UNESCO. General Conference; 30th; Records ... - unesdoc - Unesco

Science and technology are the key to revitalizing the country and education is the basis, while human talents are
the fundamental elements. In order to implement the State development strategy, the Chinese Government called a
national conference on education in June this year, the third since China introduced the policy of reform and
opening up. The conference proposed that education designed to raise the overall ability of students should be
promoted in an all-round way. A decision on deepening educational reform and comprehensively promoting
“overall quality education” was made at the conference. In August this year, the Chinese Government convened
another national conference on technological renovation to comprehensively promote technological renovation. A
decision was made at this conference to strengthen technological renovation and develop advanced technology so
as to apply it to production. The two conferences will surely have a far-reaching impact on the establishment and
improvement of a system of education throughout life that suits the practical conditions of our country and on the
acceleration of the process of establishing a system of scientific and technological renovation.
(29.6) The society of the future is one in which people pursue learning throughout life. We support UNESCO’s
efforts to help its Member States, especially the developing countries, to formulate a strategy for the renovation of
national education systems and construct a system of education throughout life. New advanced technologies with
information technology as their core are regarded by all countries as an important technological pillar for lifelong
learning. As a developing country short of educational resources, China, relying on its existing education and
research networks and satellite video transmission networks, will take full advantage of modern information
technology and existing information resources to develop distance education, so as to build an open education
network available to the public. This will provide broader access to multi-tiered education in a variety of forms and
thus gradually improve the system of lifelong education. Meanwhile, in order to meet the demands of the new
century, we shall continue to strengthen the education and training of teachers, establish an effective mechanism to
increase the number of teachers, allocate teaching resources in a reasonable way, improve the overall quality of
teachers and establish a high-quality teaching force. International cooperation in this field is warmly welcomed.
(29.7) I should like particularly to thank UNESCO and the Member States concerned for their support for the
Baoding International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education. Since the centre’s founding in 1994,
education experts and scholars from more than 40 countries have participated in dozens of the centre’s research and
training activities in the field of rural education. These activities have effectively supported the work of attaining
UNESCO’s goal of EFA 2000 and provided valuable experience and research findings to push forward the
development of rural education. We hope, therefore, that UNESCO and its Member States will continue to give the
necessary support and assistance to this centre so as to make it play a greater role.
(29.8) Mr President, we hold that all countries have the right to choose a social system and a road of
development that suit their own actual conditions. Countries with different social systems should respect each
other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, treat each other on an equal footing and coexist peacefully. We oppose
attempts by any country to impose its own social system and ideology on others, in whatever form. UNESCO is an
international intergovernmental organization consisting of sovereign States. Bearing its main functions and
responsibilities in mind, it should pool its efforts to promote international intellectual cooperation among its
Member States in the field of education, science, culture and communication, in order to make its due contribution
to world peace and development. In view of the fact that UNESCO is an international organization, any of its
activities, whatever their contents and forms, should follow the principle of respecting cultural diversity and the
sovereignty of its Member States.
(29.9) Mr President, before I conclude my speech, I should like to stress that China’s development cannot go
ahead without the rest of the world, while the world’s prosperity needs the contribution of China. China treasures
the constructive role UNESCO has played in its reform and opening up over more than 20 years. China is always
ready to maintain and develop its relations of active cooperation with UNESCO on condition that there are no
obstacles between us. Not long ago we successfully cooperated with UNESCO in holding the 1999 Paris-China
Cultural Week, and we are willing to continue to cooperate in all fields under the auspices of UNESCO. I am
expecting fruitful cooperation with the new Director-General to be elected at this session.
(29.10) I wish this session the greatest success! Thank you, Mr President.
30. Le PRESIDENT :
Je remercie vivement S. Exc. Mme Wei Yu, vice-ministre de l'éducation de la Chine. Je donne à présent
la parole à S. Exc. Mme Patrizia Toia, sous-secrétaire d'Etat aux affaires étrangères de l'Italie.
31.1 Mme TOIA (Italie) :
Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Président du Conseil exécutif, Monsieur le Directeur général,
Messieurs les chefs des délégations, Messieurs les délégués permanents, Mesdames et Messieurs, avant d'exposer
les mesures que mon pays entend mettre en œuvre au sein de l'Organisation au cours des deux ans à venir, je
voudrais féliciter Mme Moserová pour son élection à la présidence de la Conférence générale, et souhaiter
chaleureusement la bienvenue à la République des Palaos et aux Etats fédérés de Micronésie qui viennent
d'adhérer à notre Organisation.
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