Representative of the UNESCO to Vietnam Katherine Muller -Marin made a speech at Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi on November 23 at the celebration of the 70th anniversary of UNESCO and the 5th Anniversary of the Inscription of the Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long-Ha Noi.
The Hanoitimes is pleased to introduce to reader the full text of the speech of Representative of the UNESCO in Vietnam Katherine Muller -Marin:
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Members of the UNESCO family,
Dear friends,
Today is an emotional day, full of memories, full of reasons to rejoice together.
Today we commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as we look back on past achievements and commit to a continued and enhanced cooperation to jointly rise to new challenges.
This day also marks Viet Nam Cultural Heritage Day, an auspicious occasion to be here at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, a very special site for this celebration.
I congratulate the People’s Committee of Ha Noi, the Thang Long Centre and the people of Ha Noi for five years of inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After decades of war and atrocity, the United Nations was born from humanity’s desire for peace.
The same determination brought UNESCO into being, an institution created to forge a lasting peace anchored in the deepest reaches of the minds of men and women across the globe.
UNESCO embodies humankind’s desire for this peace through understanding and learning from our past and facing, with courage, our present, sometimes dominated by conflict, inflicting immeasurable costs to human life and prosperity.
More than ever, UNESCO’s humanistic ideal to promote human development and harmony between peoples is needed.
Addressing the General Conference in Paris, earlier this month, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, stated: “Seven decades after its creation, the core idea of UNESCO resounds more powerfully than ever: we can build stronger and more resilient societies through education, the sciences, culture and the free flow of ideas. The role of UNESCO is to propose initiatives that bind people together...to strengthen intellectual and moral solidarity among peoples, to strengthen the conviction of humanity as a single family, united in its diversity.”
These principles underline the partnership between Viet Nam and UNESCO because Viet Nam is a great example of a united, diverse nation with strong convictions and family values.
UNESCO has stood by Viet Nam’s side at times when the country needed the Organization’s support the most.
And Viet Nam has been a strong supporter of UNESCO, both at the international level and in the implementation of its mandate throughout the country.
Together, we are building a Learning Society for All that recognizes the importance of each man and woman as empowered individuals for ensuring progress and the transformation of society towards sustainable development.
We have worked to strengthen the Education Sector reform and have seen excellent examples of its results.
Gender equality, ICT literacy, empowering the media, support to ethnic minorities, creative industries and sustainable tourism are all among areas of successful interventions.
We have established culture as a pillar for national identity, development and international integration.
We have promoted bioliteracy as the necessary shift of mindset for all Vietnamese people to live in harmony with nature and restore ecological well-being.
We have worked together to propose biosphere reserves as sites for green growth and low carbon development and for implementing and monitoring the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.
Viet Nam has become a wonderful second home for me, which I enjoy together with my family.
I learned to love this country as my own and to respect and understand your culture.
I admire the breath-taking beauty and historical wealth of your heritage sites and the diversity of your intangible cultural heritage elements.
Ho Chi Minh stressed the importance of Viet Nam’s cultural diversity.
Uncle Ho paid special attention to the relationship of culture, economics, and politics and, furthermore, believed that culture should permeate all of society and touch each member in order to tap their creative potentials, believing that “the ultimate goal of learning is to become a Human in the real sense of the word”.
I treasure very much the love that the Vietnamese people have for their traditions, their patriotism and their desire to continue to be peaceful people who are hardworking and family-oriented.
I feel proud when I wear an Ao Dai as it connects me spiritually to this land.
Ladies and gentlemen,
To the people of Viet Nam, my dear friends, my extended family, I will always remind you to love and cherish your precious values.
These values include your culture and heritage, your warm and embracing hospitality.
They include the pride you have for the amazing natural environment you have inherited and that you need to conserve for the sake of a healthy and beautiful life.
They include your tolerance, your forgiveness and your confidence in your role in the international arena.
They also include your constant pursuit for happiness and prosperity and your family unity.
Please, do not lose any of these values.
They make you unique, they make you outstanding.
They will keep you together, strong, for years to come and will be a part of your growth and success.
May the long-standing partnership between UNESCO and Viet Nam continue to render excellent and outstanding achievements, as those we have come together to celebrate today.
I wish all of you good health and a wonderful, fulfilling life, and, in closing, would like to renew UNESCO’s continued commitment to work side-by-side with Viet Nam as we build a sustainable future for all citizens of this beautiful country and the world.
Thank you very much.
The Hanoitimes is pleased to introduce to reader the full text of the speech of Representative of the UNESCO in Vietnam Katherine Muller -Marin:
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Members of the UNESCO family,
Dear friends,
Today is an emotional day, full of memories, full of reasons to rejoice together.
Today we commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as we look back on past achievements and commit to a continued and enhanced cooperation to jointly rise to new challenges.
This day also marks Viet Nam Cultural Heritage Day, an auspicious occasion to be here at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, a very special site for this celebration.
I congratulate the People’s Committee of Ha Noi, the Thang Long Centre and the people of Ha Noi for five years of inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung awards the Friendship Order to the Representative of UNESCO to Vietnam Katherine Muller Marin.
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After decades of war and atrocity, the United Nations was born from humanity’s desire for peace.
The same determination brought UNESCO into being, an institution created to forge a lasting peace anchored in the deepest reaches of the minds of men and women across the globe.
UNESCO embodies humankind’s desire for this peace through understanding and learning from our past and facing, with courage, our present, sometimes dominated by conflict, inflicting immeasurable costs to human life and prosperity.
More than ever, UNESCO’s humanistic ideal to promote human development and harmony between peoples is needed.
Addressing the General Conference in Paris, earlier this month, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, stated: “Seven decades after its creation, the core idea of UNESCO resounds more powerfully than ever: we can build stronger and more resilient societies through education, the sciences, culture and the free flow of ideas. The role of UNESCO is to propose initiatives that bind people together...to strengthen intellectual and moral solidarity among peoples, to strengthen the conviction of humanity as a single family, united in its diversity.”
These principles underline the partnership between Viet Nam and UNESCO because Viet Nam is a great example of a united, diverse nation with strong convictions and family values.
UNESCO has stood by Viet Nam’s side at times when the country needed the Organization’s support the most.
And Viet Nam has been a strong supporter of UNESCO, both at the international level and in the implementation of its mandate throughout the country.
Together, we are building a Learning Society for All that recognizes the importance of each man and woman as empowered individuals for ensuring progress and the transformation of society towards sustainable development.
We have worked to strengthen the Education Sector reform and have seen excellent examples of its results.
Gender equality, ICT literacy, empowering the media, support to ethnic minorities, creative industries and sustainable tourism are all among areas of successful interventions.
We have established culture as a pillar for national identity, development and international integration.
We have promoted bioliteracy as the necessary shift of mindset for all Vietnamese people to live in harmony with nature and restore ecological well-being.
We have worked together to propose biosphere reserves as sites for green growth and low carbon development and for implementing and monitoring the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.
Viet Nam has become a wonderful second home for me, which I enjoy together with my family.
I learned to love this country as my own and to respect and understand your culture.
I admire the breath-taking beauty and historical wealth of your heritage sites and the diversity of your intangible cultural heritage elements.
Ho Chi Minh stressed the importance of Viet Nam’s cultural diversity.
Uncle Ho paid special attention to the relationship of culture, economics, and politics and, furthermore, believed that culture should permeate all of society and touch each member in order to tap their creative potentials, believing that “the ultimate goal of learning is to become a Human in the real sense of the word”.
I treasure very much the love that the Vietnamese people have for their traditions, their patriotism and their desire to continue to be peaceful people who are hardworking and family-oriented.
I feel proud when I wear an Ao Dai as it connects me spiritually to this land.
Ladies and gentlemen,
To the people of Viet Nam, my dear friends, my extended family, I will always remind you to love and cherish your precious values.
These values include your culture and heritage, your warm and embracing hospitality.
They include the pride you have for the amazing natural environment you have inherited and that you need to conserve for the sake of a healthy and beautiful life.
They include your tolerance, your forgiveness and your confidence in your role in the international arena.
They also include your constant pursuit for happiness and prosperity and your family unity.
Please, do not lose any of these values.
They make you unique, they make you outstanding.
They will keep you together, strong, for years to come and will be a part of your growth and success.
May the long-standing partnership between UNESCO and Viet Nam continue to render excellent and outstanding achievements, as those we have come together to celebrate today.
I wish all of you good health and a wonderful, fulfilling life, and, in closing, would like to renew UNESCO’s continued commitment to work side-by-side with Viet Nam as we build a sustainable future for all citizens of this beautiful country and the world.
Thank you very much.
