INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Courtesy Call by Senegalese Ambassador to Unesco, Amadou

Published: Wed 19 Jul 2006 11:50 AM
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Lucia A Keegan 07/19/2006 05:31:25 PM From DB/Inbox: Lucia A Keegan
Cable
Text:
UNCLAS SENSITIVE PARIS 04914
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
VZCZCFRI032
RR RUEHC RUEHDK
DE RUEHFR #4914 2001150
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191150Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9639
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1265
UNCLAS PARIS 004914
SIPDIS
FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: UNESCO SCUL SG
SUBJECT: COURTESY CALL BY SENEGALESE AMBASSADOR TO UNESCO, AMADOU
DEME
1. (U) Summary: Senegal new Ambassador to UNESCO, Amadou Deme,
paid a courtesy call on Ambassador Oliver today, June 30th. The two
Ambassadors discussed the need to work closely together to advance
UNESCO capabilities to provide effective programs for Africa
through all of UNESCO sectors. End summary.
2. (U) Ambassador Deme, 63, is a senior career diplomat with the
Senegalese Foreign Ministry, who previously served at UNESCO from
1988-92, as well as in Mali, China, Guinea Conakry, Tokyo, Lagos,
Ottawa and at the UN in New York.
3. (SBU) Ambassador Oliver told Deme that this biennium is critical
for UNESCO, as it is the moment when priorities will be set for the
coming medium-term strategy. She also said that given the fact that
this is the Director General last term, it is important to take
action to ensure that the quality of programs be strengthened and
that difficult work, including the restructuring of the education
and science sectors, be accomplished while UNESCO Secretariat
remains focused and effective.
4. (SBU) During their conversation, Ambassador Deme mentioned that
the members of the Africa Group, (Group V (a)), had requested and
met with all of UNESCO Assistant Directors General (ADG) last
Friday, June 23rd, for a briefing and to get updates on their plans
regarding the C/4 and C/5 (strategy and budget programs). While he
did not share specifics about the meeting, he did say that the
Africa Group would meet with the ADG again before the end of the
year.
5. (U) Ambassador Oliver also spoke of the need to work closely
together to make sure that UNESCO programs, across all sectors, be
coherent, focused and of the highest quality possible. Adding that
this is a moment of opportunity for UNESCO, Ambassador Oliver
stressed that we cannot afford to lose valuable time. Given the
fact that Africa countries are among the primary beneficiaries of
so much of UNESCO work, the Ambassador asked that Senegal support
the needed management changes underway to help improve
UNESCO
effectiveness.
6. (U) Ambassador Oliver talked about the First Lady upcoming
conference on literacy in September, and mentioned that UNESCO would
probably be organizing a series of follow-up regional conferences,
one of which would probably be in Africa.
7. (U) Ambassador Deme said that he does not want riority Africa
used as a slogan at UNESCO, but rather he and the other Africans
want to be able to have UNESCO develop results-oriented programs
that help them solve the problems facing the continent. In
particular, Ambassador Deme mentioned his desire to close the gap
regarding the problems of poverty and education, and wants to use
UNESCO capacity building skills to that end.
8. (SBU) Ambassador Oliver agreed, saying that often UNESCO programs
had previously failed in the past because of the lack of emphasis on
capacity building. The goal for the future is to make sure that
capacity building is built into all of UNESCO planning for the
future, so that knowledge and skills are left behind after the
experts leave.
Oliver
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