Address by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO to the University of Dhaka Dhaka, 9 May 2012 Honourable President of the People s Republic of Bangladesh and Chancellor of the University of Dhaka, Professor Dr Arefin Saddique, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dhaka, Dear Professors, Dear Students, Ladies and Gentlemen, On a personal note let me say that I have rarely experienced such emotion in signing a document. The first moment was when I signed the new Bulgarian Constitution which I had contributed to drafting. This is probably the second. I am honoured to accept this distinction of Honoris Causa from the University of Dhaka. I take this is a sign of trust and honour for UNESCO, the Organization that I lead and that promotes cooperation in education, the sciences, culture and communication. I am deeply touched to be here with you and for the kind words you have just address to me. This is Bangladesh s most prestigious place for higher learning. It is also a world class university. The University opened its doors in 1921 to 877 students. DG/2012/073 Original: English
It welcomes today some 33,000 men and women and leads in academic excellence and scholarly research. Truth shall prevail. This is the motto of a University whose history has echoed that of your great nation. From the Language Movement of 1952, the emergence of the People s Republic of Bangladesh in 1971 until today, the University of Dhaka has been a place where history is made. Throughout all of this, your University allow me to say my University now has been guided by firm convictions. Learning and knowledge are essential for human dignity. They are motors for healthy societies and vibrant economies. The University of Dhaka is a place to understand the world and to shape it to the benefit of all. I know this University is actively involved in the current run-up to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20 and is already engaging in the debates on the post-2015 development agenda. I see this as the ethical mission of higher education in the 21 st century. The same convictions guide Bangladesh on the international stage. Bangladesh is a champion of multilateralism, in the region and across the world. This leadership, ladies and gentlemen, has never been as urgent as it is today. We are living through times of great change. On the one hand, the world is increasingly connected. DG/2012/073 - Page 2
Starting with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international law has developed beyond expectations. At the same time, the world faces steep challenges. The global economic crisis is sending shockwaves across continents, affecting hardest the world s poorest communities. With greater contacts have come heightened fear - from those who fear they stand to lose from globalization. In 2000, all States agreed to a set of Millennium Development Goals to be reached by 2015, which embody a global humanist agenda for equality, justice and peace. Much progress has been made to attain these goals, including in the most challenging circumstances. But the world remains fragmented by deep inequalities between and within countries, by gender divides, by knowledge gaps. Multiple global crises fuel, food, and economic are challenging societies everywhere. At the forefront of this picture stands a deepening environmental crisis. The planet is under pressure today as never before. The evidence suggests that climate change has led to increases in climate extremes over the past 50 years taking the shape of heat waves, record high temperatures and heavy precipitation. Last year alone, we lived through the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, a heavy monsoon in Pakistan, floods in Australia and Thailand, typhoon in Philippines, an earthquake in New Zealand, hurricanes in the Caribbean, and a drought affecting the Horn of Africa. Disasters pay no heed to borders and strike our societies to the core. DG/2012/073 - Page 3
Your country knows this better than most others. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina put it clearly when speaking to the United Nations General Assembly: Though Bangladesh s contribution to climate change is negligible, it is one of its worst victims. It is also a country where the resilience of society is most evident. In its 2010 Human Development Report, the United Nations Development Programme spotlights Bangladesh as one of the countries that has made the greatest progress in recent decades as measured by the Human Development Index. Your economy is growing quickly, and Bangladesh is making progress towards the Millennium Development Goals to reduce child and maternal mortality, to provide universal primary education, to alleviate poverty, and to promote gender equality. You have reached gender parity in both primary and secondary education. This progress does not take away from the hard work that remains -- to alleviate inequalities and disparities, and to strengthen social resilience in the face of rising challenges. These challenges are a call for change, for a new paradigm of development that is inclusive, people-centred and sustainable, that advances the dignity, rights and capacities of all women and men, while preserving our environment for generations to come. Change must occur. It will not be easy, but it carries extraordinary opportunities to promote inclusive sustainable development for all. This calls for technological change. It demands change in the way our economies work, to build green economies. DG/2012/073 - Page 4
But this is not enough. Sustainable development requires new ways of thinking. We must rethink the meaning of progress and the objectives of development. We must build new societies, new sources of innovation and new forms of resilience societies that are fair, equitable and inclusive and reach out to the most marginalized. Innovation and resilience have deeper roots than financial, economic or material assets. This is the deep meaning of the first Cultural Diversity Ministerial Forum of the Asia- Pacific region that was opened this morning by her Excellency the Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. I thank the Government for its vision and engagement. Cultural diversity holds keys to releasing the creative energies we need today and for the century ahead. It is a force for growth, for cohesion, for dialogue and understanding. This is why cultural sensitivity and cultural diversity are hallmarks of more peaceful and just societies of this new development paradigm - together with quality education for all, a better interface between science and policy, and gender equality. This is what I mean by calling for a new humanism today. We need a new vision of development where every woman and man feels engaged and responsible towards others and the safeguarding of our planet. We need a new way of development that is rooted in a profound respect for human dignity, fundamental rights and the diversity of cultures. Solutions lie with people, they lie in the imaginations of women and men. They must be nurtured in the capacities of individuals to realise their rights fully, in societies that are guided by equality and equity, and justice. These are the stakes of sustainable development today and for the century ahead. DG/2012/073 - Page 5
Universities have a special role to play here as custodians of wisdom and creators of knowledge. This is why I am so touched to be here at the University of Dhaka. Higher education is essential to building societies where I borrow here the words of the great poet of the Bangla language and the author of the Bangladesh national anthem, Rabindranath Tagore Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free Where the world has not been broken up into fragments By narrow domestic walls Where words come out from the depth of truth In this spirit, I thank each of you for your passion for learning and your commitment to realising the future we want for all. I thank you for the honour of joining the ranks of this great University. Together, we can build a world free of want and fear, where all women and men can hold their head high. DG/2012/073 - Page 6