UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC
AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)

Opening address by H. E. Professor Michael Omolewa
President of UNESCO's General Conference
and Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to UNESCO
On the occasion of the Ad hoc working group on the
relations between the three organs of UNESCO
Information meeting for Permanent Delegates and
Observers to UNESCO
UNESCO Headquarters
Paris-France
8 December, 2004

Dear colleagues:

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this information meeting on the activities of the ad hoc working group on the relations between UNESCO’s three organs. I am very pleased indeed that so many of you have taken the time from your busy schedules to be with us this afternoon.

Many attempts have been made over the years to reform UNESCO’s governance system, and strengthen the respective roles of UNESCO’s three main organs – the General Conference, the Executive Board, and the Secretariat – as they were foreseen in UNESCO’s Constitution. Some of these attempts have indeed succeeded; and some progress has been achieved over the years. But there is general consensus, I believe, that we have not yet arrived at a fully satisfactory situation. This is why the 32nd session of the General Conference, by its resolution 32 C/81, decided to establish the ad hoc working group on the relations between the three organs of UNESCO.

The ad hoc working group has held two sessions so far. On 30 April 2004, we had a one day meeting, which allowed an initial exchange of views, and a more precise definition of our mandate in the overall spirit of resolution 32 C/81. At that session, we also agreed that the 18 members of the working group – who have been selected in their personal capacity, but in cooperation with the six electoral groups of UNESCO – would provide written observations and proposals on the many issues in front of the ad hoc working group.

I am pleased to say that virtually all the members of the working group did indeed submit very comprehensive and thoughtful observations and proposals throughout the summer period. Based on these, the Vice President of our working group, Mr. Anders Falk of Sweden – to whom I should like to pay my warmest tribute – prepared a synthesis paper, which formed the basis for the discussions at the working group’s second session. This session took place from 18 to 22 October 2004 and gave rise to a very rich debate. It also allowed the drawing up of a first outline of a document that will eventually become the final report of the ad hoc working group.

I trust that you have all seen this document. At this stage, I should like to make it very clear that the document is indeed no more than a draft outline of the working group’s final report. Although we do use the word “recommendation” throughout the outline, we are still very much at the stage of initial proposals; and the document will undoubtedly undergo very major changes before finalization.

Let me briefly explain how the document was prepared, and what will happen next. Based on the synthesis paper prepared by Mr. Anders Falk for the ad hoc working group at its October session, a thorough debate took place during the first three and a half days of the session. Many interesting viewpoints were presented, and many new proposals emerged. I then requested a small drafting group, chaired by our friend and colleague Ken Wiltshire of Australia, and comprising a participant from each of the electoral groups, to prepare a very first draft of the outline of the report of the ad hoc working

group. I am sure you will appreciate that time was very short, and that the drafting group had to concentrate on outlining actual recommendations, with the narrative part, and the reasoning for these recommendations, to be provided at a later stage.

The drafting group, which worked very hard, was successful in coming up with such a first outline. It was presented to the full ad hoc working group, and its resource persons, during the final day of the session. On the clear understanding that we were still only at the stage of proposals, the working group and its resource persons accepted to review the outline as presented, and provide their comments. The main “flavour” of these comments is indicated in italics after each paragraph, or recommendation, of the outline in order to facilitate subsequent discussions. At this stage, we have not made any attempt to actually modify the outline as such.

The annotated draft outline was submitted to the members of the ad hoc working group, and its resource persons, in mid-November with a request for observations and proposals by mid-December. On the basis of these new contributions – which I hope will be as comprehensive and rich as the ones we received prior to the working group’s October session – Mr. Anders Falk will revise the draft of the working group’s final report. This revised draft will of course comprise both the actual recommendations, and the reasoning behind them, as well as the overall context of the exercize. It is my hope that the revised draft will give a very broad and inclusive picture of all the viewpoints and proposals emanating from the working group.

The revised draft of the final report from the ad hoc working group will be circulated to the members and resource persons by mid-January, and will of course be made available also to you as Permanent Delegates and Observers to UNESCO. The third and final session of the working group will take place from 14 to 16 February 2005. Based on the debate at this session, and possible new proposals, the report of the ad hoc working group will be finalized and submitted, as foreseen in the resolution of the General Conference, to the Executive Board at its 171st session in April next year. The Board will provide its comments on the report; and both will be submitted to the General Conference at its 33rd session for debate and decisions.

I have said from the outset that I wish full transparency, and the broadest possible participation, regarding the activities of the working group. The members of the group, and the resource persons, do of course play the key role in accordance with the terms of resolution 32 C/81. But I have been very pleased to note that a lively debate is already taking place among the Permanent Delegations and the Observers to UNESCO, and that small informal networks on governance issues have been created. Real reform of UNESCO’s governance is of course conditional upon a very broad consensus among Member States, and a firm commitment to change. This, in turn, can only be achieved through openness, and a fully participatory debate. It is for this reason that I have decided to convene this information meeting at this stage when we have a basis for our discussions – the draft of the outline of the final report of the ad hoc working group – and when no firm decisions have been made. I am looking forward to an inspiring debate this afternoon, which – although fully informal – I am sure, will be taken into account in the forthcoming work with the revision and finalization of the report of the ad hoc working group.

Before concluding, I should like to assure you that I remain in close contact with the Director-General and his key staff, since the Secretariat is a very important shareholder in this exercise. We have already discussed the technical feasibility of some of the main recommendations in the draft outline; and the advice of the Secretariat has been precious. It is also my intention to share the revised draft of the working group’s final report with the Director-General before finalization.

In the same vein, I should also like to express my appreciation of the personal interest my friend and colleague, Ambassador Wrede, as Chairperson of the Executive Board is taking in the activities of the ad hoc working group. Although the Board will have occasion to review the report of the working group in due course, and provide its comments on it to the General Conference, I will also share the revised draft of the final report with Ambassador Wrede prior to finalization.

Before opening the floor for your comments and questions, I should like to ask Mr. Anders Falk to give you a very brief introduction to the main issues contained in the draft outline of the final report of the ad hoc working group. You have the floor, Mr. Falk.

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