Also present were the acting president of the Cuban National Commission for UNESCO (CNCU), Ms Alicia González Gutiérrez, and the Secretary-General of the Chinese National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO, Mr Du Yue.

During the meeting, the Officer in charge of the Regional Office, Fernando Brugman, offered the visitor an overview of the projects implemented by UNESCO Havana, as well as the main activities organised during 2015.

The Director of the Jaime Torres Bodet Documentation Centre, Ms Blanca Patallo, showed Mr Hao Ping the heritage documents treasured by the Centre, many of them unique originals. The senior official consequently praised the value of the collection and stressed how important it is for the Centre and the Regional Office to count with the support required for its preservation.

Created in February 1959 by virtue of an agreement between the Government of the Republic of Cuba and UNESCO, the Jaime Torres Bodet Documentation Centre is considered one of the oldest outside the Organisation’s headquarters and has continued to offer its services nonstop from its inauguration until the present.

Another of the themes dealt with during his visit to UNESCO Havana was the strengthening of relations of friendship and cooperation between the UNESCO National Commissions of Cuba and China.

During his stay, he had a cordial exchange with the acting Minister of Foreign Relations of Cuba, Marcelino Medina González, as well as meetings with CNCU officials and other senior authorities of the Cuban government.

Mr Hao Ping was in Cuba on a two-day visit, at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Relations, H.E. Mr Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.