Vietnam Continues to Uphold Its Role as an Active and Responsible Member of UNESCO

NDO – On March 18, speaking at the 219th session of the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Deputy Foreign Minister Hà Kim Ngọc affirmed that Vietnam always values multilateral cooperation and UNESCO’s role; he committed that Vietnam will continue to make proactive and active contributions to common efforts.

Deputy Minister Hà Kim Ngọc, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, speaks at the Opening Session of the 219th UNESCO Executive Board Meeting

On March 18-19, 2024, in Paris, France, the Plenary Opening Session of the 219th Session of the UNESCO Executive Board took place with the participation of 58 member countries and over 100 observer countries.

This is the first session of the Executive Board for the 2024-2025 term, aimed at implementing important and strategic decisions of UNESCO in the upcoming period. Deputy Foreign Minister Hà Kim Ngọc, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO , led the Vietnamese delegation attending the session.

Deputy Minister Hà Kim Ngọc, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, meets with Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General.

Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO , Hà Kim Ngọc, stated that the world is at a challenging time with many intertwined issues such as the climate and environmental crisis, the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI), increasing inequality, violence, and armed conflicts, all affecting every aspect of social life.

In this context, multilateralism and international cooperation based on openness, equality, mutual benefit, and UNESCO’s mission to promote peace through dialogue and mutual understanding, as well as to lead global cooperation in education and training, culture, heritage, science and technology, and information and communication, are more important than ever.

Deputy Minister Hà Kim Ngọc, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, meets with UNESCO Deputy Director-General Xing Qu.

In light of the notable achievements that UNESCO has attained in recent times, the Head of the Vietnamese delegation praised the efforts of the Director-General, the UNESCO Secretariat, and member countries in promoting interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral approaches, diversifying resources, and expanding the network of global partnerships to further enhance the role and effectiveness of the Organization.

Deputy Minister Hà Kim Ngọc proposed that UNESCO and the Executive Board continue to implement initiatives, programs, and activities aimed at achieving SDG-4, which focuses on quality education, equity, and lifelong learning for all. He also suggested enhancing the effectiveness of the Global Network of Learning Cities, UNESCO Associated Schools, and the Global Network of Creative Cities; integrating culture and heritage for sustainable development.

Additionally, Deputy Minister Hà Kim Ngọc called for the promotion of open science, ethics in artificial intelligence, biodiversity conservation, water security, ocean governance, and climate change response. These efforts would contribute to the Future Summit (September 2024) and support member countries in achieving the United Nations’ sustainable development goals by 2030.

Deputy Minister Hà Kim Ngọc, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, meets with Lidia Brito, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences.

On this occasion, the Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO  had meetings with UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Deputy Director-General Xing Qu, Chair of the Executive Board Vera Khoury Lacoeuilhe, President of the General Conference Simona-Mirela Miculescu, Assistant Director-General for External Relations and Priority Africa Anthony Ohemeng-Boamah, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences Lida Brito, and heads of delegations from several countries to promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Deputy Minister Hà Kim Ngọc also held discussions with Lazare Assomo, Director of the World Heritage Centre, and Regina Durighello, Director of the Advisory and Monitoring Implementation Division of the World Heritage Convention of ICOMOS, to exchange ideas on strengthening cooperation in the protection and promotion of the value of world heritage sites in Vietnam.

Deputy Minister Hà Kim Ngọc, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, meets with Lazare Assomo, Director of the World Heritage Centre.

In the meetings and discussions, UNESCO leaders and heads of delegations from various countries highly appreciated the excellent cooperation between Vietnam, UNESCO, and other member states. They also acknowledged Vietnam’s significant and effective contributions to the organization’s common work as a member of five key governing bodies, including the Executive Board, the General Conference, the World Heritage Committee, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, as well as in the organization’s overall activities.

UNESCO leaders emphasized that Vietnam is a model of harmony between heritage preservation and promoting heritage value linked with sustainable tourism development, economic growth, and improving people’s livelihoods.

Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, Hà Kim Ngọc, expressed Vietnam’s desire for the support, advice, and endorsement of UNESCO leaders and the Secretariat for new heritage nominations from Vietnam, such as the Yên Tử-Côn Sơn-Kiếp Bạc Relics and Scenic Landscape Complex, Óc Eo-Ba Thê Archaeological Site, Con Moong Cave, and intangible cultural heritage nominations such as the Vía Bà Chúa Xứ Festival at Sam Mountain, Đông Hồ folk painting art, and the Lạng Sơn Global Geopark dossier.

Vietnam also seeks support in preserving and promoting the value of world heritage sites already recognized by UNESCO, including the project for conservation, restoration, and promotion of the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long-Hanoi’s Central Sector. UNESCO and ICOMOS leaders committed to assisting Vietnam in developing and advancing the heritage dossiers proposed by the Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO.

Deputy Minister Hà Kim Ngọc, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, meets with Regina Durighello, Director of the Advisory and Monitoring Implementation Division of the World Heritage Convention of ICOMOS.

On this occasion, Deputy Minister Hà Kim Ngọc extended invitations and conveyed the invitations from local authorities to UNESCO leaders to attend the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Inscription of the Tràng An Scenic Landscape Complex (Ninh Bình, April 2024), the Festival for Peace 2024 (Quảng Trị, July 2024), and the 8th International Conference of the Asia-Pacific Geoparks Network (Cao Bằng, September 2024)…

The Vietnamese delegation attends the 219th UNESCO Executive Board Meeting.

UNESCO leaders appreciated Vietnam’s organization of these meaningful activities and expressed their desire to attend.

The 219th session of the UNESCO Executive Board will continue until March 28, 2024, with an agenda covering all areas of education, culture, science, human resources, management, and external relations.