The General Conference
of UNESCO convened its 37th session at its headquarters in Paris on
November 5 seeking to work out its action strategy for the next eight
years.
Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen
Thanh Son is expected to deliver a key speech at the plenary session on
November 8 before representatives from 195 member states and eight
associate members.
According to Vietnamese
Ambassador to UNESCO Duong Van Quang, the session will also seek to make
a concerted effort to fulfill the overall goals set at the Dakar Forum
on “Education for All” by 2015.
As education is the
key to changing the world and solving challenges posed by
globalisation, many countries show their interests in how UNESCO will
act to heighten education’s role, especially everyone’s access to
education policies after 2015, Ambassador Quang said.
The session will discuss measures to ensure sustainable education
development with regard to environmental protection and cultural
preservation as well as the organisation’s budget programmes in the next
four years (2014-2018).
It is also expected to confirm another four-year term for Irina Bokova as the organisation’s director general.
Within the event’s framework, the 19th session of the General
Assembly of the State Parties to the World Heritage Convention will be
held to review the document’s regulations and elect additional 12
members of the heritage inter-governmental committee, to which Vietnam
is among 25 nominated.
As an active member, Vietnam
hosted the Director General’s Consultation Meeting with National
Commissions for UNESCO of the Asia-Pacific Region in the northern
central province of Thanh Hoa in June last year in preparation for the
37 th UNESCO general conference.-VNA