PH Ambassador Chairs First ASEAN-UNESCO Permanent Delegations Meeting for 2025

PARIS 25 February 2025 - Philippine Ambassador to France Junever M. Mahilum-West chaired the first ASEAN-UNESCO Permanent Delegations Meeting for 2025 on 03 February 2025. Philippines holds the chairship of the Group for the period January-June 2025 following the chairship of Malaysia which concluded in December 2024.

The meeting commenced with a briefing conducted by Mr. Konstantino Tararas of the Social and Human Sciences (SHS) Sector of UNESCO on the implementation of the Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers.  He encouraged the ASEAN Permanent Delegations  to participate in the ongoing survey of the Recommendation which seeks to evaluate national policies and best practices on key areas, particularly: (1) science for UN ideals (2) science and society (3) research informing policy (4) science as a common good (5) inclusivity and non-discrimination (6) human rights standards (7) scientific freedom and responsibility (8) scientific integrity and ethics (9) human capital and (10) enabling environment. Results of the consultations will form part of the Report to be submitted during the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in November 2025 and will be the basis for UNESCO’s future work in the sciences.

Director Canela of the Communications and Information (CI) Sector of UNESCO discussed the organization’s recent publication entitled “Steering AI and Advanced ICTs for Knowledge Societies” which focuses on UNESCO’s approaches to digital transformation: (1) human rights-based (2) openness in data, knowledge, markets and opportunities-based (3) inclusive access for digital transformation (4) multi-stakeholder approach to digital governance and (5) cross-cutting priorities including gender equality and Africa. He also invited the ASEAN Permanent Delegations to collaborate in upcoming initiatives on AI such as in the implementation of the Guidelines for AI Use in Courts and Tribunals, development of AI and the Rule of Law Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and consultations on the drafting of a Data Governance Toolkit with the ASEAN Data Governance Network.

Lastly, the Secretary-General of the Philippine National Commission, Dr. Ivan Anthony S. Henares, presented the list of potential joint nominations for ASEAN in the World Heritage (WH) list and the Representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (ICH). He sought the support of Permanent Delegations to work together to secure successful nominations for 2027, in celebration of ASEAN’s 60th founding anniversary. Some of those identified for WH were: Southeast Asian Mangrove Forests, Tropical Architecture of Southeast Asia and for ICH: Sticky Rice and Coconut Culture of Southeast Asia. END

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