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

CARICOM, a través de su integración en las comunidades centroamericana y del Caribe y de su ingreso en el
Grupo de Río. Como ha dicho el Director General, en los próximos días la República Dominicana será sede de la
Segunda Cumbre de Jefes de Estado del Grupo de Estados de África, el Caribe y el Pacífico, en las
negociaciones de este Grupo con la Unión Europea, y ahí tendremos que fortalecer la unidad de ideas y de
intereses comunes en favor de nuestros pueblos, y servirnos de ello como línea general para guiar las acciones y
programas que se realizarán en el nuevo siglo.
34.8 La República Dominicana, dada su posición geográfica y su historia como punto de encuentro entre
culturas, procura consolidar una posición de apertura al mundo y una vocación cada vez más solidaria con los
pueblos hermanos. En este mundo en que la globalización se impone, hay que defender la multiculturalidad y
fortalecer el reconocimiento y el respeto de las entidades culturales particulares. Debemos impulsar una nueva
cultura de aceptación de la diversidad entre los pueblos. Con este espíritu la República Dominicana ha
presentado su candidatura al Consejo Ejecutivo de la UNESCO en las elecciones que tendrán lugar
próximamente, durante esta reunión de la Conferencia General. Con esta energía contribuiremos, de ser elegidos,
a construir el futuro de la Organización, con una nueva mirada y con nuevos bríos, en beneficio de todas las
naciones hermanas que conforman esta Organización, a las que hoy pedimos su apoyo. Somos miembros
fundadores de la UNESCO, y sería la primera vez que tenemos derecho a ser miembros del Consejo Ejecutivo.
34.9 Creemos que desarrollo significa estado de bienestar con dignidad, lo que implica calidad de vida y
respeto de principios inalienables como la libertad y la democracia. Creemos que la UNESCO, frente al nuevo
milenio, deberá impulsar el liderazgo y la ética, recoger la experiencia de estos 52 años y, con las nuevas ideas y
la riqueza de esas experiencias anteriores, impulsar un nuevo liderazgo para el siglo XXI, convirtiéndose en una
institución que promueva y practique cada vez más una nueva cultura del trabajo multisectorial y
multiinstitucional, con el objetivo de utilizar con verdadera eficacia los recursos. Entendemos que esta
experiencia acumulada, junto con las nuevas ideas, debe sentar las bases para que la UNESCO asuma cada vez
más su liderazgo y se convierta en punto de referencia obligado para el siglo XXI en todas las áreas de su
competencia. Muchas gracias.
(34.1) Mr FERNANDEZ MIRABAL, Vice-President of the Dominican Republic (Translation from the Spanish):
Madam President of the General Conference, Mr Chairperson of the Executive Board, Mr Director-
General, distinguished ambassadors and representatives of Member States, first of all, I should like to extend
greetings to this great General Conference on behalf of President Leonel Fernández, our governmental team and the
Dominican people, and to express special thanks to Mr Federico Mayor Zaragoza for his leadership of this
Organization during the last 12 years. We also wish the new Director-General recently elected to the head of this
Organization of ours every success; we assure him of our full support and our interest in encouraging every activity
to further the education, science and culture of our peoples.
(34.2) Two years ago, as the Director-General has said, we came to this General Conference with ideas, with
projects and with the remit to accept, on behalf of President Leonel Fernández, the Taíno Peace Medal, which he
shared with the President of the sister Republic of Haiti, President René Préval, and which was awarded to both by
UNESCO in recognition of their efforts to foster peace, solidarity and the development of our peoples. On that
occasion, we had many ideas and had begun action to reaffirm the principles in which, as a new political
generation, we believe in order to achieve genuine human development for our peoples.
(34.3) Today, two years later, we can report on that action and its results, which demonstrate that the Dominican
Government’s efforts to that end have been increased, embracing all sectors of national life, permitting
participation, in the broadest sense of the word “plurality”, by all social organizations and non-governmental
organizations, as well as the opposition political parties, so that together we can further extend the commitments
firmly made in support of the rights of the Dominican people, development, solidarity and the establishment of a
new culture of peace. The democratic vocation of our people and of our new political generation has gone beyond
words and has tangibly resulted in the strengthening of national institutions: in a State that has long been overcentralized,
we have made efforts to encourage a process of reform, modernization and decentralization of the
State, with a truly independent judiciary, designed to provide citizens with safeguards and security, and with an
effective separation of State powers.
(34.4) This process of establishing democratic institutions has been accompanied by activities to strengthen a
truly democratic culture, a culture deeply rooted in our people, a culture conducive to peace, respect for human
rights, tolerance and solidarity. We have supported initiatives taken by non-governmental organizations such as the
National Movement for Human Rights and Peace, and a training programme for young leaders for peace. The
initiative to support young leaders for peace reflects our conviction that the values promoted by UNESCO and by
all of us who believe in the development of our peoples will be espoused by the country’s new leaders only if they
come from among the leaders of social organizations. We are promoting the teaching of values, morality and civics
in the new national education system.
(34.5) We are promoting a national science and technology system as part of our State policy, which means that
it is open to participants from all sectors of society and that it is based on participation and planning by members of
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