The United Nations Educational Scientific and Culture Organisation will assist Vietnam in the transfer of experience and expertise for sustainable development, said Director General Irina Bokova while meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Hanoi on June 20.

Bokova is in Vietnam from June 19-23 to attend a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the 2003 Convention on protecting world intangible cultural heritages and to review the implementation of the UNESCO–Vietnam agreement signed three years ago.

She underscored Vietnam’s significant role in increasing understanding and cooperation among UNESCO member nations.

The guest highly valued Vietnam’s preservation and protection of heritages as well as its progress in education development and coping with climate change, adding that she hopes Vietnam will back UNESCO in the prompt signing of a cooperation deal with the Association of South East Asian Nations.

PM Dung highlighted that Vietnam will continue promoting all-around links with UNESCO and support its cooperation with ASEAN, including cooperation deals.

He expressed his hope that UNESCO will back Vietnam’s dossiers seeking world heritage status, including Trang An scenic landscape complex in northern Ninh Binh province, Cat Ba tourism complex in northern Hai Phong city, southern amateur singing and Nghe Tinh folk singing.

Earlier, Bokova held talks with Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Thanh Son, who is also Chairman of the Vietnam National UNESCO Commission.

At a later press briefing, Bokova said the two sides discussed key issues that UNESCO will help Vietnam in the time to come, including the improvement of managerial capacity, coping with new challenges in culture, education, heritage, climate change and the preservation of biosphere reserves.

During her stay, Bokova will tour central Quang Nam province - the only locality with two world heritage sites and one world biosphere reserve, and take part in the opening ceremony of the Quang Nam Heritage Festival.

She will also attend a ribbon cutting ceremony for Tower G, one of the most important structures inside My Son sanctuary restored with funding from UNESCO and the Italian Government.-VNA