UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC
AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)

Statement by Professor Michael OMOLEWA
President of the UNESCO General Conference
and Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to UNESCO
on the occasion of the first official visit
of His Excellency Svetozar Maroviæ
President of Serbia and Montenegro
to UNESCO Headquarters
19 November, 2004

Mr. President:

It is both an honour and great privilege for me to welcome you to UNESCO House on behalf of all Member States of UNESCO on this, your first visit here. Indeed, President Marovic, this is the first-ever visit by the Head of State of Serbia and Montenegro to UNESCO. The Director-General joins me in thanking you for the thoughtful initiative to begin your official visit to France from here. It is proof positive of the confidence you have in the visions and missions of UNESCO as a conduit for dialogue and knowledge-sharing.

Sir, you are an illustrious advocate of peace, unity and equality; a dedicated statesman and a visionary leader who stands for freedom, advocates rights and the well-being of your people. Not only are you a remarkable journalist and author, you are also a man of culture and the founder of the internationally renowned “Theatre City” festival held in Budva. Your character is exemplary of the drive and determination of all the people Serbia and Montenegro to move from years of international isolation. You are to be congratulated for the role you have played in the transformation of your country.

I commend the outstanding constructive steps you have taken, and are still taking, towards building lasting peace and stability in South Eastern Europe. I can confidently say that UNESCO is extremely satisfied with current endeavours in this regard and will continue to support all efforts at strengthening sub-regional, regional and global cooperation, as well as inter-community dialogue through the protection, preservation and reconstruction of cultural heritage.

Let me assure you, Your Excellency, that UNESCO will continue to support the efforts of Serbia and Montenegro as a fully fledged member of the United Nations family. We recognize, that never before has partnership for peace and stability been more critical as you so rightly discussed in Ohrid last year. It is in sharing these lessons that we can re-establish sustainable development and peace for the present and for future generation. In this regard, I am obliged to pay tribute to our excellent bilateral cooperation, mostly through the efforts undertaken by your Ambassador and Permanent Delegate, my very good friend and colleague Dragoljub Najman –who continues to invest his wide knowledge and vast experience into this Organization.

I am confident that this historic visit will serve to further strengthen cooperation between UNESCO and Serbia and Montenegro. We must keep exploring and sharing information on ways we can work together to achieve better results in the areas of UNESCO’s field of competence for you country and for all people.

Thank you, Mr. President.

____