Perspective from international experts

International experts highly appreciated Vietnam's initiative in organizing the International Conference "Promoting the value of UNESCO titles for sustainable development in Vietnam" in Ninh Binh recently.

Ông Firmin Edouard Matoko - Trợ lý Tổng Giám đốc UNESCO về ưu tiên châu Phi và quan hệ đối ngoại tham quan danh thắng Tràng An, Ninh Bình. (Ảnh: Tuấn Việt)

Mr. Firmin Edouard Matoko - Assistant Director General of UNESCO for African priorities and external relations visited Trang An scenic spot, Ninh Binh. (Photo: Tuan Viet)

From July 2-4, the International Conference was organized by the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO in coordination with the People's Committee of Ninh Binh province with the overall goal of repositioning Vietnam in the region and the world as a country with great potential for sustainable development opportunities, aiming to improve the quality of life, meet social needs while still ensuring the preservation and promotion of heritage for sustainable development.

The conference is an opportunity to exchange and learn experiences in research, conservation and management at home and abroad, thereby discussing the direction for conservation and promotion of the multifaceted values of UNESCO titles in Vietnam in the coming time.

Strengthening participation in UNESCO networks

Sharing at the Conference, Mr. Raul Valdes - Coordinator of UNESCO's Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) said that the UIL's Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) project initially had only 12 members, but from 2015 to now, it has had 292 members from 76 countries.

“We believe in the development of the three cities of Cao Lanh, Sa Dec and Vinh in Vietnam when participating in GNLC. Our strategy for 2021-2023 is to help cities build resilience to environmental change, promote and seek partnerships involving universities and the private sector, enhance capacity building, and expand the scope of the learning city agenda for research, advocacy and international exchange,” affirmed Mr. Raul Valdes.

With experience from UNESCO's Creative Cities Network (UCCN), Mr. Denise Bax - Head of Communications, Cities and Events, UNESCO's Culture Department said that UCCN, launched in 2004, is a UNESCO flagship city program with the main goal of enhancing international cooperation and creating momentum for sustainable urban development.

As of today, UCCN has nearly 300 member cities in approximately 90 countries. The annual UCCN Conference is an opportunity to strengthen relationships between Creative Cities and provides a key platform for exchange and cooperation on sustainable urban development oriented to culture.

Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Ha Kim Ngoc: “The conference is of great significance and is highly appreciated by UNESCO leaders as the first initiative in the world to cover all UNESCO titles in one country, demonstrating Vietnam's respect and commitment to UNESCO in preserving and maintaining cultural values, promoting education and science at different levels”.

Experience from your country

At the conference, Secretary General of the National Commission for UNESCO Indonesia Itje Chodidjah shared experiences in preserving and promoting heritage. Like Vietnam, Indonesia is a country with many heritages honored by UNESCO, including Batik art - which is considered a typical cultural symbol of the archipelago.

However, this country is also facing challenges such as the lack of skilled artisans to pass on to the next generation. Therefore, the way Indonesian people cherish, take pride in and actively promote Batik also suggests many lessons in preserving the precious cultural heritage of humanity.

Regarding the successful stories and experiences in Thailand, Mr. Phichet Phophakdee - Secretary General of the National Commission for UNESCO Thailand said that this country owns many titles and actively participates in UNESCO networks such as having three Natural Heritages, three Cultural Heritages, five Biosphere Reserves, two Global Geoparks, three Intangible Cultural Heritages, seven GNLC members, five UCCN members...

To promote the value of the UNESCO title to serve the goal of sustainable development, Thailand regularly organizes events such as workshops to build teachers' capacity on education for sustainability, international workshops on global citizenship education at UNESCO-listed sites... Recently, the "Land of Smiles" hosted the Learning City Conference in April with the participation of many GNLC members to inspire and demonstrate innovative knowledge and learning management practices, aiming to provide equitable education for all.

UNESCO's active support

Not only receiving sharing and cooperation from other countries, Mr. Firmin Edouard Matoko - Assistant Director General of UNESCO for African priorities and external relations affirmed that Vietnam is a model of active and effective cooperation with UNESCO.

Mr. Firmin Edouard Matoko said that UNESCO is ready to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam, including but not limited to implementing the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Vietnam and UNESCO during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to UNESCO in 2021; committed to working closely with the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO and the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to UNESCO to achieve common goals.

Acting Chief Representative of the UNESCO Office in Hanoi Michael Croft also expressed his impression of the achievements of the public-private partnership model in Ninh Binh and said that this is a lesson that can be applied to many other world heritage sites in Vietnam.

It can be seen that the opinions exchanged and shared at this Conference can also be valuable lessons for UNESCO member countries to continue to learn and apply in order to pass on heritage to future generations in accordance with the spirit of the World Heritage Convention associated with tourism development towards green growth, ensuring harmony between conservation and development.

Source