Addresses delivered in the general policy debate by the Head of Delegation at the General Conference
37 session of the General Conference - Leaders Forum
Deputy Prime Minister of Egypt, Mr Hossam Issa. Mr Issaa 
Speech delivered during the General Policy Debate of the 37th session of the General Conference - revised and corrected version of the verbatim records of plenary meetings37 session of the General Conference
His Excellency, Mr Hossam Issa, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Higher Education of Egypt Speech delivered during the General Policy Debate of the 37th session of the General Conference - revised and corrected version of the verbatim records of plenary meetings36 session of the General Conference
H.E. Mr Motaz Khorshed, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technologies Speech delivered during the General Policy Debate of the 36th session of the General Conference and posted as received35 session of the General Conference
H.E. Mr Hany Helal, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Egypt“(…) Je présente, au nom du Gouvernement égyptien, mes félicitations à Madame Irina Bokova à l’occasion de son élection au poste de Directrice générale (…) et mes salutations et remerciements à Monsieur Koïchiro Matsuura (…).”
“(…) Depuis le début de cette année, le monde connaît un nouveau climat permettant d’espérer le règlement des conflits régionaux en suspens, car n’ayant pas été résolus de façon juste et équilibrée. L’UNESCO doit profiter de ce climat pour remplir son rôle de protecteur du patrimoine de l’humanité, de facilitateur du dialogue entre les diverses parties et de l’entente, notamment en ce qui concerne la cause de la Palestine et de la ville de Jérusalem.”
“Je vais donc parler des axes d’action figurant parmi nos priorités et qui illustrent la méthode d’action de l’Organisation telle que la voit l’Egypte pour la période à venir : restructuration des départements de l’Organisation, priorité aux programmes communs entre divers services et pluridisciplinaires afin de renforcer les activités de l’UNESCO sur le terrain, recentrage du Programme et remaniement des priorités en vue de mieux utiliser les ressources disponibles, renforcement de la contribution de l’Organisation à la réalisation des objectifs du Millénaire pour le développement. Notre souhait est (…) qu’une attention plus grande soit donnée aux programmes et projets de lutte contre la pauvreté. Nous souhaitons aussi plus de conseils concernant les stratégies et politiques régionales et nationales ; le renforcement des programmes visant à développer le continent africain et sa structuration afin qu’il gagne en efficacité, le renforcement du rôle des commissions nationales, notamment pour la mobilisation de nouveaux partenaires tels que les parlementaires, les responsables des médias, les représentants de la société civile, des écoles associées, des clubs et des chaires de l’UNESCO. Nous pensons également que l’UNESCO doit œuvrer à combler le fossé des connaissances entre le Nord et le Sud ; à supprimer les obstacles à la propagation des connaissances et à développer la coopération Sud-Sud ; servir de catalyseur entre les gouvernements, les agences internationales et les milieux scientifiques en vue de favoriser la diffusion des sciences et les transferts de technologie au bénéfice des pays en développement ; prendre les mesures nécessaires pour limiter les effets des catastrophes naturelles, mieux gérer les ressources et atténuer les conséquences du changement climatique.”
“(…) Je suis convaincu que l’UNESCO est capable de poursuivre son chemin, à condition qu’elle prenne les mesures de restructuration administrative nécessaires.”
34 session of the General Conference
H.E. Dr Hani Hilal, Minister of State for Science Research and Higher EducationEgypt stresses cooperation between UNESCO specializations, balancing between the development and technical roles of the organization, as well as cooperation between UNESCO and other specialized agencies.
Egypt urges to continue to support Africa in its programmes, focusing on fighting poverty, capacity building, developing science and technologies. It is also important to give special priority to countries suffering from natural disasters and wars.
In the area of education, Egypt supports activities such as increasing literacy rates and capacity development, bridging the gap between gender and rural/urban inequalities, curriculum development, using information and communication technologies and giving attention to higher education.
Egypt commends the efforts of the IIEP for its strategy plan in the country. Egypt also supports the South/South cooperation in the education field.
In the area of culture, Egypt acknowledges UNESCO’s initiatives on intercultural dialogue to help fight ignorance and build values such as peace, tolerance, equality and forgiveness. UNESCO should continue helping to preserve cultural heritage and return cultural properties to their original nations. Egypt feels that the old city of Jerusalem has to be protected and receive international support.
Egypt encourages efforts and activities in the area of science; especially water management programmes and the SESAME project. In the area of information and communication, Egypt is favourable to knowledge sharing for democracy development.
Celebration of anniversaries
150th anniversary of the birth of Qasim Amin, author (1863-1908) (2013)Qasim Amin is well known especially in Arab countries and the values that he espouses in his writing are clearly in line with UNESCO’s commitment to the advancement of women’s rights.
100th anniversary of the birth of Naguib Mahfouz, author and writer (1911-2006) (2012)Naguib Mahfouz was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature. He is regarded as one of the first contemporary writers of Arabic literature, along with Tawfiq el-Hakim, to explore themes of existentialism. He published over 50 novels, some 350 short stories, dozens of movie scripts, and five plays over a 70-year career. Many of his works have been made into Egyptian and foreign films.
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800th anniversary of the birth of Mevlana Celaleddin-i Belhi-Rumi (Maulana Jalal-ud-Din Balkhi Rumi), poet and philosopher (1207-1273) (2007)
Joint proposal of Afghanistan, Egypt and Turkey |
Eminent philosopher and mystical poet of Islam, Rumi advocated tolerance, reason and access to knowledge through love. His mystical relationship to Islam produced masterpieces that, well beyond the borders of Turkey, have marked Islamic culture and devotion. His work and thought continue to have universal relevance today.
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600th anniversary of the death of ‘Abdurrahman Ibn Khaldun, historian (1332-1406) (2006)
Joint proposal of Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia |
The first sociologist and historical critic, Abder-Rahman Ibn Khaldūn was born in Tunisia in May 27, 1332, in an Arab family from Andalusia. Educated in the mosque Zituna, he occupied high public functions in Grenada, Tlemcan, Annaba, Fez, he taught in Cairo, met Tamerlan in Damascus and became Cadi malikite in Cairo where he died at 74 years on March 17, 1406.
A great Arab historian, geographer, economist and thinker, defined like a genius “solitary star of obscure centuries”, Ibn Khaldūn is considered the founder of the sociology and the father of the historical critics. Thinker of exceptional vigorousness, Ibn Khaldūn transcended his time, XIV century, and the country where he was born, Tunisia. Ibn Khaldūn, reflecting on the forms of political power in the North Africa of his time, and using large-scale comparisons, produced an analysis of relations between nomads and sedentary populations and between social and political forms of collective life, which continues to inform the most modern political theory. According to A.J.Toynbee, his work “Muqaddima” (Prolegomena) is still “the greatest work in its category, ever created by somebody, in any time and in any place”. Sharply in advance on his time, he collided with the general incomprehension and only in the XIX century his work begun to be recognised. One would owe him the definition of the mission of the history and the research of the evolution of human societies where he detected the existence of an ascendant cycle of rising authority followed by a descendant cycle and decadence. However, the universal impact of this Arab precursor of the dialogue between cultures and civilisations, dictates us to keep highlighting his contribution, inscribed on a universal flow which continues till nowadays.
100th anniversary of the birth of Yahya Haqqi (2005)
A literary critic, essayist and author of short stories, Yahya Haqqi (1905-1992) is an Arab writer and a major Arab intellectual who greatly contributed to the development of Arab culture in the twentieth century. He had a tremendous influence on several generations of modern Arab writers and is considered to be one of the fathers of modern Arab culture. Some of his works have been translated into several foreign languages and are being taught in many academic institutions, especially his masterpiece “Qindil Umm Hashim” (The lantern of Umm Hashim).
100th anniversary of the death of Mahmud Sami Al Barudi (2004)
A poet and politician, Mahmud Sami Al Barudi (1839-1904) is a key figure of Egyptian literature and his Diwan is a major example of the revival of Arabic poetry.
Hundredth anniversary of the birth of Mohamed Abdel Wahab (31 March 2001)
Mohamed Abdel Wahab (1901-1991) was one of the most remarkable composers and singers of the Arab world. Possessing a fine baritone voice, he achieved great popularity and also won fame for his improvisations on the lute. He has been responsible for far-reaching changes in Egyptian and Arab music. Throughout his career he has sought new ways to enrich traditional music resulting in the introduction of Western instruments into the oriental ensemble and the use of Western and Latin American dance rhythms. The compromise effected by Abdel Wahab in the some 500 songs he wrote is quite distinctive and most of the young song composers have been influenced by him.
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Centenary of the death of Gamal ad-Din al-Afghani (1997). |
A man of culture and a specialist in medieval Muslim philosophy, Gamal ad-Din
alAfghani was, in the nineteenth century, one of the pioneers of the political and
intellectual development of the Islamic world.
A writer of renown, he exercised through his works great influence on Egyptian
education and culture.
Reference document: 147 EX/47
Centenary of the birth of Mahmud Said (1997).
An Arab painter who pioneered a distinctive new style of modern painting, Said
Mahmud exhibited his works not only in his own country but also in other regions
of the world.
An artist of renown, he exercised great influence on the cultural life of the Arab
world and enabled other regions of the world to discover contemporary Egyptian
painting.
100th anniversary of the birth of the Arab thinker Taha Hussain (Egypt, (1989)
Reference document: 131 EX/Decisions.
100th anniversary of the birth of the Egyptian thinker Abbas Mahmud El-Akkad (Egypt) (1989)
Abbas Mahmud El Akkad was born in 1889 in the town of Aswan, a meetingplace
of ancient civilization and modern life. This encounter gave him from
his youth onwards breadth of vision, sensitivity to the deeper meaning of life
and to the influence of the past on the present and future of humanity, and
the ability to present his ideas cogently and to justify and defend them.
He devoted his talents to all forms of writing, being a prolific poet and
making an outstanding contribution to essay-writing and criticism on history,
languages, religion, philosophy and science, and to short-story writing. These
many and varied gifts, combined with critical acumen and an encyclopaedic
mind, took El Akkad on a long intellectual journey which with effort and
patience led him to great depths of understanding, reflected in' his
championing of the values of freedom, justice and all that enhances the rights
and dignity of the human person.
El Akkad's life was a long series of all kinds of literary, political and
material battles. He fought with his era, with events and with the
authorities, at various times in his life until he succeeded in overcoming the
forces obstructing him and in occupying his rightful position. He mastered the
English language and also acquired a knowledge of French, Italian and Spanish.
El Akkad attached great importance to classical Arabic and to its
cultivation and preservation. He wrote a wide-ranging book extolling its
intellectual merits at a time when the need to do so had become a matter of
urgency. He was firmly convinced that Arabic is the foundation of thought and
culture and a historical record, in addition to being a language of communication
(The Language of Poetry).
He wrote a hundred or more books on a great variety of subjects: poetry,
literature, sociology, history, short stories, politics, studies of genius and
of Islamic personalities, Islamic thought, philosophy, women, criticism and
language.
He translated works of world literature into Arabic and some of his own
works have been translated into eastern and western languages including
Persian, Urdu, Malay. German, Russian and French.
Abbas Mahmud El Akkad belongs just as much to the world of international
culture and literature as to the world of Arab culture and Arabic literature.
He is the archetypal humanist thinker, setting an example to be imitated by
champions of the ideals that are Unesco's raison d'ctre. The name of Abbas El
Akkad is worthy;of a place on Unesco's list of anniveraries of great
personalities and historic events.
Reference document: 132 EX/Decisions.
Egypt
