Vietnam elected as vice president of UNESCO General Conference
VOV.VN - Vietnam was elected as a vice president of the 42nd session of the UNESCO’s General Conference, with the event held on November 8 in Paris, with the country representing the Asia-Pacific region.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc, who is also chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, said the election affirms both the Party and State’s sound external policy of multilaterisation, diversification, as well as comprehensive and effective international integration.
It also affirms the nation’s increasing prestige within the international arena, whilst also serving as a vivid illustration for the international community’s confidence in Vietnamese contributions to global multilateral mechanisms, he said, describing this as an outcome of the cultural diplomacy strategy towards 2030.
In this position, the nation will have greater chances to make positive and practical contributions to international issues of UNESCO’s interest; step up UNESCO’s programmes and orientations across the five areas of education, culture, natural science, social science, and information and communications; and capitalise on UNESCO’ initiatives to develop the nation in a sustainable and comprehensive manner, Deputy Minister Ngoc said.
Through this election, for the first time the country is taking on the roles at four key mechanisms of UNESCO simultaneously, including being a member of the UNESCO Executive Board, being vice chair of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions for the 2021 to 2025 tenure, and member of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
They will provide opportunities for the nation to become more involved in the formation of policies and import decision of the group, Deputy Minister Ngoc stated.
As part of the occasion, the Deputy FM held a host of working session with some UNESCO leaders and heads of delegations of several countries in bid to strengthen bilateral and multilateral ties.
During the course of the meetings, UNESCO leaders highly appreciated the Vietnamese Government's interest in the organisation and thanked the country for its growing contribution to carrying out activities in a variety of fields run by UNESCO, outlining its important roles and responsibilities in key mechanisms of the organisation.
They voiced their hope that the country will successfully run to become a member of the World Heritage Committee for the 2023 to 2027 term.