Vietnam pledges to accompany UNESCO for sustainable cultural development

UNESCO General Director Audrey Azoulay (L) receives Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung in Paris. (Photo: VNA)

Paris (VNA) – Vietnam considers culture a driving force of socio-economic development, placing culture on par with economy and politics, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung said on November 16 when meeting with UNESCO General Director Audrey Azoulay in Paris.

Speaking at the meeting, the Vietnamese minister said that in its action programmes, Vietnam always designs a progressive cultural policy framework that meets citizens' rights to enjoy and participate in cultural life.

He informed the UNESCO leader that the Government of Vietnam assigned the ministry to soon complete and submit to the National Assembly for promulgation the National Target Programme on Vietnamese cultural development in the next 10 years with focuses on revitalising and developing culture as well as hunger eradication and poverty reduction programmes to realise millennium goals.

Hung called on UNESCO and its General Director to support Vietnam in developing a draft law on cultural heritage – a move to complete the legal framework for cultural heritage in the country.

Based on the results of the UNESCO pilot project on cultural index serving the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for sustainable development at the national level and in Thua Thien-Hue province, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has developed the National Cultural Index, which helps comprehensively assess the contribution of culture to the sustainable development of the country. The ministry thanked UNESCO for supporting it in developing and implement the National Cultural Index.

Hung also affirmed that as an active and responsible member of UNESCO, Vietnam is a candidate for the position of member of the World Heritage Committee for the 2023-2027 term. It is also a member of the Intergovernmental Committee on the Conventions on the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage 2003 and 2005.

Vietnam wishes to spread the message calling on all countries in the world, especially UNESCO member states, to join hands to keep preserving and promoting the value of world heritage sites, he said.

The country is actively supporting Laos in preparing a dossier seeking UNESCO recognition of Hin Namno National Park as a World Natural Heritage Site, he said, calling on UNESCO to support the two countries’ effort.

Audrey Azoulay hoped that Vietnam will be the leading country in supporting culture to become a separate development goal in the UN Agenda after 2030.

Vietnam has 35 titles recognised by UNESCO, including eight world cultural and natural heritages, 15 intangible cultural heritages, three world documentary heritages, six documentary heritages in the Asia-Pacific region, and three creative cities./.