of the report of the high-level panel.
The DG outlined UNESCO's "active engagement" in the reform process.
The preceding week, Matsuura himself visited New York, where he met
with UN SecGen Ban, UN Deputy Secretary General Migiro and UNDP
Administrator and UNDG Chair Dervis, among others. On March 7, he
hosted a meeting at UNESCO of the heads of the five large
specialized agencies (ILO, FAO, UNIDO, and WHO) to identify the best
way to work together to advance the reform process, and ensure that
the specialized agencies are able to "bring their unique
competencies to bear in support of national development." Matsuura
noted, though, that the "Delivering as One" report now needs to go
through the intergovernmental stage, notably consideration and
action by the UNGA; he reported that UN SecGen Ban had told him that
he would present his own views later this month.


6. The DG then stressed at length UNESCO's direct involvement in
the three areas covered by the report: development, humanitarian
assistance, and the environment. UNESCO is the international
coordinator of the Education for All (EFA). UNESCO Education
Support Strategies (UNESS) could serve as the basis for common
country planning documents for UN agencies involved in education.
The EFA has also led development of the EFA Global Action plan -- in
partnership with UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, and the World Bank -- "a
compelling example of 'delivering as one'". Matsuura reported that
he and UNDG Chair Dervish had agreed that the EFA Global Action Plan
would be sent to resident coordinators of local UN teams for
implementation via joint country program exercises. Matsuura
stressed the need for World Bank involvement in common country
action on EFA.


7. Asserting that "the significance of culture has not always been
recognized by UNESCO's partners" and expressing disappointment that
culture had not been included in model UNDAF development plans, the
DG pledged that UNESCO will promote its inclusion in country plans.
He highlighted the recently announced Spanish fund for the
achievement of the MDGs as a potential vehicle for this. (Comment:
UNESCO continues to push the role of culture in development though
it has little to show for it.)


8. On Humanitarian assistance, the DG underlined UNESCO's emphasis
on the "human and institutional, rather than the physical, aspects
of reconstruction," saying this would help ensure more coherent
transition strategies from humanitarian assistance to reconstruction
in post conflict or post-disaster situations. He also cited the
Tsunami Early Warning System as an example of UNESCO's efforts to

SIPDIS
promote disaster prevention. To enhance its role in humanitarian
assistance, UNESCO will seek membership in the Executive Committee
for Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA). Regarding environmental
sustainability, Matsuura endorsed the panel's recommendation for
strengthened environmental governance, but said that "much more
thorough analysis" is needed. He stressed that "it would be an
error to assume that the role of more than 25 agencies should be
merged into a single program or organization." (Comment: In this,
the DG is doubtless concerned about the future roles of the UNESCO's
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, International
Hydrological Program, and Man and Biosphere Program. End Comment.)


DG on One UN at Country Level: "We're There!"


9. On establishing "One UN" offices at country level, DG Matsuura
reported that basic agreement on next steps was reached at the joint
UNDG management and program group retreat in New York at the end of
January. UNESCO is committed to taking part in all 8 pilot
offices, and the DG has already sent a mission to Viet Nam, a pilot
country. DG Matsuura said that he was heartened by the "growing
consensus at top decision-making levels" regarding the need for
"flexibility", as opposed to "earlier rigidity". He then outlined
the four aspects of the "One UN" concept, commenting as follows: one
leader ("firewalled" from the dual identity of UNDP resident
representative); one program; one budgetary framework (to identify
funding gaps, to which the bilateral donor community could
contribute via country-level coherence funds); one office (entailing
a merger of business practices, but not necessarily a joint
headquarters).


10. In DG Matsuura's view, defining a common program to support
national development goals will be the core task for the UN system;
it will replace the UNDAF approach of "simply accumulating
individual agency deliverables."
Each organization must be able to contribute to the implementation
of the "One Program" at country level, regardless of the funds it
can commit, Matsuura stressed; this will be facilitated by the
revision of UNDAF guidelines spelling out the obligations of
resident coordinators to integrate the expertise of specialized
agencies. Pilots must be assessed at the end of this year before
the initiative is "scaled up." Matsuura announced that UNESCO is
part of the "select group" of ten UNDG members that will comprise
the informal support group on the "One UN." The group recently held
its first meeting, and will meet again on April 19 in Geneva.


11. Matsuura reported that he had decided to advance the review of
UNESCO's decentralization strategy, reviving the Task Force under
the leadership of DDG Barbosa. Key to this will be a new
accountability framework for field operations, as well as policy
guidance regarding UNESCO's substantive inputs to country planning
exercises. Modalities of UNESCO action in the three pilot countries
where UNESCO is not resident are still TBD. The Decentralization
Task Force works closely with UNESCO's working group on UN reform,
chaired by Elizabeth Longworth, the DG's chief of staff. DG
Matsuura concluded by stressing that the "One UN" approach was of
central concern when the secretariat prepared the new draft Medium
Term Strategy (2008-13) and Program and Budget (2008-9).

Reaction of Member States: G-77 and China "Cautious"


12. DG Matsuura then fielded questions from a packed house, with
many Ambassadors present. Norway, Afghanistan and Switzerland
praised the DG for his pro-active response, with Afghanistan asking
what developing countries not chosen as one of the eight pilots but
in need of more coordinated assistance from the UN might do.
In response to Norway's request for the DG's assessment of the
reaction to the "Delivering as One" report, the DG conceded that
there are many stakeholders and they are not completely united.
That said, the five key specialized agencies have been able to
arrive at a common position. At first, the DG had some concern
about the WHO -- because they had said at one point that they could
not join the pilot effort in Viet Nam, given the "rigid" model
advanced at the beginning -- but the new WHO DG is taking a more
positive stance. The DG expressed optimism regarding the degree of
UN-wide consensus, including on the part of specialized agencies.
But he also expressed concern about the "cautious attitude" of the
chair of the G-77 and Pakistan group in New York; while the
Pakistani Ambassador is not negative, he is cautious procedurally,
advocating waiting until the UNGA adopts a resolution. But
preparations for the one-country offices will take time; and the
2004 Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review (TCPR) resolution of the
UNGA can provide the necessary mandate. What is key is that
developing countries believe that the "one UN" approach is
beneficial. It is important to create a visible success,
particularly in the five countries where UNESCO has field offices.



13. The Indian Ambassador also noted the "cautious approach" of the
G-77 and China to the report of the high-level panel. The Indian
Ambassador reported that she had attended the February 26-27 meeting
in Rome of the chairmen of G-77 and China chapters, chaired by
Pakistan Ambassador to the UN Munir Akram. At that meeting, the
following reservations were expressed: the pilots should be
voluntary, led by national governments, and take into account
national needs. Any system-wide change in funding or organization
would be pre-mature, as would be expansion of the pilot experimental
models without consideration of the results. The Indian Ambassador
noted that Ambassador Akram sent a letter to Secgen Ban urging him
to avoid "precipitate action" before necessary intergovernmental
consultation. DG Matsuura responded that while in New York, he had
tried unsuccessfully to speak with Ambassador Akram; but he had been
able to probe the Secretary General on his reaction. DG Matsuura
expressed the hope that Ban would give his position on the
"Delivering as One" soon, and that this will be discussed at the
UNGA so as to establish a common position. The "One UN" at the
country level will proceed in the meantime; a good number of
enthusiastic developing countries want to implement these proposals.
Matsuura also described the panel's recommendations on women as
"not very ambitious", entailing the establishment of a new office.
But Ki-Moon had confided to him that there is some resistance even
on this; Ki-Moon believes that this new office is needed.


14. The Moroccan Ambassador -- a purported candidate for the post
of DG to succeed Matsuura in 2009 -- was eager to defend UNESCO's
interests. She asserted that the last information session on the
"Delivering as One" proposals left some at UNESCO "frightened".
Regarding issues within UNESCO's mandate that are addressed by the
report, including water and gender -- who will evaluate the
performance of each agency? According to the proposed scheme, the
budget will be based on results. UNESCO risks losing its soul. DG
Matsuura responded that while the "One UN" approach may lead to less
visibility for UNESCO, it will result in more of a team effort by
the UN as a whole. The budget frameworks for the "One UN" pilot
offices do not represent a sole budget; UNESCO will not make
financial contributions to a general budget. This detail needs to
be examined with a lot of attention, because the details are not
established. UNESCO will be accountable to member states via the
implementation of projects financed by UNESCO. UNESCO staff will
direct the UNESCO office and implement UNESCO projects under the
direction of the regional coordinator. The precise model adopted
will depend on the country.


15. Nigeria evoked a series of challenges: defining the nature of
the "one country" coordinator; persuading member states to be
"master of programs"; and stagnant funding for many UN
organizations. He asked: "From now on, programs will not be
included in the budget absent a link to performance; but who
evaluates performance?" Gabon, taking a constructive stance, noted
"mistrust", but also "the need to reestablish confidence." She
stressed the need for flexibility as well as the importance of
involving Bretton Woods Organizations, given their involvement in
structural readjustment plans. Regarding the context posed by the
ongoing preparation of UNESCO's draft medium term strategy (2008-13)
and program and budget (2008-2009),the Gabonese Ambassador invited
the DG to brief the Africa group in more detail, given the fact that
"Africa is a priority for the UN."
KOSS