Vietnam will formally run for a seat on the World Heritage Committee, tenure 2023-2027, together with eight other candidates. 

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Hanoi on September 6. Photo: VGP

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said at the meeting with Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Hanoi on September 6.

The candidacy will help Vietnam and other countries perfect their policies and promote measures to protect the world’s cultural and natural heritage, Chinh told Azoulay, adding that the country looks forward to receiving support from UNESCO.

The World Heritage Committee selects the sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests from States Parties.

Chinh expressed his delight to discuss the cooperation with UNESCO after Vietnam and UNESCO signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in education, culture, science, information and communications for the 2021-2025 period during his visit to UNESCO headquarters in Paris in November 2021.

At the meeting, Azoulay emphasized Vietnam’s substantive contributions to the organization’s overall work, saying that it plays a proactive and responsible role as a member of UNESCO’s Executive Board for the 2021-2025 tenure.

She congratulated Vietnam on being elected with the highest number of votes to UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2022-2026 tenure.

She expressed her delight at the sound UNESCO-Vietnam relations in the past 45 years, pledging to strengthen the relationship.

Azoulay suggested that Vietnam continue to balance the economic development and the conservation of cultural heritage, highlighting the need to encourage member states to share scientific and technological achievements as well as affirming continuous assistance to Vietnam in terms of education, culture, science, and information-communications.

On September 5, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son hosted Azoulay, saying that Vietnam will continue being a proactive and responsible member of UNESCO fulfilling its commitments to contributing to bettering the organization. He said UNESCO continues to work as an important organization in solving disputes rooted in culture, ethnicity, and religion while respecting cultural diversity and narrowing gaps between member countries in terms of science-technology, education, and response capacity.

He highly appreciated UNESCO’s support to Vietnam in promoting values of cultural heritage sites, global geoparks, biosphere reserves, participating in the Creative Cities Network and the Global Network of Learning Cities, connecting with the international community of scientists, and honoring Vietnamese people. 

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay speaks at the opening ceremony of the new school year at Ngo Si Lien Secondary School, Hanoi on September 5. Photo: VNA

During her first visit to Vietnam, Azoulay attended the opening ceremony of the new academic year at century-old Ngo Si Lien Secondary School in Hanoi.

The school is one of 23 educational institutions in Vietnam that are part of the “Education for Sustainable Development” (ESD) project, which is UNESCO’s education sector response to the urgent and dramatic challenges the planet faces.

In her speech, Azoulay highlighted urgent challenges, especially climate change and the role of all stakeholders, especially children, in the common drive against global issues.

“There will be a summit on digital transformation in education in a few days in New York. At that time, I will think of this school and of this atmosphere”, said Andrey Azoulay.

Pham Thu Ha, Headmaster of Ngo Si Lien Secondary School, said the school has been an excellent teaching institution in the city as it ensures inclusive, equal and quality education as well as lifelong learning opportunities for generations of students.

The school strives to be truly a responsible community, with the goal of nurturing and helping to develop all potentials in each student, joining hands with other stakeholders to care for students while minimizing the negative impact of Covid-19 on children, who are the most vulnerable and are facing the challenges from the pandemic, Ha shared with The Hanoi Times.

UNESCO Office in Hanoi coordinates international cooperation in the Organization’s key strategic action areas of education, sciences, culture, communications and information. UNESCO Hanoi has supported the Government of Vietnam since 1999, starting with the Education and Culture sectors and now expanding to contribute comprehensive assistance to the country in all action areas.