Vietnam Won Election to UNESCO Executive Board For Fifth Time

The President of the UNESCO General Assembly announces the election results. (Photo: Baoquocte)

Vietnam has become a member of the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for the 2021-2025 term. The voting session took place during the 41st session of the General Conference of UNESCO held on November 17 in Paris, France.

With 163 out of 178 approval votes, Vietnam not only became one of six countries representing Group 4 in the UNESCO Executive Council for the new term, but it is also one of the countries that won the highest number of votes in this election, according to VOV.

Secretary-General of the Vietnam National Commission forUNESCO Mai Phan Dung, who led the Vietnamese delegation attending the 41st session, said Vietnam becoming a member of the Executive Board this time demonstrates the country’s rising position and prestige at the international arena and recognition of the international community for its contributions to the relations with UNESCO.

The result of the election (Photo: VNA)

This is the result of Vietnam’s policy of multilateralism, diversification, and comprehensive and extensive international integration, as well as the outcome of the concerted implementation of the election campaign in the past years, he continued.

Vietnam’s membership in the UNESCO Executive Board offers good opportunities for Vietnam to show ‘dual responsibility in protecting national interests, capitalizing on UNESCO’s ideas and initiatives to serve the national construction and development in a sustainable, concerted, and comprehensive manner.

At the same time, Vietnam will have chances to contribute to international issues that UNESCO is paying attention to, VNA reported.

Dung said that in this tenure, Vietnam will actively engage in major programs and orientations of UNESCO across five expertise, together with affirming the role and prestige of Vietnam at UNESCO in particular and the international arena at large, thereby successfully realizing the Resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress, the Politburo’s Resolution No.22-NQ/TW on international integration and Directive No. 25-CT/TW on promoting and enhancing the role of multilateral diplomacy until 2030 issued by the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat.

Secretary-General of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Mai Phan Dung. (Photo: VOV)

In an interview granted to VOV right after the election results were announced, Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO, the very high voting result is a reflection of the prestige that Vietnam has won at multilateral international forums over the years, from its role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to its contributions to the UN in different roles at UNESCO.

“Vietnam has always earned plaudits from the UNESCO and its member countries as it is always one of the countries that most effectively implement UNESCO's cooperation programs. The nation has got plenty of experience from its participation in the UNESCO's bodies from previous terms. This will serve as a very good basis for Vietnam to go ahead with its participation as a way of raising the level of its contribution to the organization's activities as well as the international community in the coming time," said Le Thi Hong Van.

Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO. (Photo: VOV)

This is the fifth time Vietnam has been elected to be a member of the UNESCO Executive Board. Vietnam was a member of the UNESCO Executive Board for the 1978-83, 2001-05, 2009-13, and 2015-19 terms.

The UNESCO Executive Board is one of the three constitutional organs of the UN agency (the others being the General Conference and the Secretariat) and it is elected by the General Conference. The Executive Board consists of 58 member states with a four-year term of office. It ensures the overall management of UNESCO and prepares the work of the General Conference and sees that its decisions are properly carried out.

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