Participation in subsidiary organs

Other intergovernmental organs

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
Member

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

37 session of the General Conference

Her Excellency, Ms Susannah Gordon, Permanent Delegate of New Zealand to UNESCO

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 meetings

36 session of the General Conference

Ms Victoria Hallum, Permanent Delegate to UNESCO

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

35 session of the General Conference

H.E. Mr Bryan Gould, Chairperson of the National Commission for UNESCO

“(…) We are strong supporters of education for sustainable development and we have an active network of ASPnet schools committed to UNESCO’s values. In science, we focus on waiora, the Maori word for our sustainable freshwater resources. The bicultural foundation of our country – Maori and pakeha – gives us a strong base to take advantage of the growing cultural diversity that enriches our society. And we continue to enjoy, and encourage others to emulate our commitment to a free press and the free exchange of ideas. ”
“The global recession may not be a disaster on quite the same scale as the Second World War, but it should lead us nevertheless to reaffirm the great value and importance of what UNESCO stands for.”
“The lessons of the recession should teach us that the way forward lies – not with ever faster and less responsible consumption of material things by a small fraction of the world’s population – but with learning more about and responding better to our relationships with each other and with our planet.”
“New Zealand [belongs to] a subregion challenged not only by immediate dangers of which last tsunami is a sad and destructive example, but also by longer-term threats such as climate change. New Zealand has naturally been a consistent advocate for decentralization. (…) We continue to be concerned at the damaging delays in recruiting professional staff to the UNESCO Office for the Pacific in Apia. There is no point in changing the structure if we cannot commit the resources to make it work.”
“(…) We are concerned about the performance indicators proposed in the draft 35 C/5. We are not convinced that these largely quantitative performance indicators will provide a meaningful assessment of the Organization’s effectiveness. (…) We strongly encourage the Organization to undertake further work on this issue.”
“We continue to believe that working across sectors and themes is the way UNESCO should operate. The next Medium-Term Strategy should (…) be organized around these intersectoral themes with a Secretariat that mirrors this structure.”
“The cloak that I wear has been gifted by the National Commission to UNESCO as a taonga cultural treasure. It is a work reflecting the great skill of a traditional weaver who has brought together a range of materials to produce something of significance, value and beauty. It is, we like to think, a suitable metaphor for the role that UNESCO should and must play in tomorrow’s world.”

34 session of the General Conference

H.E. Ms Dame Silvia Cartwright, Chairperson of the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO

The Pacific faces a number of challenges such as youth violence, political instability, gender inequality, loss of indigenous languages and climate change. New Zealand is therefore pleased to see that the Small Island States are identified as a target area for intervention in the new Medium-Term Strategy. Clear, specific actions are to meet the critical need of this region.
“This reform initiative demands that the United Nations “delivers as one”. A more effective United Nations at the country level is particularly important in the Pacific, where, more than ever, there is a need for coordination, rationalization and refocusing of aid efforts.”
New Zealand, with the help of the Participation Programme, will host the Pacific Ethics of Knowledge Production Meeting and a Pacific regional UN-DESD meeting.
“As host of the recent World Heritage Committee meeting, Paramount Chief Tumu te Heuheu drew attention to the outstanding heritage value of the Pacific, a region which remains the most under-represented under the World Heritage Convention.”
New Zealand also strongly supports equitable representation of the Pacific on UNESCO governing bodies and the candidatures of Nauru, Vanuatu and Australia. New Zealand also welcomes Singapore and Montenegro.
New Zealand considers that priority should be given to interfaith dialogue, education for sustainable development, preservation of languages, educating youth to live in a global world, support for gender equity, and Information for All goals.
“We encourage UNESCO’s continued investment in the voice of young people. New Zealand welcomed the opportunity to participate in the Youth Forum, which immediately preceded this conference.”
“New Zealand has long championed the full participation of women in all aspects of the public life of our nation. We therefore strongly support the Unite Nations objective of ensuring women’s inclusion at every level.”
“New Zealand considers intersectorality to be critical to the ongoing relevance of UNESCO. We welcome evidence of progress toward this objective.”