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

26.7 At the World Conference on Higher Education held here at UNESCO last October, stress was laid on
the importance of a radical transformation of the higher education landscape. This radical transformation implies
that all individuals be offered a lifelong opportunity to access higher education on the sole basis of their
capabilities. We all agreed that such a far-reaching process of transformation could not be undertaken by
governments and higher learning institutions alone. It is now time to draw in all stakeholders and take concrete
action so that this transformation of the higher education landscape becomes a reality in the very near future.
26.8 Namibia supports the conclusions and recommendations of the Second International Congress on
Technical and Vocational Education held last April in Seoul, Republic of Korea. We therefore request UNESCO
to assist Member States in formulating their technical and vocational education policies and programmes so as to
provide young people and adults with the opportunity for lifelong learning and training for the world of work.
UNESCO should also assist Member States in raising the status and prestige of technical and vocational
education through training and capacity-building of technical and vocational education personnel, scholarship
schemes and exchange of information and experience.
26.9 Namibia further recognizes the development and application of science and technology as critical
building-blocks for socio-economic development, protection of the environment, sustainable use of natural
resources and, lastly, for peace and social harmony. Therefore, the Republic of Namibia supports the
recommendations of the World Conference on Science held in Budapest, especially regarding the elements
contained in the Declaration on Science and the Science Agenda – Framework for Action.
26.10 We welcome the recommendation of the Stockholm Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural Policies
for Development. The World Culture Report has also helped our individual countries and regional blocs to
harmonize policy developments and instruments such as the present Southern Africa Development Community
draft protocol on culture, information and sports. The development of intersectoral cooperation is taking us all in
the right direction.
26.11 Our heritage is not only a source for inspiration through irreplaceable sites of artistic expression. In our
country, it also poses a big challenge for the development of cultural tourism. With a population of about
1.7 million people, we already attract more than half a million tourists per annum with a growth rate of 15%. We
manage this through acknowledgement of the rich and diverse cultures of all Namibians, actively promoting
reconciliation and respect for the environment. We still face many challenges concerning the promotion of living
culture. While our copyright institutions are steadily growing, we still need a more comprehensive strategy
regarding crafts, especially in the field of training managers in administration and marketing. We welcome
UNESCO’s emphasis on arts education and using craft production for poverty alleviation.
26.12 For all nations with a zest for progress, the “Reading for All” initiative should be treated as a priority.
Namibia is part of a UNESCO pilot project researching the areas of developing reading materials and textbooks.
This project is spearheaded by the UNESCO Windhoek Office, the Namibian National Commission for
UNESCO and the Namibia Book Development Council. We hope that all these issues, as set out in detail in
document 30 C/5, will assist in the projection of culture as an instrument of development, peace and tolerance.
26.13 The Namibian Government recognizes the importance of the flow of ideas and universal access to
information as underlying development worldwide. As a developing country, there is great concern that the
advent of the information revolution is increasing the disparity in the information flow between developed and
developing countries. This hampers the ability of developing countries to use the information society to address
societal issues such as poverty and social exclusion.
26.14 Mr President, on numerous occasions we have identified global challenges as well as answers to these
challenges. The time has now come for concrete action, but action that makes a difference. We, the Member
States, should give our commitment and cooperation, and UNESCO, through National Commissions, must play
its role and demonstrate the feasibility of the action. We had a very pleasant experience in Namibia when we
hosted a UNESCO training workshop for craftswomen of southern Africa, which concluded two days ago in
Windhoek. A group of 22 women from various countries, most of them from rural areas, spent 20 days together
producing diverse pots and baskets of very high quality. The fact that they could not communicate did not stand
in the way of their learning from each other and improving their skills – an experience that will certainly have a
positive effect on our lives. This is a clear demonstration that our action can reach everybody and provide hope
to all our people. We only need to work together as a team, at the national, subregional, regional and
international levels, to eradicate the evils facing our people. We can no longer continue to be spectators to
scourges inflicting suffering on humanity – illiteracy, ignorance, hunger, poverty and preventable diseases.
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