(Photo: Jakartaglobe.id)Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia was elected as a member of the UNESCO Executive Board for 2017-2021 during the 39th UNESCO General Conference in Paris on November 8.
Indonesia received 160 votes, the third highest in the Asia-Pacific Group in the election, the Foreign Ministry said.
Along with Indonesia, Japan, India, the Philippines, China and Bangladesh are also elected to represent the Asia-Pacific Group as members of the UNESCO Executive Board, with Japan securing 166 votes and India, 162 votes.
Indonesian Ambassador to UNESCO Hotmangaradja Pandjaitan said as a member of the UNESCO Executive Board for 2017-2021, Indonesia can strategically contribute to the UNESCO’s standard-setting process.
The membership in the UNESCO Executive Board is a strategic platform for Indonesia’s aspiration to voice its agenda considering its wide-ranging interests in UNESCO’s scope of work, in particular related to education and culture.
Members of the UNESCO Executive Board have the unique opportunity to contribute to the organisation’s decision-making process.
Indonesia’s success has benefited from its achievements and diplomacy throughout its membership in UNESCO and thanks to the full support of the government of Indonesia, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said.
To date, Indonesia has donated notable Works of Art to UNESCO and has been an active member of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) for 2015-2019 with the mandate of preserving the world’s heritage.
Indonesia has received UNESCO’s acknowledgement as a major contributor to the promotion and preservation of world’s heritage in the country like Wayang, Keris, Batik, Angklung, Noken, Borobudur and Prambanan Temple as world’s heritages. Furthermore, the Saman and Bali Dance are also recognised as intangible world’s heritage.
The Executive Board is elected by the General Conference and is one of the three constitutional organs of UNESCO. It consists of 58 member states with a four-year term of office. Each state member appoints one representative and may also appoint alternates.-VNA
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