The statement was conveyed by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to UNESCO during the 205th UNESCO Executive Board Plenary Session at the UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France (Oct 9), based on a statement from Indonesian Embassy in Paris received here on Saturday.
The meeting, which opened on Oct 8, 2018, and will take place till Oct 17, 2018, will discuss various issues related to UNESCO`s programs, mainly in the fields of education, science, culture, communication, and information as well as issues of UNESCO operational management and administration.
In this connection, Indonesia emphasized the importance of the commitment of all UNESCO member countries to help UNESCO get out of the financial crisis.
The Indonesian ambassador also expressed his appreciation for the efforts of UNESCO to hold the Partners` Forum last September to upgrade UNESCO`s partnership with external partners/donors, including potential partners.
In the field of science, Indonesia affirmed its commitment to actively participate in various mechanisms of UNESCO, particularly those related to biosphere reserves and issues related to water and sea.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia expressed his appreciation to UNESCO member countries that have provided support for the nominations of Prof. Dr. Enny Sudarmonowati, Deputy of Life Sciences LIPI as Chair of the International Coordinating Council to the Man of Biosphere (ICC MAB) Program, UNESCO, for the period 20018-2020.
Indonesia, as the host of the 30th ICC MAB Session in Palembang, South Sumatra, in July 2018 hopes that the results of the meeting, including the Palembang Declaration, may strengthen efforts to conserve biosphere reserves.
With regard to the water issues, Indonesia affirmed its commitment to host the Asia Pacific Center for Ecohydrology (APCE), which is a UNESCO Category II Center.
The Indonesian ambassador appealed to UNESCO member countries, particularly in the Asia Pacific region, to be able to collaborate with APCE in the fields of research and training as well as other activities.
Indonesia underlined its desire to actively participate in the field of marine science and also the tsunami early warning system.
In order to further enhance cooperation in the field of science with UNESCO, Indonesia supports the efforts of the Director General of UNESCO to improve coordination between UNESCO Headquarters in Paris and the UNESCO Representative Offices, especially in Jakarta, in implementing the various UNESCO programs.
Similar to other UNESCO member countries, Indonesia emphasized its commitment to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 targets regarding education, particularly in providing quality education for sustainable development through formal and non-formal approaches.
Some of the main strategies undertaken by Indonesia include strengthening the educational system as well as improving the quality and access to education for early childhood education and secondary education.
In this regard, as one of the recipients of the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize Award in 2018 for the Ministry of Education and Culture`s Tiered Education and Training program, Indonesia will continue striving to improve the quality of teachers in Indonesia.
At the 205th Session, the Indonesian ambassador also conveyed a statement on behalf of a group of ASEAN countries at UNESCO, which emphasized the priority of rotation on subsidiary bodies and UNESCO`s governing bodies as part of UNESCO`s strategic transformation.
ASEAN countries feel that the rotation needs to be optimized to provide equal opportunities for member countries to play an optimal role.
Apart from the Director General of UNESCO, quite a number of delegates expressed their condolences for the earthquake and tsunami disasters in Palu-Donggala, Central Sulawesi.
Responding to this, in addition to expressing gratitude, the Indonesian ambassador remarked that the disaster was a wakeup call to increase the capacity of regional and global communities, especially in countries that are vulnerable to natural disasters in responding to and addressing disasters.
The 205th Session of the UNESCO Executive Board was the third meeting attended by Indonesia in its capacity as a member of the Executive Board for the 2017-2021 period.
The 205th session of the Executive Board in the next week will discuss issues related to the implementation of the UNESCO program, including the evaluation and financial situation, the status of the institute and the institutions associated with UNESCO, and organizational governance.
EDITED BY INE/H-YH
Reporter: Azis Kurmala
Editor: Otniel Tamindael
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
