UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC
AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)

Speech by Professor. Michael Abiola OMOLEWA
President of the UNESCO General Conference
and Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to UNESCO
at the Plenary meeting of UNESCO African Group
Room XVI Miollis/Bonvin, UNESCO Headquarters
2 March, 2005

Excellencies


Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen


Dear Colleagues and Friends


Brothers and Sisters


As we get into top gear in the second year of the biennium, especially in our preparatory activities that will lead to the General Conference later this year, please allow me to thank you for honouring my country Nigeria by proposing me as your candidate for the Presidency of the 32nd Session of the General Conference of our Organisation. Your constant support all through the session of that General Conference and since then, has been my sustenance and force. I hope that we have all had a measure of satisfaction as we participate individually and collectively in the implementation process, so far, of the decisions and recommendations of the Conference.

Before I get lost in programme and organizational matters, please allow me to congratulate yet again, our new President, the Ambassador of Namibia, His Excellency Ambassador Emvula Wilfrid whose determined and forthright style we all appreciate. I wish you every success in your tenure of office, Mr. President.

I would also ask your indulgence while I pay homage to past Presidents of our Group with whom I have worked since my arrival in UNESCO in 2000 as Nigeria’s Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO. I am referring to the gentle, kind and skilful Ambassador Mulugeta-Eteffa of Ethiopia, the bearded, wise and knowledgeable Ambassador Bimha of Zimbabwe; the ever youthful, dynamic and innovative Ambassador Filippe Savadogo of Burkina Faso ; the most experienced and wise Ambassador Antoine Ndinga-Oba of Congo and finally the exemplary and highly dedicated Ambassador Yvette Rabetafika Ranjeva of Madagascar who succeeded in bringing several Presidents to visit us during her tenure of office.

I want to thank them all for their contributions to our work and to their sterling quality of leadership. Indeed I would like to thank you all, for the assurance and force that the knowledge of your support have given me, in facing the duties you have so kindly bestowed on me.

Dear colleagues, we have a very heavy programme ahead of us this year; and the agenda for this meeting bears witness to that. Vital issues like the examination of the Programme and Budget (33C5) for the years 2006-2007 and the Report of the working Group on the three Organs of UNESCO await your attention both at the levels of the Executive Board and at the General Conference.

In this context, I would like to inform you that after three intense sessions, the Working Group has finally produced its report, which is now being finalised for submission to the next session of the Board, on its way to the General Conference. Those of you who are members of the Executive Board would have the opportunity to participate in its examination in that body and to contribute to the comments and recommendations that the Board may wish to make on the report. The Working Group has worked very hard and has consulted very widely in trying to implement its mandate. Different shades of opinion have been considered. However what has been paramount in our minds has been the interest of the Organisation and the need to ensure that the institutional organs of UNESCO are better enabled to perform their constitutional responsibilities with greater success and transparency. All through the work of the Working Group, I, like all members, resource persons and other participants strove to accomplish our task in a consensual atmosphere. In this, to my satisfaction, we have reasonably succeeded.

I commend to you for your most serious study the report, which you will soon receive in the context of the work of the 171st Session of the Executive Board and later on, for the General Conference.

I take this opportunity to inform you of the worthy contributions made by Africa’s representatives on the Working group: Mr. John Kabore of Burkina Faso, Mr. Hery-ZO Ralambomahay of Madagascar and Professor Christopher Chetsanga of Zimbabwe.

Dear Colleagues:

Our preparation for contribution to the work of building up our future programmes must be informed by a clear vision of where we want to go and what we need to achieve. There are many areas where we must seek new solutions and new ideas; identifying suitable programmes and appropriate alternatives. As we look for the best way forward we must recognise the usefulness of working together with other groups and interest, and looking for greater means of cooperation and mutual support.

The empowerment of Africa is of utmost importance, especially in view of the persistent poverty, I would even say extreme poverty on the continent. Our major concern in the context of UNESCO should be how we can bring the know-how and means of the organization to bear on finding lasting solutions to our most acute needs.

I would urge you, in all humility, to direct your efforts to exploiting skilfully and innovatively the growing link between our continental organizations – the African Union and NEPAD – and UNESCO.

This brings me to welcoming the plans afoot for receiving the President of the AU, my Head of State, his Excellency President Olusegun Obasanjo who will be with us for the celebration of African Week next May; yet another occasion to celebrate the health cooperation between Africa and its leaders on the one hand, and UNECO, its leadership and its activities on the other.

As the saying goes “A tree cannot make a forest” Africa must not seek to walk alone. In the true tradition of real international cooperation, we must always look for the means for positive interaction with other groups and interests in the organization whether we are in pursuit of North/south cooperation or South/south cooperation or even national endeavours.

I am confident that during the forthcoming meetings of the Africa Group, we will explore objectively the issues at stake with one thing only in mind – the interest of Africa and our different countries. This we must do in spite of our differences. We must concretely identify programmes and projects that work and those that do not work nor correspond to the needs of our region. We should look out for ways of retooling current viable programmes where necessary and doing away with programmes and projects that have outlived their usefulness.

Dear colleagues, I have no doubt that it is the intention of all of us to ensure that at the end of these meetings, we would emerge with clear and pragmatic recommendations on the way ahead.

Once again, on behalf of the Government and the Permanent Delegation of Nigeria to UNESCO, I thank you for the confidence you continue to place in us.

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