The United Nations Educational Scientific and Culture Organization (UNESCO) will continue assisting Vietnam in improving management ability and deal with new challenges in culture, education, heritage, climate change and biosphere reserves preservation.

Visiting UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova made the statement at the press briefing after talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Hanoi on June 20. Bokova is on a five-day working visit in Vietnam starting June 19 to attend a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the 2003 Convention on protecting world intangible cultural heritages and to review the implementation of the UNESCO–Vietnam agreement signed in 2010. During the talks, Bokova highly appreciated Vietnam’s significant role in increasing understanding and cooperation among UNESCO member nations and said the international organization will assist Vietnam in the transfer of experience and expertise for sustainable development. The UNESCO director praised Vietnam’s preservation of heritages and its progress in addressing impacts of climate change and in boosting education development. She also said she hopes Vietnam will back UNESCO in the signing of a cooperation deal with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). For his part, PM Dung affirmed that Vietnam will continue to strengthen comprehensive ties with UNESCO and support the organization’s cooperation with ASEAN. The PM expressed his hope that UNESCO will support Vietnam in seeking world heritage status for Cat Ba tourism complex in northern Hai Phong city, Trang An scenic landscape complex in northern Ninh Binh province, and Nghe Tinh folk singing and southern amateur singing. During her stay in Vietnam, which will last until June 23, Bokova will also take a tour to the central province of Quang Nam, which is the only locality with two world heritage sites and one world biosphere reserve, and join the opening ceremony of the Quang Nam Heritage Festival. Bokova will also participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony for Tower G, an important structure inside My Son sanctuary that has been restored with funding from the Italian Government and UNESCO.