Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA)
– Vietnam’s election as a member of the Executive Board of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for 2021 - 2025 holds great significance in many aspects, according to Minister of Foreign
Affairs Bui Thanh Son.
At
the 41st session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris, France,
on November 17, Vietnam won 163 out of the 178 votes to become a member of the
UNESCO Executive Board for 2021 - 2025, ranking sixth among the 27
countries elected.
Talking to the press on
November 18, Son said together with its recent election to prestigious
multilateral organisations and institutions, Vietnam's election to the
UNESCO Executive Board for the fifth time holds great significance in many aspects.
First,
it continues helping to affirm the Party and State’s clear-sighted policy on
promoting multilateral diplomacy, and comprehensively implementing and effectively
combining political and economic diplomacy with cultural diplomacy, and
bilateral diplomacy with multilateral diplomacy, he noted.
Second, Vietnam’s election
to the UNESCO Executive Board with a very high number of votes affirms the country’s stature and
prestige in the international arena, showing that the international community
supports its active participation in activities of international organisations,
including those of the UN.
The meeting announcing the countries elected to the UNESCO Executive Board for 2021 - 2025 (Photo: VNA)
Third, as a member of
the UNESCO Executive Board, Vietnam will have conditions to directly take part
in the making and adoption of important decisions of this organisation, thus opening
up opportunities for the country to guarantee national interests at the highest possible
level in terms of global cultural, educational - training, and scientific - technological
cooperation. The election will also help Vietnam make use of knowledge and
external resources for socio-economic development, bring into play its
cultural values, and develop education - training and science - technology, which
matches the common trend in the world and meet national development requirements in
the new period, according to Son.
As a member of the
UNESCO Executive Board for 2021 - 2025, he went on, Vietnam will keep upholding
its sense of responsibility and proactively and actively contribute to UNESCO
activities, especially in important issues of common concern such as making reforms
to improve the organisation’s democracy, transparency, and prestige; making
policies and seeking solutions to protect and promote the interests of member
states, including Vietnam; and contributing to the focal programmes of UNESCO
at present like ethics of artificial intelligence, education for sustainable
development, preservation and utilisation of cultural heritage values.
Vietnam is determined to
fulfill the responsibilities of an Executive Board member so as to promote and
bring into play the role of UNESCO for the sake of humankind, the minister noted, adding that this is also a good chance for the country to enhance cooperation
with UNESCO to open up “new development spaces” for it, thereby improving the
spiritual life in society and creating a favourable foundation for Vietnam to
achieve the sustainable development goals./.