AIDE MEMOIRE

THE CANDIDATURE OF THE COOK ISLANDS AS A MEMBER OF THE

EXECUTIVE BOARD OF UNESCO FOR THE PERIOD 2017 - 2021

The Government of the Cook Islands presents its candidature to the Executive Board of UNESCO
for the period 2017 2021, the elections of which will be held during the forthcoming 39th Session
of the General Conference of UNESCO in October-November 2017.

The Cook Islands is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean comprising 15 islands whose
total land area is 240 square kilometres (92.7 sq mi). The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone
(EEZ), however, covers 1,800,000 square kilometres (690,000 sq mi) of ocean. The indigenous
Polynesian population are Cook Islands Maori.

The Cook Islands became self governing in free association with New Zealand in 1965. It has
enjoyed full independence in the conduct of its foreign affairs since 1973, interacting with the
international community as a sovereign and independent state since this time. In 1984, an
application by the Cook Islands for membership in the World Health Organization was approved
by the World Health Assembly in accordance with its article 6, and the Cook Islands, in accordance
with article 79, became a member upon deposit of an instrument of acceptance with the Secretary
General. In the circumstances, the United Nations Secretary General felt that the question of the
status, as a State, of the Cook Islands, had been duly decided in the affirmative by the World Health
Assembly, whose membership was fully representative of the international community.

The Cook Islands subsequently joined UNESCO in 1989, and signed the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992,
to which the UN Repertory of Practice described as "further evidence that the international
community had accepted the Cook Islands as a State under international law."

Today, the Cook Islands has formalized diplomatic relations with 45 states and the European
Union and is a member to over 42 Organisations (including UN specialized agencies), and has
signed over 100 multilateral treaties and a comparable number of bilateral treaties.

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1. The Cook Islands and UNESCO

The Cook Islands is committed to highlighting the profound and daunting challenges of Small
Island Developing States (SIDS), and ensuring they continue to have a voice at the highest levels
of UNESCO governance, We will seek to promote the diversity of experience and knowledge in
the development of UNESCO policies, strategy and programmes and in doing so, add a unique
and valuable perspective to the work of the Executive Board.

The Cook Islands, will seek to work through the UNESCO Executive Board in promoting the
outcomes of the S.A.M.O.A Pathway for SIDS, and in supporting work programmes that promote
the equitable achievement of the Global Sustainable Development Goals. The Cook Islands will
work towards achieving the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for
all peoples, and particularly those from the Pacific Islands region - a region which currently does
not enjoy representation on the UNESCO Executive Board.

As a member of the Executive Board, the Cook Islands will strive for:

Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with an emphasis on

ensuring the Pacific Islands nations are not left behind;
Emphasis on high-quality 21st century education that is responsive to the challenges of the
region;
An integrated approach to sustainability in the sciences that utilizes the unique Indigenous
Knowledge Systems of the Pacific;
Preservation and protection of tangible and intangible heritage rooted in living cultural
practice;
Utilization of digital technology and modern communication strategies to counter the
tyrannies of isolation experienced throughout the Pacific; and
An active and effective UNESCO, based on strong partnerships founded on inclusion and
diversity; and an efficient system of governance that recognizes the unique challenges and
contributions of SIDS; together with an inter-sectoral approach that seeks sustainable
outcomes for all.

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2. The Cook Islands in partnership with UNESCO

In the Education sector, the Cook Islands Education Master Plan has many explicit linkages to the
previous Education for All mandate and the new Education 2030 mandate. The Cook Islands is
committed to equitable and inclusive quality education and have seen real gains in both secondary
education and TVET in recent years.

The Cook Islands has also been significantly involved in the UNESCOs work on the Education
for Sustainable Development (ESD). Given our significant vulnerability to the impacts of climate
change, ensuring our children have the requisite skills and knowledge needed to make decisions
on issues that will impact on the environment they and future generations will inherit, the ESD is
extremely important programme to us. The Cook Islands has participated in and presented at a
number of UNESCO expert meetings on Climate Change Education and ESD, and were one of the
first countries in our region to join the Sandwatch Programme. This has been a particularly
successful initiative, and Sandwatch activities are now integrated across the Cook Islands
curriculum.

This work is complemented by work from the Global Citizenship Education initiative and the
opportunities our teachers and school leaders receive through the UNESCO Category II Institute
the Asia Pacific Centre for Education for International Understanding. These complementary
programmes allow our young people to develop identity as young Cook Islanders and the skills to
be valuable global contributors.

The Natural Sciences programmes of UNESCO are reflected in the Cook Islands through work
around biodiversity, climate change and education. The Cook Islands has a strong working
relationship with the Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems centre with UNESCO. As the
international pilot country for the UNESCO project The Canoe is the People, a resource on
traditional voyaging and navigation, we work to make explicit links between indigenous
knowledge and current practices. This is seen in our work in school-based science education, as
well as in various community-based initiatives.

Women in Science and Technology (WISAT) is a programme which makes connections between
young women who are studying science in school and women working in science fields in the

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community. It is an opportunity for stories and experiences to be shared and for stereotypes to be
broken down and career pathways to be explored. The WISAT forum started in 2002 and has been
held annually ever since.

As a Big Ocean Sustainable State (BOSS), the Cook Islands maintains a strong interest in the
advancement of the Blue-Green Economy and the role of our ocean in as a part of the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development (SDG14). The establishment of Marae Moana, a large scale Marine
Protected Area within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), has provided the Cook Islands with
first-hand experience and expertise on integrated policy in oceans governance. In this context, we
believe we can add value to the work and programmes covered under UNESCOs
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).

Youth have been the focus for the Cook Islands in the Social Science arena. UNESCO has provided
many opportunities for the voice of youth to be heard within the Cook Islands, as well as providing
a platform for our Youth both regionally and internationally. We recognize that the need to support
our Youth in a rapidly evolving 21st century is a challenge our Pacific Islands region faces. We
also know that many of the UNESCO programme areas and the work of other UN agencies have
identified strategies to support Youth. We would therefore work for a greater level of explicit co-
ordination and collaboration amongst Agencies so that countries can have more streamlined access
to expertise and in doing so, successfully meet this challenge.

At the 38th Session of UNESCO General Conference, Hon. Henry Puna, Prime Minister of the
Cook Islands, made a commitment in his policy debate address for the Cook Islands to ratify at
least one further cultural convention in the following 12 months. This pledge was fulfilled in April
of 2016. It demonstrates the high value the Cook Islands places on its language and culture. The
intangible aspects of our culture are particularly important to us and we see real benefit in
strengthening the ways in which the tools provided by UNESCO can be utilized to further support
the protection of these.

3. The Pacific Voice

The Cook Islands is an active global citizen. Although small, we make valuable contribution to a
number of regional and global agendas. We believe we can be an effective voice for our Pacific

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Islands region, and for SIDS more broadly. To this end, in 2016 we sought endorsement from the
Pacific Islands Forum for our candidacy to the UNESCO Executive Board for 2017. The Forum
Islands Leaders, in their 2016 Communiqu, formally supported the candidacy of the Cook Islands
to the UNESCO Executive Board for the term 2017 2021. The Cook Islands was honoured to
receive this unanimous support from our Pacific Islands region.

We consider that having a successful Pacific candidate is important if UNESCO is to ensure

equitable representation across its membership. There has been no Pacific Island representation
since 2015, and should the Cook Islands candidature prove unsuccessful, the result would mean
an absence of Pacific representation on the Executive Board until 2019. This is an undesirable
situation when it is considered that within the Asia-Pacific electoral group, the Pacific region
represents 16 of the 44 member countries, and there are 12 seats reserved for the Asia-Pacific
Group on the Executive Board. The Cook Islands will thereby add value to the Executive Board
by being the Pacific voice, and bring a unique and specific viewpoint to UNESCO and its
programmes.

In view of the foregoing, the Cook Islands Government believes that its election to the Executive
Board will provide an ideal opportunity for it to further contribute to the global effort to realise the
objectives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

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