Vietnam attends UNESCO Executive Board’s 220th session in France

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Ha Kim Ngoc led a Vietnamese delegation to attend the 220th session of the UNESCO Executive Board on October 14-16 in Paris, which saw the participation of representatives from 58 member countries and over 100 observer countries.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, Ngoc emphasised the importance of multilateral cooperation based on solidarity, sincerity, and trust among nations; as well as the pivotal role of UNESCO and the UN amid epochal changes in the world.

He recommended UNESCO continue initiatives and programmes to promote sustainable development goals (SDGs) in education, enhance the effectiveness of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, and combine culture and heritage for sustainable development. He also suggested UNESCO promote open science and ethics in artificial intelligence (AI), strengthen climate change response, and support UN member countries in realising the SDGs by 2030.

Vietnam always values multilateral cooperation and the role of UNESCO, Ngoc affirmed, adding that the country commits to continue to be a reliable and responsible partner, and contributing more proactively and actively to common efforts.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese official had separate meetings with UNESCO General Director Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Deputy Director-General Xing Qu, Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations of UNESCO Firmin Edouard Matoko, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences Lidia Brito, Chairperson of the UNESCO Executive Board Vera Lacoeuilhe, President of the UNESCO General Conference Simona-Mirela Miculescu, and heads of delegations from several countries, to boost bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

The officials of UNESCO and other delegates valued the fruitful cooperation between Vietnam and UNESCO over nearly five decades, as well as acknowledged the Southeast Asian nation’s important and effective contributions to the organisation's common work. They emphasised Vietnam's exemplary role in harmonising the conservation and promotion of heritage values and sustainable development.

Ngoc also met with Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre Lazare Assomo, and Director-General of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Maria-Laure Lavenir, who pledged to continue supporting Vietnam in building and promoting heritage dossiers in the coming time.

The 220th session of the UNESCO Executive Board will run until October 23, with an agenda covering all areas, including education, culture, science, human resources, management, and external relations.