Unesco delays creating controversial 'dictator' prize

The executive commission of Unesco, the UN's Educational, Scientific and Cultural organisation, suspended on Tuesday the "implementation on the decision for the creation of the prize". A number of civil society organisations and some Unesco member states had voiced their concerns over the organisation naming a prize after Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

AFP/Emmanuel Dunand

The Obiang prize for Life Sciences created some controversy after non-governmental organisations drew attention to the source of funds - a 2.2-million-euro pledge--  from an obscure Equatorial Guinean foundation.

Agapito Mba Mokuy, an advisor to President Obiang, told RFI this just means the prize will be delayed. "I have to clarify a very serious misunderstanding there is no suspension

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Agapito Mba Mokuy, an advisor to President Obiang

Daniel Finnan

of the Obiang prize," he said, adding that there is no legal basis to suspend the award.

"The executive board...suspended the implementation of the decision, which means they postponed. Instead of talking about the prize now, instead of talking to the director-general to immediately execute the prize, they gave her [Unesco Director-General Irina Bokova] time in order to negotiate  with the parties concerned," said Mokuy.

More than 120 African intelluctuals such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu have voiced their objections to the prize - highlighting the country's poor human rights record in a letter addressed to Unesco. Tutu had also writtten a letter in the Spring of 2010 saying he was passionately opposed to the prize.

But RFI learned from the United States delegation to Unesco that in fact the Equatorial Guinea government had given a letter to the prize committee from Tutu, falsely stating that he supported the prize.

"I was in the room when I heard a statement that was very confusing to me," US Ambassador to Unesco David Killion told RFI. 

"The letter the representative from Equatorial Guinea was referring to had nothing to do with the prize. It was a letter where Desmond Tutu was congratulating President Obiang for certain changes he had made, and he made no mention whatsoever of the prize in that letter," said Killion.

Mokuy said that Unesco had no legal basis to not create the prize, nor should these criteria be imposed solely on Equatorial Guinea.

"It is a really dangerous precedent," said Mokuy.  "If we have to change the decision of the governing bodies of Unesco, because there some complaints from non-governmental organisations, we are opening a pandora’s box. It is a very dangerous precedent. And that’s the concern from Equatorial Guinea," he added.

Perhaps the spotlight on whether to award the prize or not will change the climate for awarding prizes, said Killion.

"The Unesco executive board is going to take a look at all the criteria for all prizes and I think some very important good government stiplulations are going to be reached, where new conditions are going to be put on prizes here at Unesco," he said.

On Wednesday, the board will consider whether to suspend the creation of a special prize named after Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

"I am certain the plenary will ratify that decision," said Killion.