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

8.16 Before ending, I should like to praise the outgoing Director-General, Mr Federico Mayor, for the
excellent work and outstanding leadership that he has shown during his 12 years of tenure at the head of
UNESCO. His vision and his firm direction have placed UNESCO on the right track for the twenty-first century.
We wish him every success in his future endeavours. I thank you.
9. The PRESIDENT:
Thank you, Your Excellency, for a splendid report. You illustrated the increased risks and increased
opportunities, but I also understood that you concluded that there is a potential which justifies hope. I now give
the floor to Mr Nguyen Dy Nien, President of the Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO.
10.1 Mr NGUYEN DY NIEN (Viet Nam):
Madam President of the General Conference, Mr Chairperson of the Executive Board, Mr Director-
General, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, let me, at the outset, on behalf of the Vietnamese
delegation, congratulate Ms Moserová for having been elected President of this General Conference. We are
firmly convinced that, under your guidance, the Conference will be most successful.
10.2 The 30th session of the General Conference of UNESCO is of great importance since it serves as a
bridge to a new century and also a new millennium. We are of the view that its agenda manifests itself as a
review of solutions to the problems, challenges and opportunities that are facing the whole of humankind.
10.3 Today, at the threshold of the twenty-first century, the initial objectives of UNESCO still retain their
value and have become even more valid. We are all aware that the huge and rapid progress experienced in the
twentieth century, especially in science and technology, has taken humanity into a new social and economic
structure. In this new context, to attain the goals stated in its Constitution, UNESCO cannot help but restructure
itself and move forward with new approaches and modalities. With that in mind, we appreciate the resolve to
adhere to reforms and embrace new vision as well as guidelines that have already been developed in the fields of
education, science, culture and information. We wish to endorse especially the Declaration on Science and the
concept of the International Year for the Culture of Peace.
10.4 For Viet Nam, the last two years represent also a time during which cooperation between UNESCO and
the Government has seen considerable achievements. The Vietnamese continue to attach great importance to
cooperation with UNESCO and have actively participated in the Organization’s activities. Recently, the
UNESCO Cities for Peace Prize was conferred on Hanoi – the capital of Viet Nam, a city with nearly one
thousand years of history. Hanoi was also selected as one of the sites for the launch of the International Year for
the Culture of Peace. The Vietnamese Government and UNESCO have just signed a Cooperation Agreement
which lays the foundations for cooperation in the coming years. The UNESCO Office which has been newly
established in Hanoi is an important step towards promoting cooperation between Viet Nam and UNESCO. Let
me, from this forum, on behalf of the Vietnamese Government and people, express our sincere thanks to the
UNESCO Secretariat and especially to the Director-General, Mr Federico Mayor, for the assistance accorded to
Viet Nam.
10.5 Madam President, Viet Nam highly appreciates the efforts made by the Executive Board, the Director-
General and the Secretariat in preparing and structuring the Draft Programme and Budget for 2000-2001 in an
interdisciplinary and comprehensive manner. On the basis of our country’s specific development situation, we
would like to emphasize and make the following major proposals with regard to the basic orientations of the
programme to be discussed and approved by this General Conference.
10.6 Firstly, concerning the project “Towards a culture of peace”, we are of the view that there will be no
durable and solid peace as long as due attention is not given to development issues, and that development will not
be adequate as long as a culture of peace is not accepted and widely disseminated across the world. The Action
Plan adopted by the United Nations General Assembly cannot be realized without the commitment and
agreement for action of all Member States. Therefore, importance should be attached to peace education that
covers the basic content and principles of peace and co-existence, such as respect for the basic rights of human
beings and nations, cultural diversification, the practice of tolerance, and so forth. We welcome the initiatives as
well as commitments to peace made by scientists at the World Conference on Science that UNESCO and the
International Council for Science organized in Budapest, Hungary, in July this year.
10.7 Secondly, this General Conference must focus on future development in the new era which, in concrete
terms, means capacity-building for the formulation and implementation of science, culture, and education policies
for each nation. We welcome the initiative to organize global conferences on scientific, educational and cultural
development for the twenty-first century and, at the same time, attach great importance to UNESCO’s assistance
to Member States, especially developing countries, in building comprehensive development strategies and
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