$3,. i$ Un&Zd Nations Educational, SA tktific and Cultural Organization Executive Board. ex.. Hundred and thirty-sixth Session Item 8.8 of the provisional agenda 136 EX/28 PARIS, 28 March 1991 Original: French PROPOSALS CONCERNING THE CHATEAU DU BOIS DU ROCHER SUMMARY The purpose of this document is to submit to the Executive Board, in compliance with 132 EX/Decision 8.6, a report on the possible uses of the Chiteau du Bois du Rocher property. On the basis of the facts contained in the report, the Director-General recommends that the property should be sold. Decision required: paragraph 30.
136 EX/28 INTRODUCTION 1. The Chgteau du Bois du Rocher, situated at Jouy-en-Josas in the Paris region, was donated to UNESCO by Mr and Mrs Aschberg, of Swedish nationality, on 28 December 1956 to... be used so as to help UNESCO attain the goals it pursues and fulfil its function ; it has been the subject of discussion by the governing bodies of the Organization since the mid-1980s. 2. The first studies on the utilization of the Chgteau, which has virtually been unused since 1984, showed in fact the difficulties involved in ensuring sound financial management of the property in the long term. This was due more especially to the fact that between 1958 and 1984 it had never been possible in practice to hold activities there other than the two- or three-day seminars and training sessions that were organized mostly for newly appointed Headquarters and field staff. At the same time, the Organization had to continue paying the domestic staff on a full-time basis as well as the full running and maintenance costs of the property. BACKGROUND 3. At its 129th and 130th sessions the Executive Board, to which the matter had been submitted for,examination, was given initial information concerning the use of the Bois du Rocher property. At its 129th session the Executive Board requested the Director-General to re-examine the matter and asked for certain additional information and details (cf. 129 EX/Decision 7.4). At its 130th session, the Executive Board examined the progress report submitted to it (cf. 130 EX/18 Add. 2) and noted that a document containing all the information requested would be made available to it at its 131st session (131 EX/30 Add.). 4. That document (131 EX/30 Add.), submitted to the Executive Board at its 131st session in accordance with its request, contained a report setting out all the facts concerning the use of the Chsteau du Bois du Rocher property which had been asked for in 129 EX/Decision 7.4, they included the legal opinion of the competent services of the host country (Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the views of Dr Aschberg, the sole heir of the donors, a valuation of the market value of the property and the results of both the consultation of bodies specializing in the different ki.nds of use to which such a property could be put and the consultation of the Standing Committee of NGOs. 5. In accordance with decision 8.2 (II) adopted at its 131st session, the Executive Board referred this question to its Special Committee for examination, with a view to submitting final proposals to the Board at its 132nd session concerning either the economically viable use of the Chgteau or the sale of the property. 6. A working group of the Special Committee, which met from 21 to 26 September 1989, examined the dossier, and took note of the documents made available to it and the additional information provided by the Secretariat. The working group emphasized first of all that the question of the use of the Chgteau should not be examined as an isolated problem but should rather be viewed... in the general context of UNESCO s overall policy and general goals, particularly with regard to the new approach adopted in the next Medium-Term Plan (cf. document 132 EX/4, Annex II).
136 EX/28 - page 2 7. Following a visit to the property on 22 September 1989, the working group suggested in its conclusions that the facilities of the ChPteau could be used for one or more of the following activities: expert meetings and training seminars, as had been done in the past for 28 years; scientific work and drafting sessions requiring concentrated effort and relative isolation; a leisure centre for UNESCO staff members or, more broadly, for the staff from other relevant institutions; an archival centre for the Organization; receptions and high-level intellectual meetings; possible needs of intergovernmental, semi-governmental and non-governmental organizations whose aims are in conformity with those of UNESCO ; leasing to a company or association, on condition that it provides maintenance and, whenever necessary, rents the property back to UNESCO on preferential terms; any other use already mentioned in the FA Commission and the Headquarters Committee. 2 8. - This was the situation when the matter was examined once again by the Executive Board at its 132nd session under item 8.6 of its agenda, Final proposals concerning the Ch?iteau du Bois du Rocher. At the close of that session, the Board endorsed the conclusions of the Special Committee in 132 EX/Decision 8.6, inviting the Director-General to take the necessary action to follow them up and to carry out a comprehensive study of all possible uses of the Chgteau, particularly those listed by the working group (cf. para. 7 above). POSSIBLE USES OF THE PROPERTY 9. Since that time and in accordance with the decision of the Executive Board and the relevant recommendations of its Special Committee, the Secretariat has continued to give the question of the use of the Bois du Rocher its full attention, in close consultation with the Headquarters Committee. In this connection and pursuant to the recommendation made by the Bureau of the Headquarters Committee at its first meeting, all the working documents and reports of the governing bodies of the Organization concerning the question of the use of the ChGteau du Bois du Rocher property were communicated on 19 April 1990 to all the members of the Headquarters Committee. Document 131 EX/30 Add., which was submitted to the Executive Board at its 131st session, was the most recent document at that time and summed up all the main facts concerning the subject. 10. The Headquarters Committee accordingly based its consideration and work mainly on decision 8.6 adopted by the Executive Board at its 132nd session in which it endorsed the conclusions of its Special Committee and invited the Director-General to take the necessary action to follow them up, to carry out a comprehensive study of all possible uses of the Chgteau, particularly those listed by the Special Committee s working group, and to indicate the resources required to draw maximum benefit to the Organization.
136 EX/28 - page 3 11. In addition, the Committee kept constantly in mind the major guidelines that had emerged from the proceedings of the Executive Board, particularly the provision that the possible sale of the property should be considered only as a last resort and that every effort should be made to seek ways whereby the ChGteau might be used more especially by national or international bodies whose activities were consonant with the ideals of the Organization. 12. A further subject of concern to the -Headquarters Committee was how the - cost of renovating the Chzteau and of maintaining and administering it could be financed; the overall charges could not unfortunately, be borne by the budget of the Organization any longer, as available funds were only sufficient to cover work that was indispensable to ensure the safety of the buildings, at the Bois du Rocher and at Headquarters alike. Should the Bois du Rocher property be used by an outside body, responsibility for all those costs would necessarily be borne by the users, UNESCO retaining the right however to use the property on preferential terms in case of need. International Olvmpic Committee (IOC) 13. During the Director-General s consultation with the Secretariat, permanent delegates and non-governmental organizations regarding the various ways in which the property might be used, the Administrative Secretary of the International Catholic Centre for UNESCO (CCIC), suggested, as a personal opinion, that co-operation between UNESCO and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should be strengthened and stated that, in his view, one way in which that might be achieved would be through the use of the Bois du Rocher. He also suggested that UNESCO might consider using the property with the support of IOC for the training of physical education teachers and instructors, especially from the developing countries. 14. This suggestion was considered by the Bureau of the Headquarters Committee at its second meeting; it expressed the wish that preliminary discussions should accordingly be initiated by the Secretariat with IOC. 15. On the advice of the services of the President of IOC (Mr J.A. Samaranch), the Secretariat therefore approached the Director of Olympic Solidarity and proposed that the Chgteau du Bois du Rocher property might, once appropriate alterations had been made, be used as permanent premises for the education and training of officials, sports managers, managers and administrators of sports associations, and the like (see letter GES/58/BM.5 of 28 November 1990 in Annex I). 16. During preliminary talks with the office of the Director of Olympic Solidarity it was pointed out that these services were, in fact, responsible for implementing programmes for the education and training of athletes, and sports managers, etc. Facilities included a mobile school for managers, special training courses for athletes, scholarships for athletes and training centres, etc., the total annual budget allocated to these activities by IOC amounting to some $15 million. 17. However, the Director of Olympic Solidarity pointed out in his letter of 18 December 1990, which appears in Annex II, that all those activities were usually carried out on premises made available to IOC by the various National Olympic Committees; in France this was the Comite National Olympique et Sportif Fransais (CNOSF). 18. After consulting Mr Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee, the Director of Olympic Solidarity stated that IOC was not able to take up the proposal for using the Bois du Rocher property.
136 EX/28 - page 4 The World s Little Singers choir 19. On the recommendation of the Permanent Delegation of Australia to UNESCO, the founding director of an international choir known as The World s Little Singers, expressed an interest in the possibility of using the property. This group 9 consisting of children from 40 national choirs, meets in two separate sessions - a four-month session in the Southern hemisphere and a winter session, again of four months, in the Northern hemisphere. 20. The World s Little Singers is made up of two choirs of 36 children, who divide their time between their institution and world tours. The idea is that this international choir should be available to organizations such as UNICEF for fund-raising projects, the establishment and operation of an international children s radio organization, and the setting up of children s choirs in developing countries. 21. A visit to the Chsteau was accordingly arranged on 20 December 1990 for the founding director of the choir who, after inspecting the facilities available, said that it might be possible to install the musical and administrative part of the choir s activities there, which were now financed mainly through assistance from the French Government (Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Co-operation). The choir was, furthermore, seeking sponsors. Accommodation for the singers would be installed elsewhere. 22. At its 102nd session on 25 January 1991, the Headquarters Committee was informed that the World s Little Singers Association, which had estimated the cost of renovating the property at about US $1 million - a figure in line wit-h UNESCO estimates - had finally decided not to follow up its initial inquiry, no doubt because it had not been able to find sponsors and because it would have had to have separated the music and administration part of its operations from the accommodation part. Art et Dialogue 23. Another association, Art et Dialogue, had also expressed interest in the possibility of using the Chiteau du Bois du Rocher property for its activities. After preliminary discussions and a visit to the property, the association had stated that it expected UNESCO in fact, to invest a large amount of money in publicity for the property in connection with its use by Art et Dialogue. Under these circumstances, it was quickly realized that no satisfactory arrangement with that association could be made. SUMMARY 24. In the light of all the foregoing information, it can be seen that the Secretariat has studied the various possibilities for using the Ch&teau, especially those suggested by the working group of the Executive Board s Special Committee. It has unfortunately to be admitted that all these studies have come to nothing, due as has always been the case in the past, to the patent impossibility of financing the considerable costs involved in renovating and managing the property. 25. In the Organization s present financial and budgetary situation, the minimum expenditure involved in keeping the Bois du Rocher property in a state of repair consonant with safety standards already weighs heavily on the limited budgetary provisions earmarked for conservation, maintenance and major repair work at Headquarters.
136 EX/28 - page 5 26. Even though the Chgteau du Bois du Rocher has hardly been used since 1984, the Organization has been obliged to continue to meet staff costs (caretakers) and the upkeep needed to maintain the property in a state consonant with safety. For the period between 1985 and 1990, for example, the Organization has expanded sums amounting to $400,000, or about 2,500,OOO French francs for this purpose. Despite this financial outlay, and precisely because the property has been unoccupied all these years, its value is gradually being eroded. It should be noted, moreover, that any real renovation of the property for one or other of the uses proposed would require repair work and alterations already estimated (1988) at over 3 million French francs., 27. In the light of the foregoing, it would appear that the sale of the property, the solution already recommended by the Director-General in April 1989, is now the only viable and sensible alternative available; the proceeds of such a sale would be used to comply in full with the terms of the deed of gift of the property and the wishes of the donors. 28. In this connection, one way of using the financial proceeds of the sale which could be examined would be the possible creation of an international fund for the encouragement of artistic creation. 29. As indicated in paragraph 41 of document 131 EX/30 Add., further studies should still of course be carried out to establish the best way of managing the funds thus made available. A special committee would be set up for that purpose, with Dr Sven Aschberg, sole heir of Mr Olof and Mrs Siri Aschberg, the donors of the property, as an ex officio member. It should be borne in mind that Dr Aschberg gave his consent to the sale of the property by letter of 10 February 1989 (Annex III). 30. In the light of all the foregoing considerations, the Executive Board may wish to approve the following decision: The Executive Board, 1. Having taken note of the report of the Director-General (136 EX/28) which, in accordance with the Board s request (132 EX/Decision 8.6), contains the results of the study on the possible uses of the Chgteau, 2. Noting that at the conclusion of the above-mentioned study and following the steps taken in this regard, no viable solution for the use of the ChZiteau du Bois du Rocher property has materialized, 3. Authorizes the sale of the Chsteau du Bois du Rocher property and the use of the funds thus made available to serve more effectively the aims set forth in the deed of gift of Mr and Mrs Aschberg and the better to honour their momory; 4. Invites the Director-General to take the necessary steps for that purpose and to report to the Executive Board on the matter at one of its forthcoming sessions.
136 EX/28 Annex I ANNEX I. GES/58/BM.5 28 November 1990 Dear Mr Lopez, On the advice of Ms Inchauspe, assistant to Mr Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee, I spoke to you yesterday afternoon on the telephone - and I thank you for giving me your time - about the possibility that IOC might use the Chgteau du Bois du Rocher, which is the property of our Organigation and is situated in the commune of Jouy-en-Josas about 10 kilometres to the south-west of Paris. Occupying an area of about 11 hectares, this property includes a wooded park. When the Director-General consulted the Secretariat, permanent delegations and non-governmental organizations on ways of putting this property to use the administrative secretary of the International Catholic Centre for UNESCO suggested, as a personal opinion, that UNESCO might consider using the property with the support of IOC, for the training of physical-education teachers and instructors, especially from developing countries. He mentioned that he had been a member of the delegation of the Holy See to the Second International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education and Sport (MINBPS II), which was held in Moscow, USSR, from 21 to 25 November 1988, and that on that occasion he had noted a great desire for stronger co-operation between UNESCO and the International Olympic Committee. He believed that using the Bois du Rocher property could be one way in which that co-operation could take concrete form. This proposal was examined by the Bureau of the Headquarters Committee, a subsidiary body of the General Conference, which expressed the wish that preliminary approaches to and meetings with IOC to that end be undertaken. If the appropriate alterations were made the property could be used on a permanent basis for the education and training of officials sports managers and administrators of sports associations, etc. Mr Anselmo Lopez Director of Olympic Solidarity International Olympic Committee Avenue de la gare No. 10 1001 Lausanne Switzerland
136 EX/28 Annex I - page 2 If, as I strongly hope, and subject to the agreement of Mr Samaranch, you decide to look more closely at this idea of using the Bois du Rocher property, I will immediately arrange to send you without delay any further details you may desire. In the meantime, I am ready to show you the property if you happen to be in Paris, or to discuss the matter with you further if you so desire. Yours sincerely, (signature) Albert Alezra Director of General Services
136 EX/28 Annex II ANNEX11 IOC OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY Mr Albert Alezra Director of General Services UNFISCO 7, place de Fontenoy F-75015 PARIS Lausanne, 18 December 1990 wg Subiect: Chdteau du Bois du Rocher Dear Mr Alezra, Thank you for your letter of 28 November 1990. I have delayed my reply until today because I passed your letter on to H.E. Mr Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee. We have considered your proposal and have concluded that it would be very difficult for either IOC or Olympic Solidarity to give it an affirmative reply. In fact, the National Olympic Committees, with which and for which we work, provide us with premises. This is the case in France of CNOSF. I am, then, very sorry to have to decline your invitation to use this property. With best wishes for this holiday season, I remain, Sincerely yours, (signature) Anselmo Lopez Director of Olympic Solidarity
136 EX/28 Annex III ANNEX III Dr Sven Aschberg Sand5 S 139-OO-VARMDO Sweden 10 February 1989 Sir,, Following our discussion about the Chgteau du Bois du Rocher at Jouy-en-Josas which was given to UNESCO by my father, Mr Olof Aschberg, and my mother, Mrs Siri Aschberg, I should like to confirm as the couple"s sole heir that I would have no objection to the sale of this property by the Organization and to the proceeds of the sale being used to attain the objectives mentioned in the deed of gift, while at the same time honouring the memory of my parents. Accept, Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration. (signature) Dr Sven Aschberg Mr Federico Mayor Director-General of UNESCO