Conference of Parliamentarians and Partners Forum to be held before UNESCO General Conference

Paris, 29 September

• © UNESCO

UNESCO is organizing two new events, a Conference of Parliamentarians for UNESCO on 3 October and a Partners Forum on 5 October, ahead of the 35th Session of the Organization’s General Conference (6-23 October). Both one-day meetings are aimed at reinforcing UNESCO’s ties with multiple civil society partners and institutional networks, and increasing partners’ involvement in the Organization’s work.

The Conference of Parliamentarians for UNESCO on 3 October (Room X, 9.45 a.m to 6.00 p.m.) will bring together over 100 parliamentarians who serve as focal points for UNESCO and representatives of organizations including the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino), the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU). Roberta Alma Anastase, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania, Justin Koumba, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Congo, and Rajkeswur Purryag, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Mauritius, will participate in the opening ceremony.

The working sessions of the Conference will focus on such key UNESCO concerns as achieving the goals of Education For All and building on Regional Parliamentary Fora for Education, the promotion of press freedom, promotion of human rights and democracy, Action on Climate Change, UNESCO’s international conventions concerning culture and the Organization’s standard-setting action. The morning meeting will be moderated by Ahmed Sayyad, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for External Relations and Cooperation, and the afternoon by Pierre Sané, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences. The Parliamentarians are expected to adopt a Declaration at the close of the conference.

The UNESCO Partners Forum is organized as part of the General Conference on 5 October (Room II, 9.30 a.m.-6.30 p.m.). Entitled “UNESCO and its partners: multiple partnerships for a common ideal,” it will focus on two topics: the assessment of partnerships over the last decade and future prospects for partnerships. Guests of honour at the opening ceremony will be French former Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, now a United Nations Under Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Innovative Financing for Development, and José Roberto Marinho, Vice-President for Corporate Social Responsibility of TV Globo (Brazil).

The Forum is divided into morning and afternoon sessions, each comprised of two round tables with several keynote speakers. Participants will include UNESCO supporters, such as NGOs, foundations, associated schools, UNESCO Chairs, UNESCO Clubs and Centres, affiliated institutes, national committees of intergovernmental programmes, Goodwill Ambassadors, etc. A final report will be presented to the General Conference.

These two events are organized by UNESCO’s Sector for External Relations and Cooperation, which is developing a range of partnerships and other cooperation mechanisms to enhance the impact and visibility of UNESCO’s programmes.

• Author(s):UNESCOPRESS
• Source:Media advisory No. 2009- 54
• 30-09-2009