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

19.1 Mme COPPS (Canada) :
Merci, Monsieur le Président. Excellences, distingués délégués, Mesdames et Messieurs, je suis
heureuse et honorée de m'adresser pour la deuxième fois à la Conférence générale de l'UNESCO au nom du
gouvernement du Canada. J'ai en effet déjà pris la parole devant cette assemblée en octobre 1997. L'UNESCO,
guidée par son Directeur général, a participé et continue de participer aux principaux débats qui sont engagés à
l'échelle mondiale.
(L'oratrice poursuit en espagnol)
19.2 Quisiera pues aprovechar esta oportunidad para rendir homenaje y expresar mi más sincero
agradecimiento, y el del Gobierno canadiense, al Director General saliente, Sr. Federico Mayor, por el trabajo
que ha realizado en el curso de sus dos mandatos al frente de la Organización.
(19.2) (traduit de l'espagnol) Je tiens également à saisir cette occasion pour rendre hommage et exprimer mes
remerciements les plus sincères, ainsi que ceux du gouvernement canadien, au Directeur général sortant,
M. Federico Mayor, pour le travail qu'il a accompli au cours de ses deux mandats à la tête de l'Organisation.
(The speaker continues in English)
19.3 Mr President, in only two months we will be in the year 2000, and we will have a new Director-General.
For many people around the world, the millennium can be a symbol of hope, a time for change - change for the
better. But it is also a time of great challenge. We live in a world where knowledge is the key, where innovation
and creativity spawn social change and economic growth, where technology breaks down barriers of time and
geography, and where education is critical to the development of each human being, where science is spectacular
and scary, where culture is essential to human expression and identity, and where rapid change is world currency.
In this context, there is only one international organization that has all the elements to make a difference, and that
organization is UNESCO. UNESCO must be the instrument of hope and of positive change. It must be the bridge
to the people, to help us meet the challenges of our times. But UNESCO will only succeed if we work together as
Member States to make this Organization better, more open, more efficient, more transparent. We need to reflect
the priorities of the Member States. Canada attaches great importance to this exercise and is pleased to be
associated with the work of the Task Force for UNESCO in the twenty-first century established by the Executive
Board. The Task Force mandate is to generate ideas and to make recommendations to the next session of the
General Conference.
(L'oratrice poursuit en français)
19.4 Le Canada attache une très grande importance à la réforme de l'UNESCO. Nous sommes d'avis que des
relations d'un type nouveau doivent s'instaurer entre le Conseil exécutif et le Secrétariat. L'UNESCO doit gérer
ses programmes et ses ressources avec souplesse et en tenant compte des priorités des Etats membres. Il convient
d'accélérer la réforme des méthodes de travail du Secrétariat et d'adopter des modalités d'établissement du
programme et du budget axées sur les résultats. Le Canada est très attaché au maintien de liens privilégiés entre
l'UNESCO et la société civile, au travers principalement des commissions nationales.
(The speaker continues in English)
19.5 The Government of Canada has also offered the services of the Auditor General of Canada for a second
term as the External Auditor of UNESCO. We believe the experience and professionalism of his team could be of
assistance to the new Director-General.
19.6 Canada also agrees with the Director-General who affirms the unanimous recognition of the fundamental
importance of education. Education is the key to development and democracy. We are therefore surprised to see
reductions in the portion of the budget dedicated to education. Canada believes that UNESCO should address
urgently the recommendation made in the last External Auditor report to give high priority to developing a
strategic plan for the education sector. And we also support a transdisciplinary approach to education which
encompasses environment, human rights and democracy. Education is a lifelong process, and we commend
UNESCO for incorporating these principles into its programmes. Basic education is the true building block of
equality. Teaching a child to read and write is a stronger guarantee of world peace than giving a child a gun.
19.7 Mr President, the Canadian Government is pleased with the outcome of the World Conference on
Science in Budapest. The Hungarian Government, UNESCO and ICSU should equally be congratulated for
having organized this major gathering.
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