903 



ALTERNATIVE INTERIM ARRANGEMENTS 



The alternative arrangements proposed in this report are aimed at 

 ensuring meaningful U.S. involvement in important UNESCO science 

 activities if the United States withdraws from official membership in 

 the organization at the end of 1984. This report does not address the 

 wider ranging issue of an overall alternative approach to the U.S. role 

 in multilateral science cooperation for the rest of this century. There 

 is clearly an urgent need to do so. 



For the major intergovernmental research programs and for other 

 selected science activities in which the United States is involved, 

 utilization of a grant to UNESCO is suggested. For other important 

 science areas of UNESCO activity, support of cooperating organizations 

 is proposed, usually as may be recommended by an appropriate U.S. 

 agent. Thus, it is suggested that a significant portion of the avail- 

 able resources be earmarked for relevant U.S. institutions (govern- 

 mental and in some cases nongovernmental) , which would have important 

 oversight and managerial responsibilities for U.S. participation in 

 UNESCO programs in their particular areas of competence. 



The consideration of alternative interim arrangements leads to a 

 number of conclusions, poses a number of unknowns, and raises several 

 issues that require further policy analysis: 



1. No Viable Overall Alternative . There is at present no viable 

 overall alternative for UNESCO's science programs. Furthermore, there 

 is no simple set of alternative interim arrangements that will ensure 

 future U.S. collaboration with current or future UNESCO projects. In 

 fact, withdrawal will undoubtedly lead to a multiplicity of channels 

 that may be more or less effective. Whatever alternative mechanisms are 

 implemented, it is extremely important to ensure continuity of funding. 

 Otherwise, irreversible damage to valuable current programs is inevi- 

 table. Proposing alternative mechanisms is also complicated by the 

 possibility that the United States may rejoin UNESCO at a later date 



if appropriate reforms are achieved. 



2. Danger of Fragmentation . Putting in' place a variety of interim 

 alternative arrangements for future funding and participation will 

 result in a fragmentation of scientific and administrative relations. 

 Moreover, there will be serious substantive, managerial, and financial 

 costs that cannot be underestimated. However, the fact that UNESCO's 

 activities include both development assistance programs and programs 

 aimed at the advancement of scientific research makes the search for z. 

 single alternative extremely difficult, if not impossible. 



3. Specific Program Support to UNESCO . In many cases, the most 

 attractive and administratively simple alternative might be specific 

 program support to UNESCO through the mechanism of Funds-in-Trust or 

 donations. This type of contribution would be appropriate for large 

 portions of the IOC, MAB, IGCP, and the IHP. It suffers, however, from 

 the fact that there may be a lack of direct oversight (except for the 

 IOC where the United States plans to retain membership) . Perhaps some 



