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UNESCO opens general conference; welcomes back US as member
Paris, Sept 30: The conflicts in the two years since the Sept. 11 terror attacks have plunged the United Nations system into an unprecedented crisis, the head of the U.N. cultural arm said yesterday as the organization opened its biannual general conference.
Paris, Sept 30: The conflicts in the two years since the Sept. 11 terror attacks have plunged the United Nations system into an unprecedented crisis, the head of the U.N. cultural arm said yesterday as the organization opened its biannual general conference.
Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of the U.N.
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO,
said however that becoming discouraged would only dishonor
those who died in the Aug. 19 bombing of U.N. headquarters in
Baghdad, Iraq.
Still, the years since the terror attacks in New York and Washington and the subsequent high-profile battle in the Security Council over the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq have been difficult for the United Nations.
"These two years, marked as they have been by so many conflicts, have plunged the United Nations into the most serious crisis it has had to face in its history, forcing it to question more than ever before the capacity of its institutions to reflect the world's new realities," Matsuura said.
Matsuura spoke at the opening of UNESCO's general conference, which this year is being marked by the return of the United States to the organization after a 19-year absence. U.S. First lady Laura Bush addressed the session Monday afternoon, and linked UNESCO's work to the struggle against terrorism.
This year's conference is expected to concentrate on safeguarding cultural heritage and diversity, multilingualism on the internet and human genetic data. Members will also look at the search for cultural artifacts looted in Iraq in the aftermath of the invasion.
Bureau Report
Still, the years since the terror attacks in New York and Washington and the subsequent high-profile battle in the Security Council over the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq have been difficult for the United Nations.
"These two years, marked as they have been by so many conflicts, have plunged the United Nations into the most serious crisis it has had to face in its history, forcing it to question more than ever before the capacity of its institutions to reflect the world's new realities," Matsuura said.
Matsuura spoke at the opening of UNESCO's general conference, which this year is being marked by the return of the United States to the organization after a 19-year absence. U.S. First lady Laura Bush addressed the session Monday afternoon, and linked UNESCO's work to the struggle against terrorism.
This year's conference is expected to concentrate on safeguarding cultural heritage and diversity, multilingualism on the internet and human genetic data. Members will also look at the search for cultural artifacts looted in Iraq in the aftermath of the invasion.
Bureau Report