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

evêt à nos yeux une importance majeure, s'est tenu au mois de mai 1988 à Chişinău sous les auspices de
M. Federico Mayor, directeur général de l'UNESCO et de M. Petru Lucinschi, président de la République de
Moldova. Il me semble de même opportun de vous informer de la constitution dans mon pays d'une commission
nationale chargée de mettre en oeuvre la célébration de l'Année internationale de la culture de la paix et la
Décennie internationale de la promotion d'une culture de la non-violence et de la paix au profit des enfants du
monde proclamée par l'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies. C'est pourquoi nous saluons, dorénavant, aux
côtés des autres pays, les diverses activités déployées par l'UNESCO dans ce domaine.
20.12 Tous, nous traversons aujourd'hui une période périlleuse de l'histoire, où plusieurs conflits régionaux
risquent de dégénérer en des affrontements plus ou moins sanglants. Voilà qui me remet en mémoire les mots qui
nous sont familiers à tous par lesquels s'ouvre le Préambule de l'Acte constitutif de l'UNESCO : "Que, les
guerres prenant naissance dans l'esprit des hommes, c'est dans l'esprit des hommes que doivent être élevées les
défenses de la paix". Cette phrase, d'un grand souffle humaniste, fait naître l'espoir que la présente session de la
Conférence générale sera pour nous l'occasion de forger une coopération fructueuse et mutuellement bénéfique
pour le bien de nos peuples respectifs. Je vous remercie de votre aimable attention.
(L'orateur poursuit en français)
21. Mr PRESIDENT:
I should like to thank His Excellency Mr Iurie Leancá, First Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Moldova. I invite Her Excellency, Ms Beke-Martinez, Minister for Economic Affairs, Tourism,
Social Affairs and Culture of Aruba, to take the floor.
22.1 Ms BEKE-MARTINEZ (Aruba):
Mr President, Mr Director-General, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, first of
all, allow me to express my gratitude and appreciation to the departing Director-General, Mr Federico Mayor, for
the way he managed this Organization, but above all for his commitment, concern and contributions regarding the
problems ravaging the population of this earth. Mr Mayor, we wish you the very best for the future. Although the
new Director-General will not be elected until 12 November, I would like here and today to congratulate him on
his new task at this important organization of which we are proud to be an Associate Member.
22.2 Regrettably, I was not able to attend the last General Conference which was held in 1997, but
nevertheless after four years I am honoured and extremely pleased to be here again and to address you as the
representative of Aruba.
22.3 During the last four years, Aruba has known an increasing development. The end of this is not yet in
sight. As unemployment in Aruba is almost nil, we are focusing on those industries which require larger
investments and fewer employees, rather than the other way around. Although this might sound very spectacular
and maybe even enviable, progress has also less positive aspects; the Aruban Government is well aware of this
and is giving it all possible attention. Because of these developments, which took place and are taking place at
great speed, we are confronted with large numbers of foreigners. Most of them are from countries in the region
like Santo Domingo, Colombia, Venezuela; a fair number come from Haiti, and even from Central American
countries. As these foreigners are Spanish-speaking, they are not acquainted with our Dutch-oriented educational
system. Adjusting to the completely different environment and lifestyle is in most cases a difficult and timeconsuming
process. These people are seeking a better life and future for their children. However, as a result of
these adjustment problems, too many of their children become dropouts at an early age.
22.4 Our Government is aware of these problems and we are introducing changes in our educational system
to cope with them. We believe that it is our duty to make sure that these youngsters will have a fair chance and
the opportunities to build a decent future for themselves. In this context the technical assistance in teacher
training offered by UNESCO is of great importance to us. With the help of UNESCO in this special field, we will
together be able to offer a better future to a significant group of people in our region.
22.5 Our changing community is also confronted with cultural problems due to the influx of so many other
cultural influences. I am proud to be able to state that our Aruban Government is giving full attention to cultural
development. As the Minister of Cultural Affairs, I am very involved in these problems. To give an example, we
run "cultural expression skills programmes" in our community centres, which are the perfect tool to involve the
whole community in this endeavour.
22.6 The impact of our most important economic pillar, the tourism industry, and its effect on the population
and the environment is an issue we are constantly monitoring. We are aware of the importance and the economic
value of the tourism industry for our country, despite its strengths and weaknesses. The awareness among our
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