Introduction by the Chairperson of the Executive Board, H.E. Ambassador Mohamed Sameh Amr:
During his opening remarks, Ambassador Amr, welcomed the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth to UNESCO, on behalf of the Executive Board and mentioned that his presence at the Board was unsurpassed. He recalled that both Organizations shared the same membership; and similar values and objectives in the fields of education, human rights, culture diversity and mutual understanding. The topic for this meeting was not only on the recent partnerships of youth development, but was also an opportunity to discuss future collaborations. He recalled that UNESCO was the first UN organization to create an institutionalized framework within which youth has an opportunity to impact policy with the creation of the UNESCO Youth Forum in 1999. He mentioned that the 9th Youth Forum will take place later this year immediately before the 38th session of the General Conference. In conclusion, the Chairperson of the Executive Board reiterated the fact that “young people were key agents for social change, economic development and technological innovation” and he recognised “that investment in youth development was crucial for sustainable social, economic and cultural development,” saying that they have to help formulate policies “so that we all may achieve the ‘Future We Want’”.
Opening Remarks by Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO:
In her opening remarks, the Director-General mentioned that she was “deeply honoured” by the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s presence, and recalled the “longstanding and deep” cooperation both Organizations shared, saying it was built “on shared foundations, of common values and principles, on the profound commitment of both organizations to promoting peace, human rights and dignity, as the basis for inclusive human dignity”. She then stated that the needs, concerns and aspirations of young women and men must have a central place in the new development agenda, not only as beneficiaries, but also as partners and as leaders. The Director-General stated that sustainable development would be difficult to achieve while many youth do not have access to quality education, either from discrimination or conflict; she noted that millions remained unemployed and still suffer from poverty and hunger. She recalled that UNESCO, together with The Commonwealth, were attempting to tackle such challenges, and made reference to several activities being undertaken, especially in Africa and Asia. In conclusion, Ms Bokova welcomed the opportunity to further deepen the two organizations partnership – especially within the framework of the Commonwealth’s Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment (PAYE) and UNESCO’s Operational Strategy on Youth (2014-2021).
Remarks by H.E. Mr Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth
Mr. Sharma mentioned that he was honoured to be given the opportunity to present the Commonwealth to members of the UNESCO’s Executive Board as “a diverse family of 53 member states which cherish the same values and are committed to many of the same goals as UNESCO”. He continued by stating that “We are two organisations founded around the same time with a shared vision of serving the human community in its diversity.”
The Secretary-General outlined three themes that were important for both organizations.
Firstly, he asserted that the “world community is at a fundamental cross-roads […] in a globalizing world, with a degree of unprecedented and swift integration in diverse areas pulling us together […] rapidly compacting […] generating frictions and assertions of contested identities”. He said that “Our future depends upon how we navigate our way through this collision of inherited identities pulling us apart and an emerging collective identity which is no threat to what we cherish and value in ourselves.’ He recalled that the Commonwealth is present on all continents and that its members reflect the variety of human communities, thus making it a template of the whole world. He said that “democracy, inclusive development and our diversity in all its richness” was at the heart of the Commonwealth saying that these values were “the three stable pillars on which our futures lie”.
The second theme he mentioned was related to the young people. UNESCO and the Commonwealth have the same focus on empowering and helping youth to work together to make social changes. He acknowledged the “critical truth that young people who have a sense of belonging and purpose in their lives are far more likely to be constructive citizens” and said that “the future cannot be secured without igniting all round the promise of young people”. Furthermore, he recalled that at present the Sustainable Development Goals and their corresponding Targets, to be adopted by the United Nations later this year, “do not yet adequately recognise the needs or importance of our young people” and concluded that “the success of the Post-2015 Development Agenda requires investing in our young people” saying that “there are enough warning signs to suggest that unless we take urgent concerted action, the ‘demographic dividend’ that is so full of promise today may soon end up as a lost generation of marginalised or disenfranchised young people.”
Lastly, the Commonwealth Secretary-General spoke of the collaborative potential between the Commonwealth and UNESCO to creatively mine the global benefits of digital networking. He outlined his Organization’s new initiative entitled, “Commonwealth Educational Hub”, which he said would enable an online space for associations and nations to collaborate notably through two features, an on-line community of practice and a clearing-house function providing knowledge, best practice and tool-kits.
Finally, Mr. Sharma again welcomed the opportunity to share with UNESCO’s executive Board and looked forward to expanding partnership opportunities and greater cooperation between UNESCO and the Commonwealth in the future.
Question and Answer Session with Members of the Executive Board of UNESCO:
Following the intervention of the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, the Chairperson opened the floor for a question and answer period, which proved to be both lively and quite fruitful. Delegates discussed subjects along the following themes:
Climate Change and Youth in Small Developing Countries:
The representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis asked how the Commonwealth and UNESCO deal with the climate change issues, especially in relation to youth living in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). He explained, for example, the devastating effects of storms may cause severe damage to these states, many of which are also developing countries, thus making it very difficult to cope over the long-term with such necessities as rebuilding schools. Equally, some representatives expressed their desire to see more cooperation between UNESCO and the Commonwealth to address the ethical challenges of climate change.
Mr. Sharma stated that disaster risk reduction was an urgent issue that is being dealt with by both the Commonwealth and UNESCO. He concurred that more needed to be don relative to ethical issue of climate change, and said that it was caused in part by inactive engagements of some countries.
The need for distance learning and challenges related to scholarships and fellowships:
The representative of Nigeria mentioned that Open Distance Learning (ODL) is crucial for African countries, because of the challenges encountered by some rural communities to build educational institutions, which result in lower numbers of young people accessing quality education, lacking skill and employment opportunities. She said that ODL is important, creating a network to make knowledge accessible to young people. The representative of Canada, supporting Nigeria’s comments, suggested that the Commonwealth and UNESCO could contribute more in area of digital teaching in Africa. He also asked what the challenges were that the Commonwealth faced to provide scholarships and fellowships. Meanwhile, another representative cautioned that the use of ICT could be a factor in the rise of radicalism amongst youth. In response, Mr. Sharma mentioned that online teaching indeed is very crucial, and that the Commonwealth was attempting to find solutions to the issue of connectivity requirements. He also said his organization has a strategic plan to implement digital teaching. Mr. Sharma said that the major obstacle the Commonwealth is confronted with for providing scholarships and fellowships was one of funding, and encouraged member states to address this issue with urgency. Finally, he mentioned that the Commonwealth Games was and excellent opportunity to encourage member states to support their young populations – recalling that sport plays an important role in the Commonwealth’s history, and has facilitated greater understanding amongst its members.
Higher education gap in Africa and the supports:
The representative of Togo recalled a 2009 conference, entitled “Governance in Education” which addressed higher education gaps in Africa; he was curious to know if there was any progress subsequent to this initiative and wondered if there will be further support provided. The representative of Australia expressed his support towards the importance of providing training programmes to African teachers through digital components.
The consistency of the Commonwealth:
The representative of Afghanistan stated that while not a member of the Commonwealth, he had a positive opinion of it. He claimed that members of the Commonwealth have a shared “soul”, and that the essence of their success is one of consistency and efficiency. The representative of UK supported this argument. He also asked which of the three themes outlined by the Secretary-General was the most important.
Mr.Sharma said that the “soul” of the Commonwealth is an intangible asset to the Organization. The creation of the Commonwealth was an extraordinary event of the last century, cognizant of the conflicts of the past that all members overcame. The creation of the Commonwealth made cooperation between nations and associations possible, which was an achievement for all of humanity. If he had to prioritise the themes broached in his intervention, the Secretary-General said the first was the most important, since humanity is at the essence of both Organizations.