Irina Bokova

Mr. President of the Executive Board,
Mr. President of the General Conference,
Mr. Director-General,
Excellencies,

As we are drawing closer to the 35th General Conference, entitled to take important decisions, the responsibility for their preparation falls on us. I will mention in the first place the biannual budget and the mid-term programme adaptation.

On the other hand, we cannot remain indifferent in the face of global challenges. The world is changing in front of our eyes and nothing will remain the same in the wake of the worst economic and financial crisis, which affects us all. It is assuming unprecedented dimensions and complexity, posing new obstacles to the Millennium Development Goals. The two G-20 meetings have inspired hope by the decisions taken and the will for prompt and decisive action expressed therein. Nevertheless, I believe that nothing will be the same the morning after this crisis, for it also involves ethical and moral dimensions. It is UNESCO’s mission and responsibility to analyse, reform and adjust its activities in a way enabling it to come up with an adequate response, as anticipated from us by our societies.

Please, allow me to congratulate the Director-General on his address to G20 as well as on initiating «The Global Financial and Economic Crisis: What Impact on Multilateralism and UNESCO? » Future Forum to be held on March 2 this year at UNESCO’s headquarters. I dare hope that this is merely the onset of delivering the exigently needed future actions analysis.

There are two important aspects to this. The first one concerns our budget and concrete programming that I will dwell on later. The second aspect relates to UNESCO’s role as intellectual organisation and leader of the international community’s humanistic ideas. UNESCO was devised to embody the « conscience of mankind », as put by India’s great humanist and statesman Jawaharlal Nehru. I am confident today more than ever that UNESCO has to re-assume its unique vocation in a global world overwhelmed by striking uncertainty and inequality.
Under these circumstances, I would propose five lines of reflection and action:

1. To re-consider UNESCO’s priorities in a highly responsible and politically committed mode, taking into account the crisis’ ramifications and impact. The goals set out in our mandate are now viable more than ever. In my opinion, they should make a top priority and stay firmly in the focus of all our debates, along with new challenges like climate change and water, viewed again in the light of our mandate.

At the same time it is important to reformulate the Millennium Development Goals and particularly those concerning education. It is UNESCO’s responsibility to persuade the governments and the entire international community that, as Mr. Matsuura has already noted in his address to G20, « By channelling resources into education not only shall we stimulate economy but we shall also contribute to a more tangibly expressed future growth and guarantee stability in the world in long-term perspective ».

The crisis necessitates reinforcement of our activities at all three levels: from education for all through primary education and up to higher education. The conferences held in Ahmedabad, Dakar, Geneva, Oslo and Bonn constitute important milestones on our path towards pulling together governments and societies.

2. The second point of the topical analysis, as I take it, is the necessity for a decisive step by UNESCO towards assuming the role of leader and mobilizer of governments, specialized agencies and scientific community in the field of science, innovation and novel, including green technologies. Today UNESCO is in a unique situation enabling it to assist governments in promoting their scientific policies, developing countries’ governments inclusive.

3. We should never stop pleading that culture is to be deemed an integral aspect of sustainable development. It is highly regrettable that culture remains left out of the Millennium Development Goals, for in a global and complex world like ours culture is indispensable in affirming tolerance and mutual understanding among peoples. I would go even further by saying that today, in the face of the crisis; culture is inherently linked with the call for endorsing new humanism – the humanism of the 21st century.

In this context I am keen to underline that UNESCO has to be more actively committed to the broader debate on tolerance, rapprochement and exchange among various cultures. What I have in mind is the ever growing importance of the « Alliance of Civilizations » initiative, which is so much akin in spirit to our objectives.

4. In the fourth place, Mr. Chairman, I would like to highlight the imperative need to avert the development aid downsizing. This is key to our willingness to see the two instituted priorities – Africa and Education for All, remain in the sphere of our activities. At the same time, we have to adopt a realistic approach and perceive the crisis as objective reality. We have to set higher requirements to the implementation of extra-budgetary programmes and their coordination within the budget programming. As a representative of a donor country I would like to point out that Bulgaria reiterates with due sense of responsibility its solidarity vis-a-vis the development aid in spheres falling within UNESCO’s activities domain. In the framework of the Fund we have established under UNESCO with priorities focused on the implementation of programmes in African countries, in post-conflict and small island developing countries, my country, Bulgaria, has disbursed EUR 500,000 over the past five months. This is a manifestation of my government’s lasting commitment in support of UNESCO.

I would not avoid the key issues of the Organization’s regular budget and management. We welcome the proposal for strengthening the ‘’Education” Sector. In parallel to that, under the current circumstances there is an urgent need to utilize the available resources in a most efficient mode and with the prudence of a modern, transparent and result-oriented management, based on accountability and adequate administrative-to-programming costs ratio, in favour of the latter.

5. In the fifth place I would like to underscore with a profound conviction the importance of enhancing our activities on the second UNESCO horizontal priority – equal opportunities for women and promotion of their role in society. We should not let the crisis impede the achievement of these goals. What UNESCO could do in this respect is, on the one hand, as “organization – conscience of mankind” to sensitize the general public and governments’ attention to the pressing need for continuous efforts towards attaining these goals, and on the other hand, to ensure constant respect of that priority upon implementation of each individual project.

Mr. Chairman,
And last but not least, I firmly believe in the capacity of UNESCO to promote an effective and proactive multilateralism. I welcome the initiative to hold a meeting of the 28 United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) here in Paris and the nine initiatives designed to assist countries in accelerating the way out of the crisis. The common commitment is a telling example of UN’s resolve to render the multilateral global system more coherent, more effective and more inclusive, especially for the poorest countries and to the most vulnerable groups within each society. The UN concept of “Delivering as One”, taking into consideration UESCO’s unique role and leader in the areas of its mandate, should be part of this broad and assertive approach.

Sometimes a crisis is an opportunity and forces change. I believe that today UNESCO has a unique opportunity of asserting the new “”humanism of the 21st century” by playing its role as the “conscience of mankind”. This is the moment for UNESCO to raise its voice and to say aloud

• that the financial and economic crisis is also a moral crisis, namely of values, confidence and credibility;
• that the crisis must not serve as a justification for trimming national education budgets and international aid to education;
• that the cultural dimension is crucial for any meaningful debate on development;
• that inclusiveness and justice is of essence for the integrity of the multilateral system and that UNESCO is available to all Member States for policy advice and operational activity.
• that the humanistic values that are the underlying foundations of UNESCO’s Constitution today are more than valid.

This is both our responsibility and our mission.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman