Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van Anh, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) made the statement at a meeting with UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany at the organization’s headquarters in Paris on March 10.

At the meeting, Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van noted that UNESCO has become familiar to the Vietnamese public through many cooperation programmes carried out over the years.

In addition to cultural cooperation, the Ambassador expressed Vietnam’s wish to expand cooperation with UNESCO in the fields of education, science and information and communication. She also thanked UNESCO for its timely support to Vietnam in settling the aftermath of natural disasters and floods in 2025.

To better respond to current challenges and improve the effectiveness of UNESCO’s activities, Van reaffirmed Vietnam’s support for the Director-General’s initiative on reforming the organization, known as UNESCO80.

Sharing Vietnam’s priorities, Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van Anh expressed hope for UNESCO’s continued support for the conservation and promotion of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel World Heritage Site, as well as for several Vietnamese nomination dossiers planned for submission in 2026 and 2027.

These include the Mo Muong cultural practice proposed for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, the nomination of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and Vu Quang National Park as World Biosphere Reserves, and the Oc Eo-Ba The archaeological site complex proposed for inscription on the World Heritage List.

The Vietnamese diplomat reiterated Vietnam’s invitation to the UNESCO Director-General to visit the country in 2026 to mark the 50th anniversary of cooperation between Vietnam and UNESCO (1976-2026). She also thanked the Director-General for supporting Vietnam’s proposal to proclaim an International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese diplomat expressed hope that Vietnamese nationals could be appointed to senior positions within the UNESCO Secretariat.

For his part, Director-General Khaled El-Enany welcomed the strong cooperation between UNESCO and Vietnam and accepted the invitation to visit Vietnam.

The visit would include meetings with Vietnamese leaders, participation in activities marking the 50th anniversary of cooperation between Vietnam and UNESCO, and discussions with Vietnam’s National Commission for UNESCO and representatives of the private sector on expanding cooperation.

These discussions would also cover the signing of a Vietnam-UNESCO memorandum of understanding for the 2026-2030 period.

The UNESCO Director-General reaffirmed his support for Vietnam’s proposal on the International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development, while highlighting the important role of culture in promoting peace and development, particularly amid ongoing conflicts and wars in various parts of the world.

Regarding the conservation and promotion of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel World Heritage Site and Vietnam’s nomination dossiers, he said UNESCO would accompany and support Vietnam in accordance with relevant regulations.

On the reform of UNESCO, the Director-General laid stress on his determination to boost reforms toward greater transparency, efficiency and stronger dialogue among member states in order to build broader consensus.

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