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some Paris St Germain footballers
who could pay off the deficit, but this
is not the same thing. In the mean-
time there are tens of millions of
people waiting for UNESCO to bring
them better education, better educa-
tion systems, better training oppor-
tunities, better trained teachers. On
behalf of my country, on behalf of
Africa, I hope that knowledge will be
made available to everyone and not
be reserved for a certain privileged
few.

Q: In many African countries,
have a country that is rich in water A friend came to see me and told there are problems with school
resources, with thousands of rivers me that he was happy that I was drop-out, lack of vocational
and streams. We do not have any elected and said: "You're someone training and unemployment
water problems and have 6 million who knows the house, and who can among young people. These are
hectares of fertile land. If you take defend the interests of your former potential social time-bombs. Is
our mining resources and our agri- colleagues. This gives you an extra this the case in Guinea?
cultural resources, in time we could responsibility for their trust because
make our country into an emerging they think you are able to defend This is the case everywhere, since we
country. This is the reason why I am their interests." I've never felt that cannot satisfy the training needs of
against development aid. I am in fa- one should calculate the cost/benefit young people. You should know that
vour of more investment and a win- ratio. For me, UNESCO's role is to we have a very young population and
win situation for everybody. I have disseminate knowledge to those who a failing education system. We have
great ambitions for my country. do not have the means to acquire around 49 to 59% of school drop-
it. Some Member States are always outs -- this is huge. The quality of
Q: For people who want to in- asking to cut the budget and reduce teaching is not at the required level.
vest what do you have to offer? staff; this is a mistake in my point of We have no vocational training and
view. As I represent a poor country, we have a pool of young people enter-
We are open to all types of invest- and even when I shout loud they ing the labour market without train-
ments, as long as investors do not cannot hear me, but in my mind the ing. We ought to give them hope
come with briefcases full of cash and most valuable asset of UNESCO is its and a future. The Minister of Youth
try to bribe people to acquire mar- staff. Employment has set up training pro-
kets. We want transparency, linked grammes that aim to train as many
to a partnership that is a win-win There is no vaccine to distribute as young people as possible and he
situation for all parties. We have a WHO does. What UNESCO does is encourages businesses and investors
lot of opportunities to offer in terms distribute knowledge. Qualitatively, to absorb the vitality of this dyna-
of mining, agriculture, etc. how can one assess the benefits of mic youth. Our young people need
a contract of US$10 million given training.
Q: You have been elected to to trainers who train teachers? How
represent your country on the can you judge the quality of educa- Today I was in a meeting with Gui-
Executive Board of UNESCO. tion given by the teachers to the nean students who are ready to
What does this mean for you? students? These are some of the return back home. We try to set up
difficulties. I'm having trouble get- a kind of mechanism, a plan in or-
I think this is one of the greatest mo- ting my colleagues on the Executive der to try gradually to absorb the
ral satisfactions of my professional Board to see the role of UNESCO as a youth who would be the solution
life. I started my career in UNESCO gift from heaven, a gift from heaven to our problems of governance.
when I was a third-year law student, for the continent most in need of Bad habits have been created over
and I spent my entire career in this UNESCO. As I mentioned earlier, the years, and these young people
organization. I served the Executive we have young people who need to who are trained in universities out-
Board when I was the Chief of Bud- be trained, and this is the organi- side and have a good education
get. I prepared the briefing notes for zation that can help us to achieve injected in huge numbers into our
the Director-General, as well as the these objectives. Unfortunately, administration and businesses will
replies to the questions raised, etc. when you lower the number of staff give us a new class of leaders who
To be there now behind my country's and cut the budget, how can it fulfil its think in terms of performance, of
name plate in the organization where role? Frankly, the budget devoted to public good, of good governance and
I spent my whole career has been a this organization is almost nothing. who have a clear distinction between
huge personal satisfaction. There are member states that could their own personal pocket and that
easily pay the whole budget or even of the state.

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