Republic of Korea, 4 February Excellency Mr Hak-yong SHIN, Chairman of the Education, Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee,

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1 Address by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO at the Joint Committee of the 'Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee' and the 'Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee' Republic of Korea, 4 February 2014 Excellency Mr Hak-yong SHIN, Chairman of the Education, Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee, Excellency Mr Hong Joon AHN, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee, Honourable Members of the National Assembly, I am honoured to speak at the National Assembly, before this Joint Meeting of the Committee for Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Committee for Foreign Affairs and Unification. Thank you for this opportunity. This is an honour, because the Republic of Korea embodies ideas that stand at the heart of the United Nations. The idea of peace, founded on human rights and dignity. The idea of development, based on inclusion and solidarity. The Republic of Korea has become one of the world s great success stories. From the ruins of war, Korea is today the world s 13 th economy. DG/2014/007 Original: English

2 From an aid recipient, Korea is today a growing donor. Korea s soft power, its cultural dynamism, is heard today across the globe. Education has been a driving motor of this success. In the hall of UNESCO in Paris, there is a Korean science textbook, printed in 1956 with UNESCO s support, that was used by the boy who is the Secretary- General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki-moon. This shows the power of education to transform individuals -- to change the world. The belief in education has deep roots in Korean society. In 2012, UNESCO was honoured to be associated with the 250 th anniversary of the birth of the great philosopher, Cheong Yagyong also known as Tasan, who once said: The practice of humanity depends on oneself. This practice starts with education and learning, the foundations of Tasan s thinking. Korea s experience is essential at this time when many societies are undergoing transformation, when traditional development models are being recast. We are living in a new age of limits in terms of material resources, in terms of the planet. This calls for greater investment in the most powerful renewable energy we have, that is human ingenuity. DG/2014/007 - Page 2

3 This calls for a new approach to development that makes the most of a society s potential for innovation. I see these as key lessons of Korea s rise, and they are relevant for all countries. Across the world, we see tremendous progress -- millions are being lifted out of poverty thanks to the great humanist agenda of the Millennium Development Goals. But the challenges of exclusion, poverty and conflict remain steep. This is why the stakes of lasting peace and sustainable development today lie precisely in education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. The Constitution of UNESCO opens with striking words: Since wars start in the minds of men, it is the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed. This idea is as relevant today as it was in 1945, and this is why I have placed the call for a new humanism at the heart of all UNESCO s action. The Republic of Korea is one of UNESCO s greatest champions in taking this vision forward. Let me take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, and its Secretary-General, Min Dong-seok, on its 60 th anniversary and for the New Vision it has developed. Korea embodies UNESCO s values it is also committed to sharing these across the world. This is reflected in the BEAR programme Better Education for Africa s Rise where Korea has partnered with UNESCO to strengthen technical and vocational DG/2014/007 - Page 3

4 education and training, in Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Namibia and Zambia. This is reflected in our efforts across the Asia and Pacific region, to harness the power of new technologies to enhance the quality and equity of education. This is reflected in Korea s support to UNESCO s Education for All global campaign, which will culminate with the World Conference on Education in Incheon in May to review progress since 2000 and set a new global education agenda. In this respect, I thank the Republic of Korea for its outstanding support to the Global Education First Initiative, launched by the United Nations Secretary-General and steered forward by UNESCO. This Initiative is driven by three goals getting every child to school, enhancing the quality of learning and fostering global citizenship. Last September, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and of Education, along with the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding, a UNESCO Category 2 Centre, organised a Consultation on Global Citizenship. I know the Republic of Korea is engaged in strengthening the citizenship dimension of its education system, to deepen responsibility and solidarity in young people. This is embodied in the age-old humanist concept of Hongik Ingan -- to live and work for the benefit of all mankind -- which is the defined purpose of education in this country. This is linked also to Korea s promotion of arts education starting with the International Arts Education Week, held every May, decided by the UNESCO General Conference on the basis of the 2010 Seoul World Conference on Arts Education. DG/2014/007 - Page 4

5 I wish to highlight Korea s leadership also in promoting literacy, through UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize, launched in 1989, in honour of the King Sejong the Great, creator of the Korean alphabet, Hangul. Let me add also UNESCO s cooperation with Korea s private sector embodied in our partnership with Samsung to advance Education for Sustainable Development in Vietnam - I see this as an example of the soft power the world needs today. Our cooperation reaches across UNESCO s mandate. In 2012, I was honoured to participate in the Expo Yeosu 2012 on the Living Ocean and Coast, which testified to Korea s global role on a core issue for sustainable development. We saw the same leadership at the 4 th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan in 2011, which I was also honoured to attend. I see this also in Korea s support to UNESCO s work for sustainable water management this includes Korea s intention to host the 7 th World Water Forum in 2015, for which I am deeply grateful. The Republic of Korea is also a powerful advocate of UNESCO s work to promote the links between culture and development. At a time when all countries are seeking new sources of dynamism, our message is resoundingly clear cultural heritage, cultural diversity can be powerful drivers of more inclusive and sustainable development. The Republic of Korea boasts ten sites of universal significance on the UNESCO World Heritage List and I have seen for myself the wonders of the Bugaksa Temple, and its monumental statue of the Buddha, and I have experienced the ageold customs still vibrantly alive at the Yangdong village in the Gyeongju area. Korea s ancient culture is embodied also in the Arirang, the tradition of lyric folk song, as well as the Kimjang both inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. DG/2014/007 - Page 5

6 Let me highlight here the role of the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia Pacific Region, a UNESCO Category 2 Centre, in taking forward the goals we share. I am grateful to Her Excellency President Park Geun-hye for her personal commitment to harnessing the power of culture for innovation and sustainable development. Her speech to the Davos World Economic Forum in January on the importance of culture and the creative economy as a pillar of a new paradigm for sustainable development was inspiring -- I thank Korea for taking this message across the world at a time when the international community is shaping a new global agenda to follow This includes support to harnessing the power of cultural heritage for dialogue and reconciliation. This is embodied in our partnership to preserve the Koguryo Tombs. The magnificent legacy of the Koguryo Kingdom are the only surviving testimony of the beliefs and customs of a great culture. This project captures the spirit of the World Heritage Convention, whose 40 th anniversary we celebrated in I believe we must redouble efforts to nurture such projects, to show the power of heritage for reconciliation, in this region and beyond. Ladies and Gentlemen, UNESCO and the Republic of Korea share the same values, we work towards the same agenda, and Korea knows the value of peace that is enshrined in our Constitution. I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Korean Government and each of you, as Members of the National Assembly, for the depth of your support. DG/2014/007 - Page 6

7 This is essential in Korea, as it is across the region and I know Korea is now assuming the Chairmanship of the Forum of Asia Pacific Parliamentarians for Education. The Miracle on the Han River carries many lessons, and Korea is continuing to forge ahead on a path of innovation. This country is the only one in the world to have moved so quickly from being a recipient of international development assistance to become a donor and a member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee. In this respect, I welcome the decision by the Government to increase its Official Development Assistance from 0.12% to 0.25% of Gross National Income by 2015, and I would urge you to continue sharing Korea s unique experience. Korea tells a breath-taking story of the success of soft power, drawing on Korea s cultural dynamism Hanllyu and on values that are deeply rooted in Korean society. King Sejong wrote about the power of deep roots in the Songs of Dragons Flying to Heaven the first work in Hangul: A tree with deep roots Because the wind sways it not Blossoms abundantly And bears fruit. As ever, you may count on UNESCO s support as Korea grows continues to you move forward. Thank you. DG/2014/007 - Page 7