UNESCO pledges more cooperation in Vietnam

General director of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Koichiro Matsuura arrived in Vietnam July 26 for a three-day visit to strengthen bilateral co-operation.

During the visit July 26-28, Mr Matsuura and representatives of the Vietnamese Government discussed ways of implementing the "Education for All" programme and activities to mark the International Decade for Sustainable Development of Education in 2005-14.

Members discussed Vietnam’ s joining important UNESCO conventions on education, culture, and science as well as on management of Vietnam’ s world heritage sites and biosphere reserves, addressing also social and human sciences, natural sciences, communication and information.

During the visit Matsuura visited the ancient Thang Long Citadel, which he deemed “a rare heritage with historic and cultural value,” promising to cooperate closely with the Government on protecting it as well as trying to add the citadel to the world list of protected sites. He also answered questions from reporters about UNESCO’s coming plans in Vietnam and opportunities for Vietnam to add more of its cultural sites to the list.

Vietnam joined UNESCO in July 1976 and attended the UNESCO General Assembly for the first time in Nairobi , Kenya , in October, 1977. Following the establishment of its national UNESCO Committee on July 5, 1977 , Vietnam sent a permanent mission to the organisation in 1978. UNESCO opened its representative office in Hanoi in September 1999.

UNESCO has also actively supported Vietnam in building a legal system to preserve and utilise its tangible and intangible cultural traditions.

The World Heritage Committee under UNESCO added five Vietnamese sites to the World Heritage List: the Complex of Hue Monuments in (1993), Ha Long Bay (1994 and 2000), the Hoi An Ancient Town (1999), the My Son Sanctuary (1999) and the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park (2003). Vietnamese Court Music, or Nha Nhac, was also listed in 2004.

With assistance from UNESCO, Vietnam has had success with a number of projects on technology transfer, poverty reduction and capacity building for the underprivileged.

(Source: Vietnam net)