How GMA overwhelmed the delegates of UNESCO consultation conference

(Part 3 of a series on the 14th Quadrennial Conference)

There was complete silence and focused attention when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo spoke before the 46 Asia Pacific UNESCO Secretaries-General, their delegation of 100 officials from their Education ministry and National Commissions (NatCom), including 20 top officials from the Paris headquarters and six field offices. This happened during the opening ceremony of the 14th Quadrennial Conference of NatComs for UNESCO of Asia and the Pacific Region being held at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel until the end of the week.

The President delivers the keynote speech flawlessly

Assistant Director General of External Relations Commission (ADG/ERC), Mr. Ahmed Sayyad (representative of Director General Koichiro Matsuura) and Dr. Edna Tait of the New Zealand NatCom (host of the previous quadrennial conference) sat with me on stage watching the President deliver the keynote speech flawlessly. Wearing an elegant Oriental-style beaded light gold pants suit, her poise and bearing complemented her description of the “five overarching objectives of the UNESCO’s Medium Term Strategy for 2008-2013”. (This refers to UNESCO’s five mandates.)

I was surprised by the various impressions of the audience, particularly the officials from UNESCO Paris and the field offices:

Bureau of Budget Director Ms. Yolande Valle exclaimed - “Your president is wonderful. I am amazed how she can deliver a lengthy speech without any paper.”

ADG/ERC Sayyad - “Your president’s competence in speaking about the high mandates of UNESCO is amazing. Only senior officials of UNESCO who have worked for decades in Paris or regional offices can speak that way.”

Communication Regional Adviser from Bangkok, Susan Ornagger thought that “she had never met a leader of a country who is well versed and comfortable speaking about UNESCO mandates.”

Herewith is President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s keynote speech:

Our country’s priority programs dovetail with UNESCO mandates

“Welcome to our partners in Asia and the Pacific Region! We are honored to host this conference of the UNESCO National Commissions of AsPac and the Director Generals Consultation on the preparation of your Draft Programme and Budget for 2010-2011. It is a great opportunity to have you here and to be able to speak with you and to thank UNESCO for supporting our country’s priority programs which dovetail with the mandates of UNESCO and the overarching objectives of UNESCO’s Medium-Term Strategy for 2008-2013.

“This is a very informative experience because, as Mr. Sayyad said, you have just recently approved the Medium Term Strategy and it is important for us, the national officials, to be aware of your five overarching objectives and see…where we can work together.”

Our education services for the poor have vastly improved

“UNESCO’s first overarching objective of the Medium Term Strategy is attaining quality education for all and lifelong learning. We are very proud that our own Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) for 2004-2010 gives high priority to education for all. In fact, we have used that term as one of our administration’s ten-point agenda.

“We hear and heed UNESCO’s advice to expedite the implementation of the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda in order to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education by 2015. Our education services for the poor have vastly improved though we have a long way to go. We’re expanding Early Childhood Education. We’re paying cash to the poorest of the poor who send their children to school. We’re providing food-for-school programs in food-poor areas in the elementary school. We’re abolishing all fees collected in public primary schools.

“As Ambassador Soliven has said earlier in her speech, in support of UNESCO, we have issued an Executive Order establishing a center for Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development of the Philippines.”

(On December 2005, right after the October 2005 UNESCO General Conference where Foreign Affairs Secretary and Philippine NatCom Chairman Alberto Romulo proposed this SEA CLLSD Category 2 Center in Paris, President Arroyo signed EO 483 to help raise the national spirit of “education for sustainable development” in all the departments of the government. She has been consistently focused on educational reforms for economic independence of the Filipinos, especially the youth.)

Mobilizing science knowledge for sustainable development

“We are also proud to be in tune with UNESCO’s second overarching objective, which is mobilizing science knowledge and policy for sustainable development. We are investing billions in Science and Technology Research and Development including scholarships for Masters and Doctoral degrees in Engineering.

“Sustainable development is one of our top priorities. We have begun the ‘Green Philippines Program’, and I am glad we have some environmentalists here in our audience with us. Our Green Philippines plan is a blueprint for mapping our environment and economic policies that allow for sustainable development that doesn’t fall on the backs of the poor or erode our environment.

“In this regard, we thank UNESCO for re-nominating the expanded Tubbataha Reef Marine Park to the UNESCO World Heritage list and for encouraging the nomination of Mt. Apo Natural Park as the first site in Mindanao to be inscribed in the World Heritage list…as well as for facilitating the establishment of an efficient emergency communication infrastructure network and communication system for the Department of Health in Eastern Visayas in Central Philippines which is quite disaster-prone…”

Addressing social and ethical challenges

“The third overarching objective is addressing social and ethical challenges such as poverty, biotechnology, human rights. Our improved fiscal position is allowing us to invest in job creation, better healthcare and more educational opportunities. These are the keys to lifting the poor up. We have the support of UNESCO here and therefore we are optimistic.

“We also count on UNESCO to help us work out the safe and responsible use of modern biotechnology and its products as one of several means to achieve and sustain food security, equitable access to health services, sustainable and safe environment, and industry development.

“On the issue of human rights, since the formation of a special commission to tackle our unfortunate history of political violence, extrajudicial killings are down and prosecutions are up. Of course, we will not be satisfied until we are at zero and we count on UNESCO’s support for this.”

Fostering cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and culture of peace

“The fourth overarching objective is fostering cultural diversity, inter-cultural dialogue and a culture of peace…we thank UNESCO for including the Jose Maceda Music Collection in the international memory of the World Register. This attests to the universal significance of preserving the traditional music of the Philippines which is a very important part of our culture.

“Our society is a multi-ethnic society and multi-cultural. It should be founded on social justice for all and the institutionalized accommodation of ethnic traditions. So, we have adopted inter-faith dialogue as an official policy of our MTPDP. The role of inter-faith dialogue in restoring peace in southern Philippines is an experience we would like to share with the world through UNESCO.”

Building inclusive knowledge societies through ICT

“Finally, the fifth overarching objective of the strategy is building inclusive knowledge societies through information and communication. Our information structure is cost-competitive and we have a highly trainable English-proficient, IT-enabled management and manpower. That is why we are a leader in the outsourcing space.

“Even more than that, we are deeply committed to press freedom and its role in building inclusive societies. Well, I might not always like what the media writes about me, but I respect their right to say it because we live in a vibrant and robust democracy.

“As we improve security in the parts of the country that have known some degree of violence, with the support of UNESCO, we’re able to move quickly to build inclusive societies and develop the economy of those areas. As a neighbor and friend in an inclusive regional society, we all I’m sure share the anguish of the Chinese and the Burmese in their current moment of tragedy. Together, we will rise above catastrophe with the support of UNESCO…

“So, I wish all of you a fruitful and productive discussion as you plan the region’s strategic programs to bring about a culture of peace and to deepen and develop mutual understanding, reconciliation and dialogue.”

PGMA sets a trend for UNESCO

Madame Marie-Noelle Branet, Senior Administrative Assistant of ERC, has been organizing this vast conference since November last year with our UNESCO NatCom staff. Up to April, she had no idea that we would have President Arroyo herself as the AsPac speaker.

Marie, extremely pleased, remarked that never in the history of UNESCO has the head of the State given importance to the UNESCO Consultation Conference that gather the heads of the NatComs of various regions of the world. UNESCO is so honored and grateful that she had made this vital UN agency highly visible. Madame Noelle predicts that this will draw other state leaders to do the same.

As of press time, Marie informed us that the African NatCom Consultation Conference will be graced by the Benin President.

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