Dear colleagues and friends,
I am truly pleased to welcome here the participants of the General Meeting of the Russian Federation Commission for UNESCO - members of the Commission, Chairmen of its Committees, activists of the Organization in our country, as well as representatives of federal ministries and agencies and heads of Russian regions.
A number of issues were left unresolved since our last meeting, which require our collective examination and appropriate action. But first, let me say a few words about the current situation of global development, challenges that UNESCO faces in this context and priorities for cooperation between Russia and the Organization.
Fundamental changes are currently taking place in global politics. We observe a steadily growing trend towards a new multipolar world order, which should become more democratic and stable, reflect the post-cold war realities, and partners' interests and rely on the philosophy of joint actions. There is a growing understanding of the lack of alternatives to constructive cooperation, elaboration of a positive and synergetic agenda and harmonious relations both among States and within international organizations, because there is no reason for us to fight anymore, as we all share common challenges and threats. Rivalry of ideologies and block-based thinking are being increasingly replaced with the competition between value systems and development models. The universal role of the UN as a unique mechanism for the coordination of multilateral approaches to key global issues and challenges is being further consolidated.
At the same time, there is still a possibility for conflict directly stemming from civilizational, cultural, national, ethnic and religious factors. Today's world is overloaded with various risks and is full of glaring contradictions. A breeding ground for extremist and terrorist ideas and ideologies still exists. The latest events in North Africa and the Middle East have demonstrated the fragility of social peace in the seemingly stable Arab Ummah. It is therefore important to seek constantly an effective balance between religion and democracy and to respond to the needs of all social classes in a timely manner. It is obvious that international humanitarian cooperation based on the ideals of good, justice and morality should contribute to finding solutions to existing problems.
The promotion of these global benchmarks and fundamental values has always been a prominent part of the UNESCO activities. Today the Organization is becoming only more relevant; it is a universally recognized and authoritative forum that sends messages of accord, tolerance and openness, and takes consensual decisions on a whole range of issues of interest to the entire civilization. By using its unique capabilities, UNESCO greatly contributes to a deeper dialogue among different civilizations and cultures, the promotion of cultural diversity, preservation of national identity, protection of ethic norms while assessing the achievements of technological progress, as well as confronting extremist and radical ideologies. UNESCO's success in meeting these and other goals, which are becoming more global and complex, will depend on its ability to modernize itself and to elaborate innovative approaches to responding to modern-day challenges.
It was at the turn of the century that UNESCO formulated the concept of the culture of peace, based on the idea of building a new kind of international relations characterized by tolerance, non-violence, respect for human rights, mutual respect between cultures, traditions and religions. I am sure that the time has come to bring this culture into everyday life and to give it a considerable weight in all UNESCO member States.
Our country has always worked intensively with UNESCO, and today our cooperation with the Organization remains one of our foreign policy priorities. We have been involved in the vast majority of UNESCO's scientific projects, we come up with initiatives aimed at deepening intercultural and inter-religious dialogue in the Organization's activities. The fact that UNESCO proclaimed the year marking the 300th anniversary of birth of an outstanding Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov the International Year of Chemistry indicates that Russia's intentions are understood and appreciated by the UNESCO community.
We confirm our interest in a pragmatic and full-scale use of UNESCO's huge resources in order to get Russian partners involved in the implementation of major international projects in scientific and communication technology areas, the modernization of the national educational system and preservation of Russia's cultural and natural heritage.
Growing cooperation between UNESCO and Russian regions is of great importance. Some of these regions, including the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Republic of Tatarstan, Khanty-Mansiyskiy Autonomous Region - Yugra, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the Yaroslavl Region, have already gained vast experience in this field. I am sure that it may be used by other Russian entities as well.
Contacts at the civil society level increase the efficiency of our cooperation with UNESCO. A prominent role in the interaction with "soft power diplomacy" should also be played by Russian business structures, which implies not only sponsorship but also image investment in various intellectual projects.
In general, a systematic and planned approach to cooperation with UNESCO needs to be enhanced. I am sure that it is necessary to stop 5the practice of "sporadic response" by Russian agencies and organizations to proposals and requests received from UNESCO and our Commission. There is no doubt that, building on the activities of specialized committees operating under the Commission's aegis, Russian participants in the cooperation with UNESCO may successfully perform tasks related to long-term planning, financial and staff support for their interaction with the Organization.
We should make fuller use of the advantages provided by a strong mutual understanding recently established with the UNESCO administration, as well as those provided by last year's election, for the first time in the history of our relations, of a Russian representative to the post of the Chairman of the Organization's Executive Board. For instance, we should be more persistent in seeking democratization for mechanisms supporting the UNESCO Director-General's High-level Group on Peace and Dialogue among Cultures, as well as be more specific in formulating the task of building relations between UNESCO and the Russian Orthodox Church for the purposes of enriching the content of intercultural dialogue. In this context, I would like to stress the critical importance of the Russia-UNESCO Agreement on the participation of the Government of the Russian Federation in financing the works on the restoration of Orthodox sacred sites in Kosovo (Serbia) in terms of the broad international campaign for the protection of Orthodox memorials of world cultural heritage carried out in this region under the Organization's protection.
Thank you.
