Vietnam develops ties with UNESCO for national development

The Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO held a conference in Hanoi on February 28 to review its 2022 activities and set tasks for 2023.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman of the commission Ha Kim Ngoc looked back at achievements in cooperation with UNESCO last year, including the country's election to the Inter-Governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2022-2026 tenure with the highest number of votes.

Vietnam is now a member of three important UNESCO mechanisms, namely the Executive Board in the 2021-2025 tenure, the Inter-Governmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in the 2021-2025 tenure, and the Inter-Governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the 2022-2026 tenure. Vietnam's role and position in the multilateral forum have been increasingly improved.

Ngoc noted that the UNESCO Director-General made an official visit to the country in September 2022, during which she expressed her impression on Vietnam's socio-economic achievements.

The commission set out several key tasks for this year, including studying UNESCO's ideas to fine-tune policies and legal documents in the fields of education, culture, science, information and communications; promoting public-private partnerships and pooling social resources for UNESCO's activities, and further upholding its role as an active and proactive member in important mechanisms to which Vietnam is a member.

UNESCO Representative in Vietnam Christian Manhart said this year, UNESCO will continue assisting the network of creative cities, sustainable tourism, local handicrafts, heritage brands, and policy dialogue on the cultural industry (movie) in Vietnam. In addition, the UNESCO Office in Vietnam will jointly hold a conference on the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

According to him, the Office will also step up initiatives for young and creative people, international forums and networks connecting Hanoi with Asia and Europe.