UNESCO: ONE YEAR AFTER THE US DEPARTURE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85T01058R000405320001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 1, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: October 10, 1985
• Content Type: REPORT

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Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, D. 0.20505
DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE
10 October 1985
UNESCO: One Year After the US Departure
Summary
One year after the US withdrawal from UNESCO, we see -- as
most observers expected -- that the organization is not making
any serious effort to deal with the problems which led to the US
departure.
o The Executive Board has proposed only minimal management
reforms;
o Director General M'Bow of Senegal is attempting to lay
the ground work for reelection to a third term beginning
in 1987;
o The Soviets are continuing to exploit UNESCO programs for
political and intelligence purposes. Moreover, they have
taken advantage of the US departure to try to expand
their own personnel quota in the UNESCO Secretariat and
curry favor with the dominant G-77 bloc.
The one exception to business as usual is the harassment of US
personnel in the Secretariat. Openly encouraged by the Soviets,
M'Bow has launched a campaign to purge selected US nationals,
which has to date resulted in several departures and an attempt
to terminate the contract of a senior US Secretariat official.
We expect that, ,with little interest in reform, the UNESCO
General Conference meeting in Sofia this month will approve the
minor changes that the Board has propcsed. We do not expect 25X1
This memorandum was prepared by analysts in the Subversion
Analysis Branch, Office of Global Issues. Information available
as of 9 October 1985 has been used. Comments and queries are
welcome and may be directed to the Chief, Foreign Subversion and
Instability Center, on 25X1
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him with a new power base within the organization.
Britain to withdraw unless Prime Minister Thatcher overrules the
Foreign Office. We also expect that M'Bow will continue to
reduce the number of US personnel through attrition and that the
Soviets will continue to exploit personnel shifts and
reorganizations to enhance their position in UNESCO. Since M'Bow
interviews each professional candidate, we believe that the 340
new UNESCO staff hired since January 1984 could very well provide
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UNESCO: One Year After the US De arture
No Real Management Reform
In the wake of the US departure, UNESCO -- as most observers
expected -- is pursuing only minimal managerial changes. Last
year the United States proposed several constitutional and
administrative reforms -- including a recommendation that the
Executive Board act as a board of directors capable of meaningful
budget review, direct tasking of external auditors, and review of
personnel practices. To date, the G-77 majority on the Board has
evidenced little interest in reform, agreeing to follow M'Bow's
lead and to adopt only cosmetic changes in the organization's
management, according to US Mission reporting. The July
Executive Board meeting adopted the following changes, subject
to the approval of the General Conference meeting this month in
Sofia:
o A 1986-1987 zero growth budget in the face of the 25
percent revenue shortfall resulting from the US
departure.
Some reduction in funding for disarmament studies.
o A central evaluation unit in the Secretariat for program
review.
direct tasking of external auditors.
o Stylistic changes in budget presentation.
At the September Executive Board meeting, the board rejected
and the British over how much reform is needed.
In our judgment, interest in reform has dwindled principally
because the dominant G-77 bloc very quickly reached a limit on
the concessions it was willing to make to keep the door open for
the United States to return. The reform movement was also
weakened by the split within the Western group between the French
M'Bow, who has a significant following in the G-77, has
reasserted his activist role in the Executive Board since the US
departed, and is trying to lay the groundwork for reelection in
1987 in order to vindicate his management of UNESCO. He is
moving toward reelection despite criticism of his competence by
several West European and Middle Eastern delegations. According
to the US Mission, he has attempted to reinvigorate his African
constituency by encouraging Africans to seek positions on the
Executive Board. This campaign may already be producing results:
at the September Board meeting, the G-77 pushed a resolution
praising M'Bow's leadership. Moreover, M'Bow has allowed 340
new UNESCO personnel to be hired since January 1984. In light
M'Bow's Reelection Campaign
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of M'Bow's highly personalistic style of leadership which
includes interviewing each professional candidate, we expect
hi~try to use this pool of staff to help him stay in power.
Purge of US Personnel
The drive to purge the UNESCO Secretariat of Americans began
immediately after the US withdrawal. On 7 January 1985, the
Director of the Bureau of Personnel, who is M'Bow's son-in-law,
asked his Soviet administrative officer to prepare a comprehen-
sive list of all US staff employees giving the expiration dates
of their contracts, according to the US Mission.
Since then the situation of US personnel in UNESCO has
become increasingly tenuous.~~
o As of April 1985, 37 of the 81 American professionals
employed in UNESCO positions under the US quota had their
contracts up for renewal this year. Only 12 of these
professionals have had their contracts renewed; four US
nationals have retired, three have resigned, three are in
positions to be abolished, and two have been terminated,
with the remaining cases yet to be decided.
q The position of Americans in the Education Sector,
headed by Soviet Associate Director General Tanguiane,
is unfavorable. One program officer and one program
specialist have already been terminated, and another's
contract was renewed until later this year when knowl-
edgeable sources expect it to lapse. M'Bow and Tanguiane
have initiated actions to remove the US Director of the
International Bureau of Education, and the State
Department believes he will be forced out at the end of
his contract period.
o At the September meeting, the Executive Board adopted a
resolution that this month's conference in Sofia address
the question of staff reductions and contract renewals
among the nationals of nonmember states. This Algerian-
sponsored resolution is being variously interpreted by
the US Mission as either a G-77 effort to dismiss US
personnel or as a warning to the UK and other countries
that their^nationals are hostage to continued participa-
Soviet Strategy and Tactics
In our judgment, Moscow's overall strategy has been to
exploit the US departure to strengthen its position in UNESCO
while working to maintain the intelligence and political benefits
that it has long enjoyed. This strategy is particularly apparent
in concerted Soviet efforts to exploit the personnel issue.
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to dismiss American personnel, according to US Mission reporting.
Soviet Ambassador Yermelenko has, for over a year, strenuously
argued for dismissal of American staff, referring to them as
"stateless persons." The Soviets also continue to suggest that
US personnel are expensive -- UNESCO reimburses them for US
income taxes and many hold high-level positions -- and that a
useful contribution to UNESCO's deficit reduction plans would be
plans to address the Sofia Conference this month.
The Soviets have also exploited the US departure to score
political points with the G-77 representatives. While the
Soviets have privately told the US Observer Mission that they
want a well-run organization and would be opposed to a third term
for M'Bow, they have lobbied vigorously in the Executive Board to
make no changes in the current program, much of which has been
shaped by M'Bow. Moreover, Shevardnadze made a point of visiting
M'Bow during Gorbachev's recent visit to Paris, and Gorbachev
program that during 1981-1983 awarded 900 fellowships.
In our judgment, the Soviets are having some successes on
the personnel front. This year they captured a key post in the
Development of External Relations Sector when a Soviet arrived in
July to become Director of the Fellowships Division. In this
position, he will review applicant files, meet with young Third
World leaders, and negotiate with Third World governments over a
donor and therefore should have a larger personnel quota.
We believe that the Soviet objectives in exploiting the US
personnel issue are, at a minimum, to avoid dismissals of Soviet
staff during the inevitable staff reductions to be caused by the
loss of one-quarter of the budget and, if possible, even make
gains in the number of Soviet staff in UNESCO. Ambassador
Yermelenko has pointed out that the USSR is now UNESCO's largest
the middle of a biennium.
The Soviets have participated in harsh public attacks on the
US withdrawal. Soviet Ambassador Yermelenko, Moscow's delegate
to the Executive Board, has at all of the Board meetings this
year suggested that the United States should be denied observer
status and that it should pay its 1985 dues since UNESCO operates
financially on a biennium basis. The resident Soviet Ambassador,
Khilchevski, suggested earlier this year that observer status be
linked to payment of these alleged financial obligations. At the
September meeting, the Board forwarded to the Sofia Conference a
recommendation that US observer status be reexamined and that the
Conference consider seeking an advisory opinion from the World
Court on the financial obligations of a state that withdraws in
While trying to capitalize on the US departure, Moscow
continues to take advantage of UNESCO in various ways.
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 o After the US withdrawal, the Indian affiliate of the
International Organization of Journalists, a Soviet
front, demanded that news agencies -- such as AP and
Reuters -- from countries withdrawing from UNESCO be
denied access to the Indian news market, according to
the US Embassy.
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o The Soviets have submitted two resolutions to the Sofia
conference proposing more immediate implementation of
the New World Information and Communications Order,
which seeks restrictions on Western news media.
o We believe Moscow will exploit its participation in the
UNESCO program for ma in the bottom of the Western
Indian Ocean. ~
Outlook
Minister intervenes.
With its G-77 majority, the Sofia conference almost
certainly will approve only the minimal "reforms" adopted by the
Executive Board. The British delegation to the Governing Board
and a Parliamentary Committee have both welcomed these reforms,
so that it appears Britain will not withdraw unless the Prime
Judging by actions to date on US employee contracts, M'Bow
will not terminate all US personnel precipitately, but will allow
attrition to take its course in an atmosphere of staff reduction.
We believe the Soviets will continue to exploit opportunities to
place more of their own people in the Secretariat as vacancies
and reorganizations occur while continuing to manipulate UNESCO
programs to their advantage.
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SUBJECT: ~ UNESCO: One Year After the US Departure
OGI/FSIC/SA/~
10 Oct 85)
Distr ibution:
1 - William F. Martin, NSC
1 - DCI
1 - ES/DCI
1 - EA/DDCI
1 - Executive Director
1 - DDI
1 - DDI/PES
1 - DDO
1 - VC/NIC
1 - NIO/USSR
1 - D/ALA
1 - D/NESA
1 - NIO/FDIA
1 - D/OGI, DD/OGI
1 - CPAS/ISS
5 - CPAS/CB
3 - OGI/EXS/PG
2 - C/OGI/FSIC
15 - OGI/FSIC/SA
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