UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay has expressed her appreciation for Vietnam’s practical contributions to UNESCO’s important issues, thus helping fulfill the overall mission of the organization.

Le Thi Hong Van, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Vietnam
to UNESCO presents her letter of credence to General UNESCO Director
Audrey Azoulay (Photo:VNA)

Le Thi Hong Van, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO presented her letter of credence to General UNESCO Director Audrey Azoulay on November 3, at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Headquarters in Paris.

At the reception, the UNESCO chief showed her elation at the positive developments in the relationship between Vietnam and her organization.

She affirmed that Vietnam is always an active and responsible member, one of the leading countries in the effective implementation of UNESCO programs and activities, especially educational programs for sustainable development, human and biosphere, climate change adaptation, preserve and promotion and preservation of cultural values, and tangible and intangible heritages.

She said she hopes that Vietnam will continue to make effective contributions to the implementation of the UNESCO's strategic transformation, and global initiatives UNESCO is promoting such as the future of education, ethics of artificial intelligence, and open science.

The General Director welcomed Vietnam's active role as Chairman of ASEAN 2020 and non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term as a contribution to strengthening cooperation between ASEAN and the United Nations in general and ASEAN and the UNESCO in particular, including the response to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Congratulating Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van on assuming the new assignment, Ms. Audrey Azoulay went on to say that Vietnam and the Ambassador will continue to receive effective cooperation and support from UNESCO. She also expressed a desire to visit Vietnam soon in order to exchange specific measures to bring the bilateral relationship to a higher level.

For her part, Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van conveyed the greetings and congratulations of Vietnamese leaders and applauded the efforts of the Director General and the role of UNESCO, one of the most important professional organizations of the United Nations, in contributing effectively to common activities of the international community.

The Vietnamese diplomat agreed that the relationship between Vietnam and UNESCO is growing steadily across multiple fields such as education, natural and social sciences, culture, information and communication, especially in carrying out the cooperation agreement for the 2015 - 2020 period.

She expressed thanks to the support and cooperation that UNESCO has given to Vietnam, as well as the close coordination between the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO and the UNESCO Office in Hanoi.

In the context that Vietnam promotes comprehensive innovation, and extensive international integration, and enhances multilateral foreign relations, relations with the UN are always a priority in the nation's external policy, Van told her host.

Vietnam sticks great importance to the support and contributions of  UNESCO  to the country's sustainable socio-economic development, she said, adding that both sides are expected to augment broader cooperation, share ideas and experience as a way of realizing  the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The Ambassador also affirmed that Vietnam will go ahead with its positive contribution and active participation in the process of orienting activities and deal with important issues of UNESCO as well as implementing specific cooperation, thereby promoting its role as a proactive and responsible member at UNESCO.

As the Chair of ASEAN 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021, the nation will increase its contribution to ASEAN cooperation with the UN as well as between ASEAN and the UNESCO, she added.

Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van pledged her best efforts during her working term to bolster cooperation between Vietnam and the UNESCO. She also welcomed General Director Audrey Azoulay's early visit to Vietnam to compare notes on orientations and priorities for cooperation in the new period, thus contributing to the strong development of the Vietnam-UNESCO relations in the time ahead.

Vietnam officially joined the UNESCO in July 1976. During the past four decades, the country has become involved in many important UNESCO Conventions, applied plenty of advanced UNESCO ideas in the fields of culture, science, and education.