Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van Anh, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO (L), and Qu Xing, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO (Photo: VNA)

During the meetings, the Vietnamese diplomat emphasised the importance of multilateralism and the role and contributions by UNESCO in addressing increasing global challenges, contributing to preserving peace and security, and promoting sustainable development in the world.

She affirmed Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation, and diversification, highlighting Vietnam's policy of considering culture, science, and education as important motivations for rapid and sustainable development. She also underscored Vietnam's efforts to fulfill its commitments under UNESCO’s conventions that Vietnam has joined.

The ambassador thanked UNESCO for its support, especially in implementing the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Vietnamese Government and the organisation in the 2021-2025 period, hoping that it will strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in the fields of culture, education, social and natural sciences, and information and communication.

She called for UNESCO’s assistance to Vietnam in building new heritage dossiers, as well as in preserving and promoting UNESCO-recognised heritage pieces.

Anh affirmed that Vietnam will strive to implement its role and responsibilities as a member state of UNESCO, aiming to deepen cooperation between Vietnam and UNESCO in a substantive and effective manner, thus contributing to implementing UNESCO's goals as well as promoting socio-economic development of countries.

For their part, UNESCO officials thanked Vietnam for its role, participation, support, and positive, effective, and responsible contributions to UNESCO. They highly valued Vietnam's concurrent roles in various crucial positions, such as Vice Chair of UNESCO committee for the protection of cultural expression diversity, member of the Executive Board of UNESCO, and member of the World Heritage Committee.

UNESCO officials said they are pleased to observe the fruitful development of cooperation between Vietnam and UNESCO, considering it a model partnership that should continue to be strengthened. They suggested Vietnam share its experiences with other UNESCO member countries, particularly those in Africa.

The officials affirmed their commitment to continue boosting cooperation with Vietnam, accompanying and supporting Vietnam in implementing policies related to education, science, and culture, expressing their hope that Vietnam will promote international cooperation and solidarity in these fields within the framework of global governance for sustainable development.