13 November 2013 - Senator Loren Legarda delivered the Philippine policy statement before the 37th Session of the UNESCO General Conference in the afternoon of November 08. The Senator headed the Philippine delegation to the General Conference which is a biennial gathering of UNESCO Member States.
Speaking before Ministers of Education and Culture and other delegates from the 195 UNESCO Member States and nine Associate Members, Senator Legarda highlighted the immediate need for the world to act on climate change and on natural disasters. She said, “In 2012, our country accounted for 10.2% of total global disaster victims. Nothing can be more compelling for us than these facts.”
Such a message from the Philippine Head of Delegation was given particular resonance during that afternoon and in succeeding days in the General Conference as the news on the devastation caused by typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines came in.
In the Philippine policy statement, Senator Legarda also mentioned Philippine efforts in the preservation of heritage and culture. In particular, she brought attention to the fact that being a historically plural and multi-ethnic society, the Philippines is moving to document and revive dying traditions of major ethnic groups and indigenous peoples. She further said that “at the core of our experience in heritage conservation and management, peace building, and in promoting sustainable development is engagement with communities, and private-public-people partnerships.”
UNESCO or the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations. Its mandate is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, and communication and information. END