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

this peace with your neighbours. I would like now to give the floor to His Excellency Mr Kwon In-hyuk,
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in France.
32.1 Mr KWON (Republic of Korea):
Mr President, Mr Director-General, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, I would
like to join the other delegates in congratulating Ms Moserová on her election as President of this, the 30th
session of the General Conference. I wish her great success in that demanding task. My congratulations also go to
Mr Federico Mayor, Director-General of UNESCO, on his enlightened leadership during his term of office. I
take this opportunity to congratulate Ambassador Matsuura on his nomination as candidate for the post of
Director-General of UNESCO and pledge the full support of my Government.
32.2 Mr President, I am very honoured and pleased to participate in this renowned intellectual gathering and
speak on behalf of the Republic of Korea. Facing the new millennium, the world we live in is rapidly changing.
Rapid technological development changes our lifestyles as well as our way of thinking, while natural disasters as
well as environmental hazards caused by human activities seem ever more threatening. The rapid process of
globalization has brought changes not only in relations between nations and regions but also in interpersonal
relationships. Accidentally or by design, it seems that we are at the point of a great transformation.
32.3 However, I like to be optimistic and hopeful when pondering the challenges of the new century. Hope
and faith can strengthen us and help us prepare a solid road to a better future. I have hope and faith in the role of
UNESCO for the future. I hope UNESCO can do more not only with its role as an intellectual/ethical forum of
the world community but also in assisting needy Member States by providing technical/material support in its
fields of competence.
32.4 The most urgent task of our time is to uproot the culture of violence and nurture the culture of peace
based on justice and tolerance. Without our concerted efforts, we may have ever-increasing ethnic, religious and
territorial conflicts and confrontations. I am very pleased to note that UNESCO’s primary concern continues to
be education. As the Director-General said in his introduction to the Draft Programme and Budget for the next
biennium, education is the surest means of bringing about the necessary changes in people’s consciousness and
lifestyle conducive to the culture of peace. In this regard, I wish to convey special compliments to the Director-
General for his initiative in introducing the culture of peace as the guideline of UNESCO’s main lines of action
and for having worked with the United Nations in declaring the year 2000 as the International Year for the
Culture of Peace. President Kim Dae Jung of the Republic of Korea has already signed the Manifesto 2000 for
the Culture of Peace and Non-violence prepared by UNESCO and I have joined him. The Republic of Korea will
continue to support UNESCO’s efforts to build the culture of peace in the world community.
32.5 I would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to our draft resolution for the Establishment
of the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding in the Republic of Korea. My
predecessor proposed the establishment of this regional Centre at the last General Conference and the Ministry of
Education of the Korean Government and the National Commission for UNESCO have taken the necessary steps
to prepare for the opening of the Centre. The main function of the Centre will be research and development for
international understanding on education, teacher training, teaching materials development, and information
exchanges, through which the Centre will actively pursue collaboration with Member States in the region and
beyond. The Centre, when established as part of UNESCO’s programme for education for international
understanding and culture of peace, will be given the full support of the Korean Ministry of Education and the
Korean National Commission for UNESCO. International understanding education is an integral part of the Five
Year Educational Development Plan of my Government; and I will ensure that the organization and operation of
the Centre will be grounded in international cooperation and collaboration.
32.6 We are also submitting a draft resolution for the active follow-up of the recommendations adopted at the
Second International Congress on Technical and Vocational Education in Seoul, Korea. Taking this opportunity,
I would like to thank the UNESCO Secretariat and all those who participated in the Congress. The Seoul
Recommendations reflect well UNESCO’s new vision for the contribution of technical and vocational education
and training to lifelong learning in the new millennium. Distinguished delegates, we ask your support for the two
draft resolutions and the Government of the Republic of Korea will do its best to work with all the Member
States for our common goals.
32.7 Mr President, allow me now to comment on the Draft Programme and Budget for the next biennium, the
last stage of the Medium-Term Strategy 1996-2001. First, I am pleased to note that the main concern for the next
two years is to consolidate the intellectual, political and ethical progress made since the Strategy was adopted in
1995. Regarding Education for all throughout life, we share the widely-held prediction that the twenty-first
century will be not only an information society, but also a lifelong learning society. The Delors Report, prepared
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