Dear Salanieta, thank you for forwarding this. Well, every country has its own priorities. From the point of view of the surveillance agencies in the country you mentioned, and in the UK, making the "war against terror" as the lodestone of public policy is probably a smart choice, as their budgets have increased by orders of magnitude. Viewed in this specialized light, culture, rights and education must seem like things for sissies. The initiative taken by Viviane Reding, vice-president of the European Commission, which you pointed out a few days ago, shows that the priorities of the EU are somewhat different from those which led to the US losing its voting rights in UNESCO. JJ. ----- Mail original ----- De: "Salanieta T. Tamanikaiwaimaro" <salanieta.tamanikaiwaimaro@gmail.com> À: "apralo" <apac-discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org>, "At-Large Worldwide" <at-large@atlarge-lists.icann.org>, "ALAC Internal List" <alac-internal@atlarge-lists.icann.org> Envoyé: Samedi 9 Novembre 2013 12:13:42 Objet: [ALAC-Internal] US loses its vote in UNESCO Dear All, The US just lost its vote in UNESCO. For details see the Press Statement released by the US Government today: Dear All, The US just lost its vote in UNESCO. See the Statement released by the US Gov: U.S. Mission to the United Nations: Statement on the Loss of U.S. Vote at UNESCO <http://usun.state.gov/briefing/statements/217394.htm> 11/08/2013 08:54 PM EST ------------------------------ AS DELIVERED Today the United States lost its vote in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) General Conference as a result of legislative restrictions that prohibit the U.S. from paying its dues. While these restrictions are motivated by concerns that we share, the loss of the United States' vote in UNESCO diminishes our influence within an organization that is looked to around the world for leadership on issues of importance to our country, including the rights of women and girls, Internet governance, freedom of the press, and the recognition and protection of cultural heritage. The Obama Administration has called upon Congress to approve legislative changes that would allow needed flexibility in the application of these statutory restrictions. U.S. leadership in UNESCO matters. As such, the United States will remain engaged with the organization in every possible capacity, including attending meetings, participating in debates, and maintaining our seat as an elected member of the Executive Board until 2015. _______________________________________________ ALAC-Internal mailing list ALAC-Internal@atlarge-lists.icann.org https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/alac-internal ALAC Wiki: https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/At-Large+Advisory+Committee+(ALA...) At-Large Website: http://atlarge.icann.org