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

time. Madam President, on behalf of the Zambian delegation, I wish to join other speakers in congratulating you
on your election as President of the 30th session of the General Conference. You have already met our
expectations by your firm and resolute conduct of this Conference so far, making us all confident that we made a
good choice.
15.2 Madam President, I rise to pay tribute to UNESCO. But before I do that, let me express my appreciation
to the wonderful people of France. You know, we often take a lot of things for granted. Here we are, shouting our
loudest about democracy, human rights, the culture of peace and so on. We may forget that we are on the
sovereign territory of another country. I therefore wish, on behalf of the Zambian delegation, to thank the French
Government and people for their commitment to UNESCO, for their generosity and magnanimity in hosting
UNESCO in their country for so many years. We should not take this goodwill for granted. I extend Zambia’s
fraternal and heartfelt greetings to the French Government for its hospitality since our arrival in this magnificent
and beautiful city.
15.3 Madam President, let me now take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Director-General, Mr Federico
Mayor, for a very successful and fruitful tour of duty. During his tenure he has given meaning to the phrase
“culture of peace”. In fact during this time the word “peace” appeared to be a new one in our vocabulary because
it seems to have been left out hitherto. For this reason I feel that the best tribute to the Director-General is to give
a brief report of how Zambia is playing its part in fulfilling the core objectives of UNESCO.
15.4 Before I continue, I wish to mention that details of Zambia’s programmes and activities which include
major reforms in basic education and tertiary education, will be given in the various commissions. We have
carried out major reforms in those areas, and I believe our experiences will be useful to other colleagues. For the
time being, I would just like to say, with regard to the budget, that Zambia supports scenario B in document
30 C/5, which advocates zero real growth. It is our submission that the nominal growth option will reduce the
budget by as much as US $33 million. We therefore urge all Members concerned about the plight of emerging
nations to support the Director General’s recommendation and vote for scenario B.
15.5 Madam President, Zambia is the product of pluralistic politics introduced in 1991. Before that time, our
people were first subjected to slavery and colonialism, among other ills. Later, we enjoyed multi-party politics
briefly, after attaining independence. Still later, however, the Zambian people were subjected to a new system,
that of the one-party State. At that time there was a belief in some quarters in Zambia that knowledge or wisdom
is the monopoly of a selected few, hence the imposition of a one-party system of government. Thanks to the
people of Zambia, and indeed the international community including UNESCO, this myth has been destroyed in
Zambia, hopefully never to arise again.
15.6 Madam President, Zambia’s commitment to the promotion of peace in the region has been significant.
Our country supported the liberation struggles in southern Africa at great economic, social and political cost, and
we are still feeling the impact of the these struggles. Recently, Zambia mediated in the Angolan conflict which
culminated in the Lusaka Protocol. It is our hope that the parties to this conflict will see the need to resolve it
amicably and quickly in the interest of all the Angolan people and indeed in the interest of the region and the
UNESCO family of nations. More recently, Zambia has played a leading role in finding a solution to the conflict
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is our prayer that, here too, the parties concerned will honour their
agreement, which was the outcome not only of President Frederick Chiluba’s efforts, but also those of other
leaders in the region. Through this mediation, Africa has shown that it is possible, even in Africa, to resolve
conflicts through dialogue.
15.7 Madam President, in Zambia the introduction of pluralist politics in 1991 and the coming into office of a
government committed to an open political system, laid the foundations for a smooth transition from the oneparty
State to a democratic one. Dialogue is being encouraged. There is increased recognition of the
contributions and the capabilities of all citizens, including women and girls, and respect for their basic rights and
dignity. This has led to concrete initiatives by government both at policy and implementation levels. The local
momentum has been supported by global fora on these issues. The guiding principle of the present government
has been to create an enabling environment for development.
15.8 We must guard jealously the UNESCO spirit of building the defences of peace based on the democratic
principles of dignity, equality, sovereignty and mutual respect of peoples and cultures. In this regard, no nation
should impose its will, culture or values on others.
15.9 The challenge of UNESCO at the turn of the century is to come to terms with the past; to accept that we
were all wrong in one way or another. This calls for sincerity, honesty and truthfulness. The painful history of all
our pasts is firmly implanted in all our memories. Many communities suffered from imperialism, others suffered
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