Editorial

62
The Minister of Education and Culture,
Mr Pefkios Georgiades, addressed the 33rd
Session of the UNESCO General Conference
on 8 October, 2005. This year’s General
Conference was marked by the celebration
spirit of the sixtieth anniversary
of the founding of UNESCO. Cyprus has
been a member-state of UNESCO for fortyfour
years now, sharing, promoting and
participating in the Organisation’s vision
with the utmost commitment.
In his address, the Minister referred to
the efforts made by the government in order
to achieve most EFA goals, according to
the EFA Global Monitoring Report. Furthermore,
the legislation for the establishment
of the Cyprus Open University has
been enacted, which is a step towards increasing
the opportunities for lifelong learning.
UNESCO Conference
Greek Ambassador in Francce, Minas Hadjiminas, the Minister of Education and Culture, Mr.
Pefkios Georgiades and Cyprus Ambassador to UNESCO, Mrs Mema Leventis.
Referring to the fight against the use of illegal
substances in sports, the Minister mentioned
that Cyprus has signed the Antidoping
Code and has contributed to the
drafting of the Convention against Doping
in Sports.
Mr Georgiades dwelt more on wider cultural
issues, pointing out the importance
that Cyprus attaches to the protection of
cultural heritage in general. The fact that
Cyprus, for centuries, has been a host country
of the richness of different cultures due
to its geographical position, reinforces its
commitment to contribute to the protection
of this diversity and the promotion of
intercultural dialogue. "This belief", he
said, "motivates our country’s support
towards UNESCO’s recent efforts to establish
the Convention for the Safeguarding