Russia is re-elected to the Executive Council of UNESCO

UFA, 20 November 2015. /Bashinform News Agency, Leila Aralbaeva/. On November 3-18, Paris hosted the 38th session of the General Conference of UNESCO dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the major humanitarian organization of the UN system. Recall that in the Republic of Bashkortostan a number of current projects and programs of UNESCO is implementing, the Head of the Republic Rustem Khamitov is a member of the Russian Commission for UNESCO.

The anniversary of UNESCO gathered an unprecedented number of high-ranking guests at the headquarters of the organization. The Presidents and leaders of Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, India, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta and other countries delivered speeches at the General Conference. The Russian delegation was headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO Affairs Sergey Lavrov.

Among the main issues of the General Conference representatives of 195 member countries discussed the results of UNESCO's activities, analyzed its programs and policies aimed at achieving sustainable development goals for the period up to 2030 adopted by the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2015.

In the course of the elections to the governing and subsidiary bodies of UNESCO the Russian Federation was re-elected by an overwhelming majority to the Executive Board. In addition, Russia joined the International Coordinating Council of the program "Human and Biosphere", the Intergovernmental Council of the "Management of Social Transformations" program, the Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee and the Intergovernmental Council of the International Hydrological Program.

The Leaders’ Forum was held within the framework of the 38th session of the General Conference. Its work has been overshadowed by a series of terrorist attacks in Paris. The Heads of States expressed their commitment to the goals facing the organization, stressed their solidarity with the people and the Government of France in opposition to terror and violence. The French President Francois Hollande delivered a large speech.

The next 39th session of the UNESCO General Conference will be held in Paris in the autumn of 2017.