As a follow up to the 2018 Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting of National Commissions held in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, the Korean National Commission for UNESCO hosted the 2019 East and Southeast Asia Meeting of the National Commissions for UNESCO with the theme “Strengthening Cooperation among National Commissions” on 28-29 August 2019 in Jeonju City, Korea. This meeting was co-organized by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Gyeongsanbuk-do Provincial Government.
PH NatCom Secretary General Lila Ramos Shahani and Associated Schools Network National Coordinator Ms. Josefina V. Escueta joined fellow National Commissions’ representatives from Southeast Asian, Northeast Asian and European countries along with key officials from UNESCO HQ, UNESCO Bangkok and UNESCO Jakarta. UNESCO Category II Centres and Staff Exchange Programme for National Commissions for UNESCO also participated in the meeting.
During the meeting, delegates shared their milestones and challenges in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their respective countries. The meeting also provided the National Commissions with the opportunity to discuss its role in advancing the mission and goals of UNESCO in their respective regions. It also gave the opportunity to share information; exchange views and discuss issues of common interest; learn from each other’s good practices; and reinforce cooperation between National Commissions and UNESCO.
A special session on the Cooperation among National Commissions was facilitated by Ms. Assel Utegenova of UNESCO HQ to discuss the capacity building opportunities for National Commissions. She also invited the participants to attend the Training for Newly-appointed Secretaries-General of the National Commissions during the General Conference in Paris in November of this year. To close the two-day meeting, UNESCO HQ also presented the progress of the Strategic Transformation to reaffirm the important roles of National Commissions in moving UNESCO’s thrusts forward.
