UNESCO. General Conference; 30th; Records ... - unesdoc - Unesco

32.8 Document 30 C/5, though bulkier than document 29 C/5, has been well prepared in both layout and
content. I believe the increased size is due to the incorporation of the Technical Annex into the main document. It
is noted with appreciation that priority target groups continue to attract more generous support. However, a note
of caution should be sounded: that these resources should be directed to those Member States which are evidently
more deserving. They usually suffer on account of their inability to tap these resources. Botswana endorses the
Programme and Budget as recommended by the Executive Board.
32.9 Madam President, let me comment briefly on the issue of decentralization. Field offices, especially in
Africa, are understaffed and consist mainly of a single officer responsible for a number of countries with vast
distances separating them. Office work, which includes an overwhelming volume of UNESCO documents, allows
no time for effective visits to the countries for which they are responsible. Botswana would prefer integrated
offices with adequate professional staff as they would have the potential to service Member States better. What
remains a grey area is the structural relationship between UNESCO field offices and the National Commissions.
There is a need for guidelines to be designed by UNESCO in consultation with National Commissions against
which performance levels could and should be assessed. At present the working relationship is too ad hoc to
provide a basis for improved performance.
32.10 Finally, Madam President, I wish to commend UNESCOPRESS for sending messages quickly to
Member States. Those States with neither permanent representatives to UNESCO nor accredited embassies have
been kept informed in this way of current news at Headquarters and during sessions of the Executive Board.
UNESCOPRESS should continue this good work.
32.11 In conclusion, Madam President, the current philosophical framework as well as the programmes of
UNESCO offer a ray of hope for humanity and human development. Peace as a philosophical and practical
construct espoused by the outgoing Director-General will and shall tide us over in the journey between two
centuries. In the classical literature of human development, there is a tide in the affairs of human endeavour. We
take this tide as it flows or lose the venture to our own detriment or at our own peril. There is much too much at
stake. This, then, is the tail end of the tale told in Botswana’s contribution. I thank you.
33. The PRESIDENT:
I should like to thank the Minister for Education of Botswana most sincerely and wish his country – and
him personally – the best of success. I should like, if you will allow me, to mention one detail. Several times the
national role of National Commissions and of course decentralization have been mentioned. It might be useful to
remind those who are not aware of it that Article VII, paragraph 3, of the Constitution states: “The Organization
may, on the request of a Member State, delegate, either temporarily or permanently, a member of its Secretariat
to serve on the National Commission of that State, in order to assist in the development of its work”. I now invite
His Excellency Mr Bärfuss, Ambassador of Switzerland, to take the floor.
34.1 M. BÄRFUSS (Suisse) :
Madame la Présidente de la Conférence générale, Mesdames et Messieurs les délégués, Mesdames,
Messieurs, cette importante session de la Conférence générale marquera sans doute un tournant dans l'histoire de
l'UNESCO. Madame la Présidente, votre brillante élection, dont je tiens à vous féliciter, augure bien du succès
de nos travaux. Permettez-moi de rappeler quels sont les deux grands enjeux de cette session : nous sommes sur
le point d'adopter le Programme et budget de l'Organisation pour 2000-2001, et nous allons désigner le nouveau
Directeur général de l'UNESCO. En tant que représentants de tous les Etats membres de l'UNESCO, nous
prendrons ainsi des engagements déterminants pour l'avenir de l'Organisation. Il nous incombe à tous de bien les
formuler. Il appartiendra au nouveau Directeur général et au Secrétariat de les mettre en oeuvre fidèlement, de
façon cohérente, efficace et dynamique.
34.2 Le gouvernement suisse compte que la Conférence générale donnera à l'UNESCO des orientations
fortes, claires, qui puissent être comprises par la société civile mondiale, dont nous tirons notre légitimité. C'est
pour elle que nous travaillons, et pour les générations futures dont nous sommes en train d'influencer le destin par
nos actes - ou par nos omissions. A l'heure où la société civile attend des pouvoirs publics une "bonne
gouvernance", l'UNESCO se doit de donner l'exemple en menant rapidement à terme les réformes de son
programme et de ses méthodes de gestion mises en route ces dernières années. L'aboutissement de ces réformes
est indispensable au renforcement de l'universalité de l'UNESCO.
34.3 Force est toutefois de constater que les efforts déployés jusqu'à présent par les Etats membres et par le
Directeur général pour accroître l'efficacité et le prestige de l'UNESCO n'ont pas encore porté tous les fruits
attendus, malgré l'engagement personnel de M. Mayor en faveur de la démocratie, de la liberté d'expression et de
la liberté de la presse qui a beaucoup fait pour restaurer la crédibilité de l'Organisation. Sur le plan intellectuel, le
rayonnement de l'UNESCO reste néanmoins trop faible. L'impact réel de ses activités à travers le monde est
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