US embassy cable - 05PARIS7234

UNCLAS PARIS 007234 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS 
FOR IO/T, IO/S, L/UNA 
 
E.O. 12958:     N/A 
TAGS: ABUD, FR, UNESCO 
SUBJECT:  USUNESCO: UNESCO ADOPTS PROGRAM AND BUDGET 
FOR 2006-07.  US VOTES NO. 
 
 
1. Summary:  The United States voted against adoption 
of the 2006-07 Program and Budget for the UN 
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 
(UNESCO).  The budget was adopted by vote, 126 in 
favor, 1 against (US), with no abstentions.  In 
explaining the U.S. vote, Ambassador Oliver, U.S. 
Permanent Representative to UNESCO, said that this 
budget does not sufficiently move funds away from 
ineffective activities toward effective program and 
activities.  Furthermore, this budget includes funding 
for the promotion and implementation of the Convention 
on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of 
Cultural Expressions.  End Summary. 
 
2. On October 21, the Plenary of the UNESCO General 
Conference convened in order to adopt the draft Program 
and Budget for 2006-07.  The Vice Chair (Japan) of the 
Administrative Commission provided an oral report of 
the meeting of the Commission in which the Commission 
recommended that the Plenary adopt the draft Program 
and Budget.  In his report, the Vice Chair noted that 
one delegation had referenced a previous objection to 
the budget as adopted by Commission IV (Culture).  The 
Vice Chair, who had previously appealed to the U.S. to 
avoid a vote on the budget, stressed in his oral report 
the importance of adopting the budget by consensus. 
Before the vote, the Ambassador of Japan noted that the 
vote should not be seen as a precedent for future 
Conferences. 
 
3.  The program and budget was then adopted by the 
Conference by vote, 126 in favor, 1 against (US), with 
no abstentions.  The United States took the floor to 
explain that the U.S. vote against the budget was the 
result of the failure of this budget, despite months of 
effort, to adequately move funds aware from ineffective 
activities.  Moreover, this budget includes funding for 
the implementation of the Convention on the Protection 
and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. 
The solemn mood of the meeting was then broken by an 
intervention from Cuba, which stated that the UNESCO 
had done well during the time that the United States 
was not a member.  Now that the United States has 
returned to UNESCO, the Cuban delegation continued, it 
should be more prepared to join other delegations in 
their work at UNESCO and to change its conduct.  He 
further claimed (inaccurately) that the United States 
is $75.2 million in arrears.  This intervention was 
followed by loud applause from the room.  Notably, 
Canada, Russia, the EU states, and Australia, plus a 
few others, did not join the applause.  The Secretary 
of the General Conference, several EU countries and 
Caribbean states came up to the U.S. delegation 
afterwards to apologize for the Cuban intervention. 
 
OLIVER