We must restore UNESCO's central position acquired through its missions and values. We must enable it to promote a style of humanism which is necessary now more than ever. Audrey Azoulay Candidate for the post of Director-General of UNESCO
MEAE 2017 - Design and Production: Press and Communication Directorate Photo credits: MEAE (cover), UNphoto/Manuel Elias (p. 3), Présidence de la République et ministère de la Culture (p. 4)
FOREWORD Audrey Azoulay Candidate for the post of Director- General of UNESCO For a strong, multi-faceted and committed Organisation The President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, recently underlined once again that, without the common goods of freedom and democracy, the ability of individuals and our societies to be autonomous, remain free, guarantee social justice and preserve our planet, there can be no desirable or sustainable future. None of the great challenges currently facing our world, from climate change, violent extremism, rapid urban development to the displacement of peoples and sectarianism, can be resolved by one country alone and none can be resolved without culture, education and science. To build our shared future, we must restore UNESCO to its rightful place to defend yet more strongly its universal values and its missions within the framework of multilateral governance. We must enable it to promote a humanism which is necessary now more than ever. Having roots on both sides of the Mediterranean, between Europe and Africa, is a chance which has carried me, made me more aware of difference and stronger as a consequence. My professional and personal work has always been driven by the conviction that only culture, science and education can bring people together where so many other issues divide. We therefore need a strong UNESCO at the heart of the international arena, a UNESCO capable of building partnerships with all those who share its vision. Young people should be at the heart of our ambitions. It is with the aim of carrying forward this shared project, open to the world and the younger generations, putting every Member State on an equal footing, that I offer my candidacy for the post of Director-General of UNESCO.
/ NAME Audrey Azoulay / DATE & PLACE OF BIRTH 4 August 1972, La CelleSaint-Cloud / FAMILY SITUATION married, 2 children / LANGUAGES French, English and Spanish.
BIOGRAPHY Audrey Azoulay is a French civil servant, politician and former French Minister of Culture and Communication. She speaks fluent French, English and Spanish. Her candidacy for the post of Director-General of UNESCO was submitted on 15 March this year by the French government. From the first days of her mandate, French President, Emmanuel Macron, has given his strong support for her candidacy. Career Audrey Azoulay's career has been centred around using her skills for culture and ensuring culture reaches the widest possible audience. During successive experiences in the French public audiovisual sector, she worked on the implementation of digital terrestrial television and funding for the audiovisual sector. She worked as an expert for the European Commission on issues of culture and communication. During her time at the French National Centre of Cinematography and the Moving Image (CNC) she also reformed and modernized the systems of aid for French cinema. As Culture Adviser to the President of the French Republic François Hollande, in 2014 she launched the creation of a plan to protect endangered heritage. Appointed French Minister of Culture and Communication in 2016, she implemented this plan of action to protect endangered heritage in conflict zones. She presented Draft Resolution 2347 to the UN Security Council on the protection of endangered heritage. This resolution, put forward by France and Italy, was adopted unanimously. Throughout her professional career, she has undertaken several modernisation reforms thanks to her mediation and consensus-building capacities. As a global citizen with family ties to Morocco, Audrey Azoulay is actively committed to innovation, intercultural and intergenerational dialogue to drive education for all and the dissemination of scientific and cultural knowledge. She launched an international plan for cultural diversity through books and also introduced gender parity measures for cultural institutions into French law. As the initiator of the Creation in Progress project, an innovative educational and artistic project led in conjunction with the French Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research, Audrey Azoulay is dedicated to promoting the fulfilment of young generations, widening their future perspectives and giving them a voice on the world in which we would like to live. Training and education A former student at the Ecole nationale d administration (ENA), she graduated from the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) and holds a Diploma of Business Administration from Lancaster University (UK).
MY PRIORITIES FOR EDUCATION Education is the main enabler for fighting sectarianism and providing genuine open-mindedness. It is the driver of development and gender equality, which is one of the main cross-cutting priorities for Africa. Bring together the international community to achieve the aim of quality education for all and lead advocacy to meet the needs of Member States. Develop education of tolerance and citizenship to fight extremism and the use of violence, particularly in the school environment. Adapt the Education programme to support each Member State in setting out and implementing its national education policy. Invest in the field of digital and new technologies to provide education as close as possible to the target populations. UNESCO is clearly at the forefront of establishing quality education for all and I will ensure that the institution retains and strengthens this leading position.
MY PRIORITIES FOR CULTURE & HERITAGE Culture is a force for dialogue, social cohesion, creativity and economic growth. Support Member States in the implementation of UNESCO's key cultural conventions and, within this context: - continue the commitment of the international community and awareness-raising for all stakeholders and civil society in order to better promote, preserve, protect and restore our heritage particularly in areas of armed conflict or natural disasters - fighting the illicit traffic of cultural property. Defend diversity of cultural expressions in international exchanges and ensure that linguistic plurality is respected. Develop cultural exchanges between societies to combat ignorance and the fear of the other. Promote endogenous development of creative industries, a driver of sustainable development, within the framework of balanced economic partnerships. UNESCO is a driving player in the protection and restauration of heritage.
MY PRIORITIES FOR NATURAL & HUMAN SCIENCES Make UNESCO a leading player in sustainable development, an intellectual forum working for universal values. Restore UNESCO's ability to awaken the world's conscience (Léon Blum) through human sciences research applied to the contemporary work and through disseminating its results. Consolidate UNESCO's contribution to fighting climate change, to preserve water and ocean resources, by developing multilateral partnerships to benefit the most affected Member States. Renew reflexion on scientific ethics to provide a share vision of human dignity and inclusive sustainable development. Bring scientists together as best as possible within research to help achieve the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. Continue advocacy within international bodies for the integration of scientific knowledge. As a guardian of independent scientific research carried out in the public interest, UNESCO must also promote stronger ties between research and public policies
MY PRIORITIES FOR COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION UNESCO must remain at the forefront of the defence of fundamental rights, especially freedom of opinion and expression, the freedom of the press and the protection of journalists. Facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and techniques to give every Member State the tools it needs to develop. Promote the development of professional media who can contribute to information provision and intellectual debate within society. Defend the protection of journalists around the world and the fight against the impunity of crimes committed against them. Promote the universal values founded on UNESCO's constitution. Develop grass-roots work with young people, through UNESCO schools, professorships and clubs. I commit to promoting all measures which enhance the preservation of cultural diversity in the new media.
MY PRIORITIES TO MAKE UNESCO MORE EFFICIENT FOR ALL UNESCO must assert itself with ambition as the conscience of the United Nations, fully assume its missions through inclusive governance and refuse any simplistic view of its mandate. Guarantee the accountability of budgetary and extra-budgetary contributions for every UNESCO Member State and better direct priority programmes. Increase multilateral, bilateral and public-private partnerships to benefit the programmes decided upon by UNESCO Member States. Professionalize and invest in the search for external partnerships. Regularly evaluate the programmes carried out by UNESCO in the light of the desired results on the ground (target- and measurable outcomes-based approach). Boost decentralisation to field offices, both regional and national, to increase UNESCO's visibility for Member States' populations and strengthen the synergies with local authorities and national commissions. The Organisation must reaffirm its universal nature, which invites all to participate in programme funding within the means at their disposal.
MY COMMITMENT FOR UNESCO: / OPENESS / DIVERSITY / MODERNITY /
Audrey Azoulay Candidate for the post of Director-General of UNESC Contact audreyazoulay.unesco2017@gmail.com Website audreyazoulay-unesco2017.fr Twitter account @AAzoulay