Ambassador Alaa Youssef and UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay
Ambassador Alaa Youssef presented his credentials as the permanent representative of Egypt to the UNESCO to the organisation's Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, in the French capital, Paris
The ceremony for presenting the credentials, on Monday, was followed by a meeting with the director-general of the UNESCO, during which means of strengthening bilateral relations between Egypt and the organisation in various fields of its work were discussed, especially in light of Egypt's current membership in the organisation’s executive council and the World Heritage Committee.
The talks also tackled means of enhancing the role of the UNESCO's regional office in Cairo, which was the first external office to be established by the organisation outside its headquarters in Paris.
During the meeting, Youssef reviewed the national efforts made in the fields of education, science, and culture, and the programme launched by the Egyptian government to reform the primary education system, which contributed to mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also reviewed the ongoing preparations for the opening of the new Egyptian Museum, as well as the launch of new cooperation projects between Egypt and the organisation.
Youssef praised the efforts made by the UNESCO to support member states in the fields of education, culture, and science, and the recent initiatives launched by the organisation, especially the International Campaign to Combat Illicit Trade in Cultural Property and the International Education Alliance.
For her part, Azoulay hailed the active role of Egypt in the organisation, praising in particular the role it played during her chairmanship of the sub-committee of the UNESCO Convention for the Prohibition and Prevention of the Illicit Import and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, as well as Egypt's active participation in drafting the international recommendation on the ethical aspects of artificial intelligence.
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