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

DEBAT DE POLITIQUE GENERALE (suite)
GENERAL POLICY DEBATE (continued)
DEBATE DE POLÍTICA GENERAL (continuación)
ОБСУЖДЕНИЕ ВОПРОСОВ ОБЩЕЙ ПОЛИТИКИ (продолжение)
1.1 The PRESIDENT:
We shall wait for another five minutes until we have a quorum. Thank you for your punctuality.
(The meeting is suspended for five minutes)
1.2 Ladies and gentlemen, I declare open the eighth plenary meeting of the 30th session of the General
Conference. We now continue our general policy debate and I invite the first speaker for this afternoon, Her
Excellency Ms Anna-Maria Totomanova, Deputy Minister for Education and Science of Bulgaria. Madam, you
have the floor.
2.1 Ms TOTOMANOVA (Bulgaria):
Madam President of the General Conference, Mr Chairperson of the Executive Board, Mr Director-
General, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to congratulate you, Madam President, on behalf of
the Bulgarian delegation and myself, on your election to this post and to wish you every success in the fulfilment
of your extremely important duties.
2.2 The 30th session of the General Conference is called upon to give a fresh impetus to the Organization,
consolidate its past achievements and decide about its future activities as proposed in the Draft Programme and
Budget for 2000-2001 in accordance with UNESCO’s Medium-Term Strategy, all this in the context of the
ending of a millennium and the beginning of a new century. It takes place not only at a crossroad of centuries but
also in a changed political situation which is the result of dynamic and often contradictory world processes. As an
international organization UNESCO represents a unique forum for the exchange of ideas and expertise. It not
only offers opportunities for cooperation but also provides the means and methods for consolidating peace and
development.
2.3 We are convinced that the proposed Draft Programme and Budget, which represents the execution of
UNESCO’s Medium-Term Strategy, is in complete harmony with all the basic purposes of the Organization.
Without changing direction and taking into consideration the commitments made by the international conferences
on adult education, on higher education, on cultural policies, on technical and vocational education and on
science, the Programme includes useful measures which will undoubtedly contribute to UNESCO’s efficiency in
dealing with various tasks and problems.
2.4 It is important to emphasize the fact that the Organization aims to cover, in its various programmes,
complex phenomena ranging from the interaction with national development policies and poverty alleviation
strategies to wider issues such as the accessibility of education, peace, respect for human rights, the ethical
aspects of advances in science and technology, the cultural and moral dimensions of globalization processes and
tolerance of cultural and religious diversity. This enlightened vision of a changing and complex world is backed
by the philosophy of a transdisciplinary approach, by the firm will for reform where necessary, the will for
greater visibility, for the decentralization of a number of activities, for the widening of the circle of partners and
for strengthening the role of National Commissions. Each member country contributes to the fulfilment of these
noble tasks and in this regard I would like to mention our support of the transdisciplinary project “Towards a
culture of peace” in whose preparatory work Bulgaria has actively participated with such events as the second
meeting of the tolerance and non-violence network of the Black Sea and Mediterranean countries, which took
place in June 1999 in the town of Primorsko. The Appeal adopted by this forum was highly appreciated and
circulated by UNESCO. In July 1999 we hosted the Festival of UNESCO’s Associated Schools from southern
Europe. Next month we are organizing in Sofia an International Conference on Education for Peace and Stability
in the Region as part of a possible stability pact. By supporting cultural pluralism and intercultural dialogue
through all these activities Bulgaria strives to widen its already recognized vital role in the consolidation of peace
and stability in the Balkans.
2.5 As we all know, education is among the main concerns of the programme and is at the centre of our
interest. Bulgaria’s reform of its education system has been completed as far as legislation goes and is in
harmony with the Organization’s Major Programme I, Education for all throughout life. Special attention was
given to technical and vocational education in the light of the Seoul Second International Congress as well as to
the developing and upgrading of secondary and higher education. I would like to point out that UNESCO’s
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