Vietnam elected Vice President of the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference

According to a VNA correspondent in Europe, at the 43rd Session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) taking place in Samarkand (Uzbekistan), Vietnam was re-elected by member countries as Vice President of the Session.

Vietnam's election to this position at the 42nd and 43rd consecutive Sessions demonstrates Vietnam's increasing position, prestige and capacity to contribute to global multilateral institutions, while also affirming the support and trust of the international community in Vietnam's proactive role, responsibility and management capacity within the framework of UNESCO.

The General Assembly is the highest authority of UNESCO, comprising all 194 member states, with the authority to decide on UNESCO's strategic issues such as guidelines, policies, cooperation programs, medium-term budgets and elect UNESCO's leadership bodies. Vietnam's election as Vice President contributes to enhancing Vietnam's substantial contributions in the process of policy making, coordination and implementation of UNESCO's initiatives in the fields of education , culture, natural sciences, social sciences and information and communication.

The Vietnamese delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Ngo Le Van, actively participated in the session, which took place from October 30 to November 13. The delegation included Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van Anh, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to UNESCO, along with representatives of the Secretariat of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO and a number of ministries, branches and localities.

Speaking at the High-level Plenary Session of the General Assembly on November 4, Deputy Minister Ngo Le Van highly appreciated the role and contributions of UNESCO over the past 80 years since its establishment in 1945 to peace , mutual understanding among peoples and sustainable development in the world, saying that UNESCO has strongly affirmed its role as the "House of Wisdom". In the context of the world facing unprecedented challenges, the Deputy Minister emphasized that UNESCO needs to further promote its unique role, strengthen multilateralism, international solidarity and promote innovative and inclusive approaches. Deputy Minister Ngo Le Van also highly appreciated the efforts and achievements of UNESCO in promoting international cooperation in education, culture, science, information and communication.

On this occasion, the Deputy Minister mentioned Vietnam's policies and initiatives. Regarding education, the Vietnamese Government decided to exempt tuition fees for all students at public educational institutions from the 2025-2026 school year, within the framework of a major reform to build an inclusive, equitable and quality education system.

Regarding culture, Vietnam believes that culture must become a pillar of peace, progress and prosperity. Culture is the foundation and the internal driving force of sustainable development. In that spirit, Vietnam proposed that UNESCO propose to the United Nations to soon launch the “International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development”. At the national level, Vietnam is building a Resolution on the revival and development of Vietnamese culture in the new era.

Regarding science, Deputy Minister Ngo Le Van shared that Vietnam is resolutely implementing national policies on science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, considering this as a driving force for breakthrough development. Last October, Vietnam successfully organized the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime with the participation of 72 countries - one of the largest international treaty signing events in the past 10 years, along with the 50th Anniversary of the International Hydrological Programme and the 60th Anniversary of the UNESCO Water Science Programme, demonstrating Vietnam's commitment and determination to actively contribute to efforts to promote global digital security and water security.

The head of the Vietnamese delegation expressed his joy and appreciated Vietnam's recent contributions to the UNESCO ecosystem of titles such as the World Cultural Heritage title of the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac Monuments and Landscape Complex (July 2025), the Creative City title for cinema of Ho Chi Minh City (October 2025) and UNESCO's honor and joint celebration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of the famous Le Quy Don (October 2025). This is not only an honor for Vietnam but also a celebration of the universal values ​​of cultural diversity and innovation.

On the occasion of attending the Session, Deputy Minister Ngo Le Van had a meeting with Ms. Audrey Azoulay, the current Director General of UNESCO. At the meeting with Mr. Khaled El-Enany, the new Director General of UNESCO for the 2025-2029 term, the Deputy Minister handed over a letter of congratulations from Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung and invited Mr. Khaled El-Enany to visit Vietnam soon. In addition, the Deputy Minister also met with Mr. Khondker M. Talha, President of the 43rd Session of the UNESCO General Conference; Mr. Aloyev Bakhromjon Juraboyevich, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the host country Uzbekistan; met with UNESCO leaders and Heads of Delegations of several member countries to discuss measures to strengthen cooperation between Vietnam and UNESCO and with other countries, and to seek support for Vietnam's initiatives and nomination dossiers for UNESCO titles. International partners have acknowledged and appreciated Vietnam's socio-economic development achievements as well as its increasingly positive and substantial contributions to UNESCO, the United Nations and other multilateral forums.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/viet-nam-trung-cu-pho-chu-tich-ky-hop-lan-thu-43-dai-hoi-dong-unesco-20251105181832585.htm