US embassy cable - 05PARIS8081

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 008081 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS 
 
E.O. 12958:    N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, ETRD, SCUL, KPAO, UNESCO, EUN 
SUBJECT:  USUNESCO GUIDANCE REQUEST:  EXHIBITS 
 
REF: Paris 7472 
 
1.   (SBU) SUMMARY AND GUIDANCE REQUEST:  Mission 
continues to receive requests from American artists, 
consortia and NGOs for support in securing UNESCO 
exhibit space.  This is because navigating the exhibits 
bureaucracy at UNESCO is deeply confusing to the 
uninitiated, rates to rent out the space are lower for 
member states than for individuals, and other member 
states regularly support exhibits in UNESCO's 
prestigious venues.  Mission is aware of the dangers of 
appearing to play favorites in advocating exhibits, but 
believes that devising a mechanism to sponsor 1 or 2 
exhibits per year could be a useful part of the 
Mission's public diplomacy.  At the same time it would 
be a constructive way to engage UNESCO and counter the 
all too powerful myth that the U.S. does not value 
cultural exchange.  GUIDANCE REQUEST:  Mission asks 
that Washington consider devising a USG mechanism - 
perhaps involving the National Commission - for vetting 
requests and establishing a protocol of how the Mission 
can support selected exhibits.  Mission would also 
appreciate draft language for a response letter to 
interested parties.   END SUMMARY AND GUIDANCE REQUEST. 
 
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VETTING CURRENT PRPOSALS 
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2.  (SBU) Mission is currently in contact with 4 
different groups requesting USG support in accessing 
UNESCO exhibition space:  The Tile Project 
(www.transculturalexchange.org) which hopes to exhibit 
tiles made by artists and children from around the 
globe, a private French citizen who has photographs of 
the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Art Child 
(www.artchild.org) which proposes an exhibit of 
frescoes painted by children around the world, and the 
Art Miles Mural project (www.the-art-miles-mural- 
project.org), which would exhibit 12 murals painted by 
children.  U.S. citizens run 3 of the 4, and the French 
citizen is seeking to honor the legacy of a U.S. 
citizen. 
 
3.  (SBU)  Mission understands, that for legal reasons, 
it cannot advocate a project over others.  At the same 
time, we note that showcasing at UNESCO the work of 
dedicated and talented Americans demonstrates our 
country's commitment to cultural exchange.  Mission 
suggests a National Commission panel that would review 
the merits of proposed projects on a quarterly basis. 
 
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PROTOCOL NEEDED 
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4.  (SBU) All initial requests that we receive have a 
financial dimension, at the minimum involving the 
transport of exhibits to UNESCO.  Mission is quick to 
alert requestors that we are unable to provide funding. 
However, many of the additional requests include moral 
or logistical support for the exhibit from the Mission. 
This could include: drafting a letter of support, 
navigating the process of getting UNESCO exhibit space, 
providing POCs at UNESCO, assisting with setup of the 
exhibit, helping to arrange a reception for the opening 
night of the exhibit, arranging roundtable discussions 
about the exhibit, and so forth.  Some of these 
requests involve a mere phone call, letter or email, 
while others have significant resource implications 
(e.g. paying FSNs and/or Officers to help set up an 
exhibit, arrange invitations to a related roundtable or 
reception.) 
 
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UNESCO's PROCESS 
---------------- 
 
5.  (SBU) UNESCO has 4 exhibition spaces Fontenoy (Hall 
Segur), Miollis (Entrance), Fontenoy (7th floor) and 
Fontenoy (Area around Room X).  It also offers a 
cinema.  UNESCO offers exhibition space in these venues 
to member states and affiliated NGOs at one rate, and 
to individuals at a higher rate - neither is cheap. 
There are no set guidelines for allocating space and 
the order of the waitlist is murky.  There is some 
evidence of bias in the Bureau of Public Information, 
which addresses allocation of exhibit space.  For 
example, a hastily organized exhibit on cultural 
diversity was shown during negotiations in May 2005 
which was confusing since Mission was told in March 
that there was an 8 month waiting list and the May 
cultural diversity meeting had not been set that far in 
advance.  Sources in the Office of the Director General 
have offered to help us navigate the process more 
quickly, but they ask that we have a clear proposal and 
dates in mind before they weigh in on our behalf. 
 
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MEMBER STATES ADVOCACY 
---------------------- 
 
6.  (SBU)  Some member states report that since the 
exhibition spaces are very expensive and the waiting 
list is very long, they receive few inquiries.  In the 
case of Germany, which, like us, has had inquiries from 
groups willing to be on the waiting list and pay the 
high fees, it is typically the German National 
Commission that evaluates the quality of the exhibit 
and its relevance to UNESCO's mandate.  If an exhibit 
is suitable, they then draft a letter of approval to 
UNESCO.  The German delegation advised that the 
connection with UNESCO is essential, as otherwise you 
would have to field requests from artists seeking to 
obtain the cachet of the UNESCO exhibition to put on 
resumes and so forth, even if their work is unrelated 
to UNESCO. 
 
7. (U) COMMENT:  Mission continues to seek opportunities 
to engage with UNESCO on concrete projects in order to 
shift the organization's focus away from creating more 
normative instruments.  Using the UNESCO exhibit space 
for panel-vetted exhibits could be an important part of 
our public diplomacy program and would demonstrate how 
U.S. citizens value culture and encourage cultural 
exchange, and thus affirm mutual values of the U.S. and 
UNESCO.  It could also provide a low-cost method of 
providing cultural programs to our UNESCO audience to 
the extent that NGOs and artists can cover major 
exhibit costs.  In any case, Mission will need a 
mechanism for addressing the requests and language for 
a response letter to these inquiries.  END COMMENT. 
Koss