Vietnam’s role in UNESCO multilateral forums to be increased

Trung, who is also Deputy Foreign Minister, delegated tasks to the commission this year, including increasing activities in education, urging the UNESCO to recognise the royal records of the Nguyen dynasty as a document heritage of the Asia-Pacific Region’s Memory of the World Programme, Bai Choi arts of the central region and Xoan singing as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, as well as pushing forward Vietnam’s bid for the post of UNESCO Director General for 2017-2021. 

He said ministries, agencies and localities should fully tap support from UNESCO while the commission’s sub-committees should devise mechanisms to further preserve and uphold Vietnam’s heritage. 

According to him, more attention should be given to honouring scientific heritage this year, especially those regarding hydrology and oceanography. 

Localities were also asked to work closely with sub-committees to remove difficulties in finance and human resources training. 

Tran Thi Hoang Mai, Vice Secretary General of the commission, said the commission actively joined UNESCO’s forums and meetings last year, including the meetings of the UNESCO Executive Board and the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, during which Vietnam’s stature in UNESCO’s multilateral forums has improved. 

Vietnam undertook several important positions in UNESCO’s committees and hosted the eighth meeting of the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific. 

The commission succeeded in seeking UNESCO recognition to the Mother Goddesses of Three Realms worship practices as the world intangible cultural heritage, literary works in the Hue imperial architecture and woodblocks of Phuc Giang school as the Asia-Pacific document heritage. 

It also effectively approached UNESCO’s resources and tapped UNESCO’s initiatives and experience for socio-economic development, she said. 

On the occasion, Trung presented the insignia “For Vietnam’s diplomatic cause” to Chairman of the Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations Nguyen Xuan Thang, Director of the Institute of Geological and Mineral Sciences Tran Tan Van and Chairman and Secretary General of the Man and Biosphere (MAB) Vietnam Committee Nguyen Hoang Tri.