US embassy cable - 05PARIS4310

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 004310 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TPHY, AORC, PBTS, EAID, SENV, WWT, KSCI, UNESCO 
SUBJECT: USUNESCO:  INTERNATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC 
COMMISSION (IOC) PREVIEWS CAPACITY BUILDING SCHEME IN 
ADVANCE OF JUNE ASSEMBLY MEETING 
 
Reftel: Paris 60390 
 
1.  Summary:  In the run-up to the June 21-29 IOC Assembly, 
IOC Executive Secretary Patricio Bernal and Capacity 
Building Unit Chief Erlich Desa outlined the IOC's capacity 
building program for permanent delegations to UNESCO.  The 
DCM and the Science Officer of the US Mission attended one 
in a series of meetings in which Bernal and Desa presented a 
slate of activities designed to raise awareness among 
decision-makers in developing countries via training and 
conferences.  They acknowledged a focus on coastal 
development issues, in response to expressed regional needs. 
Desa stressed that the upcoming IOC Assembly will be key in 
shaping the orientation and work plan of his newly 
established unit.  Comment:  One issue to explore is the 
need for the capacity building unit to work in concert with 
the IOC's other divisions in order to bring value to key IOC 
activities.  End Summary and Comment. 
 
 
 
2.  US Permanent Delegation DCM and Science Officer attended 
a June 16 meeting on the IOC's capacity building program 
organized by IOC Executive Secretary Patricio Bernal for 
permanent delegations.  The meeting -- billed as preparatory 
to the IOC Assembly -- was the third in a series in which 
Bernal and capacity building unit chief Desa briefed member 
states on what the capacity building program has to offer 
and how member states could contribute. The June 16 meeting 
included representatives from developed countries, and 
representatives from Germany, Finland, Canada, and Japan 
also participated. 
 
3.  In his introduction, Patricio Bernal said that the 
capacity building unit represented the rebirth and 
strengthening of an old IOC program designed to encourage 
training, education, mutual assistance.  He evoked an urgent 
need -- "we are losing the battle to maintain the health of 
the oceans" -- requiring "science-based" solutions.  To that 
end, it is necessary to enhance capacity in developing 
countries, including the use of the most advanced tools - 
satellite observations, operational data and models -- for 
safe and sustainable coastal development.  Bernal reported 
that the IOC had conducted needs assessment via workshops in 
conjunction with its regional bodies.  The Commission also 
worked with a consultant to identify best practices; this 
highlighted the importance of strengthening research 
institutions, ensuring long-term support via national 
policies, and developing indigenous fund raising skills. 
Bernal stressed the importance of performance indicators, to 
include: overall IOC performance in capacity building 
(growth in resources, new collaborations, approval of member 
states, performance of secretariat); regional performance 
(development of products addressing regional needs, 
attracting sustained support); and program performance 
(goals attained, publications, positive evaluations from 
participants); and sponsors (long-term support). 
 
4.  In what was billed as the "take away" sequence, Desa 
presented a slate of activities for which he requested 
support from member states.  These included: 
 
-- an assessment of baseline capacity 
 
-- leadership programs for directors of research 
institutions 
 
-- proposal writing workshops 
-- team building activities for scientists, particularly at 
the regional level 
 
-- hiring a consultant to explore means of working with 
potential sponsors 
 
-- secondments to the Capacity building section 
 
-- activities to "model what-if scenarios" to decision- 
makers 
 
-- a "witnessing leadership" program:  activities similar to 
POGO to build ties between directors of research 
institutions in the developed and the developing world 
 
-- an "eminent visiting researchers" program 
 
-- a "summer school" for decision makers 
 
Desa explained that these activities were meant to build 
upon existing programs, including those in integrated 
coastal management financed by the World Bank. 
 
 
5.  In response to questions from the U.S. representatives, 
Desa explained that: 
 
-- Since the unit's inception, its work has focused on the 
process of regional consultations, and the development of 
the slate of activities outlined above.  He said that the 
slate of activities had been derived from an overall 
strategy, but he did not brief on this strategy. 
 
-- regional consultations resulted in a focus on issues 
relating to coastal development. 
 
-- Funding for the slate of activities would in fact be 
"seed money" used to raise awareness among scientists, 
chiefs of research institutions and policymakers.  The goal 
of the activities is to achieve "buy in" by policymakers. 
It would then be up to local partners to raise funds for 
implementation. 
 
 
 
6.  A representative of Germany expressed concern that the 
program might result in further studies and conferences by 
scientists with no long-term impact.  Desa explained that a 
key component of the plan was the involvement of decision 
makers who could devise and implement new policies; he 
described this as "a change process."  The German 
representative also asked what role the capacity building 
unit might play in disaster reduction.  In a subsequent 
conversation, the German representative said that he would 
send a letter to Bernal and Desa asking him to clarify the 
role of the capacity building unit in the area of disaster 
reduction, with an eye to studying whether the unit's work 
might merit inclusion in a project that the German 
government envisions to identify concrete actions that would 
prevent future tragedies.  More broadly, he confessed to 
having been "confused" by the "disconnect" between Bernal's 
opening presentation and the slate of activities outlined by 
Desa. 
 
7.  A representative from a Nordic country asked whether it 
might make sense to rethink the format of the IOC Assembly -- 
which he described as overly detail-oriented and "boring" -- 
in order to encourage the participation of decision makers. 
Desa agreed that including more decision makers in the 
Assembly might be a good idea.  He said that he thought the 
reaction of member states at the upcoming Assembly would be 
key in determining the direction of the capacity building 
program.  He said that he would present the slate of 
activities outlined above to the Assembly, expressing the 
hope for more than a "rubber stamp." He noted later to 
science officer that he has in the past particularly 
appreciated the detailed input of the U.S. delegation to the 
planning process. 
KOSS