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

policies to 2010 and orientations for 2020, development research and the application of development forecasting
methods in the areas of UNESCO’s competence.
10.8 As regards the future implementation of our development policy, we wish to make the following
proposals: technical and financial assistance for education programmes, including early childhood education,
universalization of primary and secondary education, illiteracy eradication and regular education to help build an
educated society and contribute to hunger eradication and poverty reduction in remote areas and areas inhabited
by ethnic minorities; the conservation of the tangible and intangible heritage, upgrading of heritage sites
recognized by UNESCO as world cultural and natural heritage and assistance for the recognition of new heritage
sites in Viet Nam such as My Son, Hoi An and Phong Nha-Ke Bang; assistance in terms of experience and
expertise in building scientific and technological strategy, law formulation and a number of sub-legal documents
in science and technology, and capacity-building in statistics in the fields of education, culture, science and
informatics.
10.9 Lastly, we wish to place particular emphasis on the proposed recognition of and assistance by UNESCO
in organizing activities celebrating the nine hundred and ninetieth anniversary of the founding of Thang Long –
Hanoi – which is the economic, political and cultural centre of Viet Nam and its capital.
10.10 It is the hope of Viet Nam that UNESCO, in its capacity as the intellectual and ethical organization of
the United Nations, will proceed on the path of reform on which it has embarked and will unceasingly develop to
meet the expectations of Member States and the demands identified in this area. We warmly welcome the
application for UNESCO membership by Palestine, as well as the resumption of membership of countries that
withdrew from UNESCO, to ensure the growth of this important international organization. At this forum, we
would like to reaffirm our consistent policy of adhering to a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance,
diversification and the promotion of multilateral relations and active integration into the region and the world. To
conclude, I should like to quote from the address of His Excellency, the Prime Minister of Viet Nam, Mr Phan
Van Khai at the launch of the International Year for the Culture of Peace: “Viet Nam wishes to be friendly with
all countries and nations in the international community, for peace, independence and development”. Thank you
for your kind attention.
11. The PRESIDENT:
I should like to thank His Excellency, President of the Viet Nam National Commission, and to express
my congratulations to the city of Hanoi which is deservedly honoured. I now call on the next speaker, His
Excellency the Honourable Yog Prasad Upadhyay, Minister of Education of Nepal.
12.1 Mr UPADHYAY (Nepal):
Madam President, Mr Chairperson of the Executive Board, Mr Director-General, Excellencies,
distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed a matter of great pleasure and a privilege for me to
have this opportunity to participate in the 30th session of the General Conference of UNESCO. Allow me, first of
all, to pay our profound tribute to Mr Federico Mayor, Director-General of UNESCO, who is about to
successfully complete his term of office. UNESCO has made tremendous progress in achieving its goals all over
the world under his strong and able leadership. He has indeed demonstrated his unquestionable abilities and
justified the confidence placed in him by the Member States to serve at the helm of our Organization.
12.2 Madam President, I would like to congratulate you on your election as the President for this General
Conference. I am confident that under your able guidance and stewardship the Conference will be successful in
achieving its desired goals. I would also like to assure you of my delegation’s full cooperation to ensure the
success of this Conference. On behalf of the Nepalese delegation and on my own behalf, I take this opportunity to
express our deep appreciation to UNESCO for the commendable work it has been undertaking in Nepal. We also
look forward to welcoming the new Director-General and hope to be working with him closely. On this occasion,
I would also like to reiterate our commitment to and continued support for UNESCO’s noble goals and
endeavours. Nepal highly appreciates UNESCO’s support in establishing its field office in Kathmandu. We take
it as a privilege and look forward to ensuring maximum use of it for promoting UNESCO’s ideals and mission.
We also hope that UNESCO will always be with us in making greater use of this office in the future.
12.3 Madam President, science and technology have transformed this world so rapidly that one can easily
visualize their indelible impact on our polity, economy and society. In the situation in which we find ourselves
today we ought to know what quality we intend to inculcate in our youth in the twenty-first century so that they
can cope with the emerging needs of the future society. Education binds together the past and the future of our
societies. It is therefore only through education that we can sustain our culture, values and beliefs and inculcate
these ideas in our young people. The challenge before UNESCO today is to find better ways of making education
useful for society. To this end, the meaning of education should be perceived and also practised as an energizer
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