Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc, who is also Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, said the election affirms the Party and State’s sound foreign policy of multilaterisation, diversification as well as comprehensive and effective international integration.

It also affirms Vietnam’s increasing prestige in the international arena, and is a vivid illustration for the international community’s confidence in Vietnam’s contributions to the global multilateral mechanisms, he said, describing this as an outcome of the cultural diplomacy strategy by 2030.

In this position, Vietnam will have more chances to make positive and practical contributions to the international issues of UNESCO’s interest, step up UNESCO’s programmes and orientations across the five areas of education, culture, natural science, social science, and information and communications; and to capitalise on UNESCO’ initiatives to develop the nation in a sustainable and comprehensive fashion, Ngoc said.

With this election, for the first time, Vietnam is taking on the roles at four key mechanisms of the UNESCO at the same time: member of the UNESCO Executive Board, Vice Chair of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions for the 2021-2025 tenure, and member of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

They offer opportunities for the country to engage in the formation of policies and import decision of UNESCO, he said./.