Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Ambassador Louise V. Oliver's April 18, 2005 remarks to the UNESCO Executive Board

Read Ambassador Olivers complete remarks.

The U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO underlined continued support for many programs, notably:
- Education for all;
- UNESCO’s focus on quality education, teacher training, HIV-AIDS prevention, gender parity, and textbooks that promote tolerance and human rights;
- UNESCO’s work in science, (and its initiative to incorporate capacity-building into its efforts);
- The International Hydrological Commission and International Oceanographic Commission;
- The Culture Sector’s program on endangered movable objects, and its efforts to build museum capacity in developing nations;
- The World Heritage Center;
- the Information and Communication Sector’s emphasis on freedom of the press and the development of community-based communications projects;
- the use of ICT’s to reinforce the work of the other sectors at UNESCO.

She underscored the need to continue to improve UNESCO's efficiency and effectiveness as a development agency, and the position of the U.S. government that UNESCO should live within the large budget increase made as a result of U.S. reentry in the organization, rather than seeking further increases for the next bienium.

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