Mr. President,
Mr. Director General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, I would like to greet the representatives and delegates to the 31st General Conference of UNESCO. And I would like to congratulate you, Mr. President, on the occasion of your election as the President of the General Conference and to wish you success in this special task.

Mr. President,

As we convene this conference only a month after the horrific events of September 11, it is even more obvious that UNESCO plays a critical role as a proponent of the basic intellectual and moral values which characterize modern societies. UNESCO has become even more consequential as an organization which can develop and promote the tools which are needed for his "Year of Dialogue among Civilizations." Recent events have demonstrated that this dialog is more essential than ever. But, unfortunately, more distant than ever as well. We cannot ignore, minimize or forget these recent acts of terror, but we can reaffirm our commitment to the age-old truth that education, art and science are direct paths to better individual lives and the tools needed for a better collective existence through dialog and mutual understanding.

Mr. President,

That the Task Force on UNESCO in the Twenty First Century has identified "the humanization of globalization" as one of its goals is welcomed by Armenia. The benefits of globalization must be accompanied by the social safeguards that will prevent the deterioration of the social fabric that makes for stable societies. The danger to world order comes not from the ruling elites who are increasingly integrated into the global market order, but from the excluded. Globalization should welcome diversity, should bolster the enhancement of human rights, and should support active capacity building towards the creation of a global knowledge society.

None of these objectives can be easily achieved. Or achieved alone. Governments of Member States should assist the organization in this difficult task, especially by more actively involving National Commissions, a unique structure, which may be considered one of the organization's best achievements.

Mr. President,

The implications - and possibilities - of globalization affect our organization as well. UNESCO's mission to execute its mandate globally can and should be implemented through active collaboration with other international, especially European, organizations. Europe not only cannot but, in fact, does not distance itself from the rest of the world. European states and structures are actively involved in establishing democratic societies and common European values in all parts of the globe. UNESCO's decades-long experience in helping build the societal and educational structures which provide the underpinnings for intellectual and spiritual growth in democratic societies can be utilized optimally. It is time to consider the possible means and modalities of collaboration between UNESCO and the Council of Europe, European Union, OSCE, OECD, and NATO in areas of common interest.

Mr. President,

I should express my satisfaction with regards to Document 31 C/5 Program and Budget for 2002/2003 to be adopted by the General Conference. This document contains a more pragmatic and concrete approach in achieving the goals emphasized in the fields of education, culture, science, human rights.

Armenia fully supports the organization's policy in the field of education. The building of a knowledge society through quality learning and teaching coincides with my country's strategy for education in the coming years. In restructuring education systems to meet contemporary international standards, the crucial point is to provide society with access to Information and Communication Technologies. This access is still limited in our country, although Armenia has a tradition of active initiation and involvement in ICT research and software development. In Armenia, we are working both on developing public awareness of the potential of this sector, while at the same time resolving such issues as regulation, capacity creation and training.

For us, the follow-up to Dakar's recommendations lies in promoting the use of information and communication technologies in education. In particular, promotion of the use of ICTs in education can play a significant role in the field of special education, as well as in retraining certain groups of the unemployed. To this end, Armenia, together with the UNESCO Institute on Information Technologies in Education, has initiated an international Expert Meeting on "Utilization of Information and Communication Technologies in Education of People with Limited Physical Abilities." The Expert Meeting will be held in November in the newly established center of the same name. Through the work of this center, we intend to provide ways to effectively integrate persons with physical disabilities in Armenian society. The percentage of this segment of our population is high, due to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabagh, and even more, the effects of the 1988 Earthquake. Education is the best way to turn what was a tragedy for the country, into new energy for a new era.

Mr. President,

UNESCO has come to be known, above all, for its achievements in the field of culture, and in particular in the protection and preservation of the World's Cultural Heritage. Armenia attaches great importance to the organization's efforts towards the elaboration of already existing legal instruments and its initiatives toward developing new instruments aimed at the protection of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

UNESCO's insistence that states recognize cultural monuments as representing our common global heritage, and not just the legacy of a specific culture, is an important prerequisite toward this end, and is especially important for Armenians. Throughout the millennia of our history, Armenia has witnessed its cultural monuments damaged or destroyed. Throughout the Soviet period and the ensuing years, there was a clear policy to destroy Armenian monuments under Azerbaijan's control. Today, wherever these monuments exist under Armenian jurisdiction, their cataloging, care and renovation is considered a priority.

Also important is the Armenian commitment to respect and protect the places of worship of other faiths. In Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, an 18th century Iranian mosque has been completely restored, through the cooperative efforts of the Armenian and Iranian governments and specialists. Reciprocal efforts are under way in Iran to preserve and restore Armenian monasteries. We would like to see similar cooperation with Turkey, where there are thousands of Armenian historic monuments, many of them damaged or near-destruction and elimination. Armenia is committed to turn the maintenance and appropriate renovation of those historical sites into opportunities for collaboration with Turkey so that the peoples of the world can benefit from these universal treasures. The medieval Armenian capital city of Ani, the Armenian Church on the island of Akhtamar in Lake Van are just two places which continue to be a reminder of our deep roots in that area which are worthy of special attention. Just as they served the spiritual needs of our predecessors centuries ago, we remain hopeful that they might serve as the spiritual links for all our descendants for centuries to come.

Borne of this concern, the Interregional Conference on "Implementation and Co-ordination of UNESCO Conventions on Protection of Cultural Heritage and other International Instruments" took place at our initiative, in Armenia, with the participation of representatives from Georgia, Greece, Italy, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation, Turkey as well as representatives from UNESCO, ICOMOS, INTERPOL and UNIDROIT. The resulting Draft Resolution is to be presented for adoption by the General Conference. The general idea is to establish co-operation among the countries of the region and our neighbors - the Russian Federation, Turkey and Islamic Republic of Iran. Although some countries are still hesitant about establishing groups of collaborating experts, we remain convinced that there is no way of overcoming political tensions, than to start working together to preserve our common heritage.

This effort to preserve and promote the culture of the past and the present has its economic rewards as well. As a country which has been called an open air museum, we understand and heartily endorse UNESCO's effort to a eradicate poverty through promoting culture. To that end, the Republic of Armenia is organizing a Donors' Conference entitled "Regeneration through Culture". The Conference will coincide with the visit to Armenia by the Director General of UNESCO Mr. Koichiro Matsuura. I would like to encourage my colleagues to participate in this conference which can provide a huge impetus to local and regional development by fostering partnerships between central and local governments, as well as between government and the private sectors in rural areas,

Mr. President,

Armenia attaches great importance to all of UNESCO's initiatives in the region. We welcome them for what they try to do directly, as well as their overall intent to foster regional cooperation and development. That is, for obvious reasons, our priority as well. We remain committed to work with this organization in finding ways for our common human values and cultural, scientific interests to take precedence over our individual differences and divisions.

Thank you.