GBS/EX/LBH/2019/04
Conference on Dialogue of Asian
Civilizations
Parallel Session:
Safeguarding the Diversity of Asian Civilizations
Opening Remarks
H.E. Ambassador LEE Byong-Hyun Chairperson of the Executive Board
China National Convention Center Beijing, People’s Republic of China
15 May 2019
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His Excellency, Mr. CHEN Baosheng, Minister of Education of China,
His Excellency, Mr. TIAN Xuejun, Vice Minister of Education and President of the National Commission for UNESCO of China,
Mr. QIN Changwei, the Secretary-General of the National Commission for UNESCO of China, Ms. Nada Al-Nashif, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences,
Your Excellencies, Distinguished panelists, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am extremely honoured to be here today in China to open this session on ‘Safeguarding the Diversity of Asian Civilizations’, organized within the framework of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations.
I would like to firstly express my deep appreciation to the government of the People’s Republic of China, in particular the Ministry of Education, for having organized this important session in collaboration with UNESCO. I would like to recognize the great efforts of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO in this joint endeavour.
In preparing for today’s conference, I was reminded of the teachings of Confucius, the great Chinese scholar from 551 Before Christ. As you know, his teachings have had a great influence in many of cultures within Asia, including my country, Korea.
Just like the first verse of the Analects of Confucius, ‘is it not a great pleasure to have friends come from far?’ (有朋自遠方來 不亦樂乎) (Yǒupéng zì yuǎnfāng lái bù yì lè hū), this conference is a wonderful occasion for neighbours and friends from within Asia and from around the world to come together in good spirit to discuss our common stories by exchanging our diverse cultures and civilizations.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In March 2014, the President of the People’s Republic of China, His Excellency Xi Jinping visited UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. In his speech, he underlined the importance of exchanges between diverse civilizations and mutual learning throughout history for human progress and global peace and development.
His message echoed the founding values of UNESCO – the international organization that I am very honoured to serve as the Chairperson of its Executive Board.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.
This opening line of the Constitution of UNESCO, resonates as powerfully now in the 21st century as it did in 1945, when the Organization was created after the devastating world wars.
As a career diplomat, I believe strongly that multilateral cooperation is crucial in tackling local, regional and global issues. My experience has taught me that the key for the success of international cooperation is ‘dialogue’. This requires being curious of the other, willing to open up and ready to listen with real engagement.
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In this light, I am heartened that today’s conference is providing an opportunity for people from around the world to discuss the diversity of cultures and civilizations. Because when there is a good understanding of each other’s stories and identities, trust and respect can be established.
For more than 70 years, UNESCO has been working around the world to provide platforms and space for peoples of different cultures to share their stories and identities. The aim is to bring people together to learn from each other, to engage in a dialogue, and to cooperate in the search for sustainable solutions to local and global problems.
Excellencies, Dear guests,
UNESCO’s ‘Routes of Dialogue’ programme has been ongoing for almost 40 years. As one of its flagship project, UNESCO is reviving dialogue along the historical Silk Road, bringing people together across countries and continents through an online platform, generously supported by China and other countries. Likewise, the World Humanities Forum, organized biennially by UNESCO and Republic of Korea brings together scholars from around the world to support policy interaction with humanities studies.
As you know, UNESCO’s cultural heritage sites and intangible cultural heritage are powerful mediums for sharing identities among different civilizations. Through UNESCO, the international community come together to preserve and protect close to 1100 cultural and natural sites and some 500 intangible cultural heritage practices. The cultural sites and practices represent the values that people cherish and wish to preserve, even if it may not be their own story or identity. Because as human beings, we know the importance of transmitting the stories of the past to our future generations and for them to be shared among different civilizations.
As Chairperson of the Executive Board of UNESCO, it is my sincere hope that the international community will continue to work closely with UNESCO to promote understanding of each other through education, science, culture and communication with the aims of building peace in the minds of men.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
In closing, I would like to once again thank the Government of China for having prepared this platform of exchange between neighbours within Asia and beyond. I look forward to learning from the dialogue among the distinguished panelists with their varied expertise, ranging from ancient history to music to religion. They will take us back into the past on how cultures and civilizations have interacted with one another, so that we can understand today’s issues.
With these words, I would like to wish a very successful conference!
Thank you very much.
Xièxiè (谢谢)
