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Addresses delivered in the general policy debate by the Head of Delegation at the General Conference

36 session of the General Conference

H.E. Mr Semere Russom, Minister of Education

Speech delivered during the General Policy Debate of the 36th session of the General Conference and posted as received

34 session of the General Conference

H.E. Mr Semere Russom, Minister of Education

“I wish to join you to congratulate the rejoining of Singapore, after 22 years of separation, and to welcome Montenegro as a Member State, to the family of UNESCO at this era of globalization.”
“To translate UNESCO’s noble mission into reality, the need for and role of global communication becomes of paramount importance. We need common and global commitment and perseverance to develop and use mother language as well as national and global communication to bring this mission home. In line with this, UNESCO [in 1999] had initiated the celebration of an International Mother Language Day to be on 21 February every year. In consonance with this, it has been more than a decade since Eritrea had happily welcomed and reaffirmed the role and utilization of a mother language, not only in the elimination of illiteracy or basic education and promotion of culture of peace, but also in exploiting it as a source of identity and basic right to express one’s feelings and opinions best.”
“Eritrea fully supports the recommendations made by the Executive Board on the Draft Medium-Term Strategy for 2008-2013 and the Major Programme Areas stated under the Draft Programme and Budget for the biennium and notes with great satisfaction UNESCO’s dedication in continuously reforming its strategic vision.”
“In line with the Education for All Global Monitoring Report, I am pleased to impart to this plenary session that Eritrea has conducted a National Conference on Teachers’ Development and Role in Ensuring Quality of Education in early February 2007. […] However, since reformation of pedagogy and curriculum in the training institutions has been one of the challenges, we call upon UNESCO for the provision of expertise and strengthening of its cooperation to provide quality education for all.”
“The conservation and promotion of culture that consolidates national identity is another concern which Eritrea has been deeply engaged in. Eritrea, as a young African country, has the lofty responsibility to rewrite its ancient history by exploiting its rich and diversified material resources. To this end, the integration of culture into the educational programmes and school curriculum has been deemed necessary for the practicality. […] We would like to humbly express our deep gratitude to UNESCO for assigning experts who in cooperation with our local craftsmen helped us to restore two of our national monuments.”
“The essential role of science and technology as a foundation for sustainable development and for the fight against poverty is well acknowledged. […] The support that Eritrea receives from UNESCO for the study and mitigation efforts of the consequences of natural hazards like earthquakes and recurrent drought cannot pass without mention.”
“Water Resource and Environment is also another big concern and efforts are being made to protect the water table by extending soil conservation programmes like terracing and afforestation, to quote some among others.”
“Eritrea supports the international call for bridging the digital divide. Therefore, we request UNESCO to provide us with material, technical and professional assistance so that we can equip our schools and the young generation with appropriate knowledge.”