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| | Director-General pays his second official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran
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30-03-2005 - From 25 to 27 March 2005, the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, paid his second official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, on the occasion of the International Conference on Bioethics, which he opened together with H.E. Mr Mohammad Khatami, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. |
In his opening speech, the Director-General referred to the Conference’s agenda which included a wide range of issues, such as gene technology and ethics, cloning, stem cell research and tissue transplantation, molecular biology and intellectual property rights, and ethics education, and expressed his confidence that the gathering would succeed “in helping to make solid assessments of the challenges presented to us by bioethics in these areas, and in providing UNESCO with concrete proposals and suggestions to guide our future action in the field of bioethics”.
The Director-General met with President Khatami after the opening session of the Conference. Both shared the view that bilateral cooperation between UNESCO and the Islamic Republic of Iran was making strong headway. The Director-General paid tribute to the President’s personal engagement in initiating and promoting dialogue among civilizations and expressed his satisfaction that UNESCO would be hosting another important meeting on this issue, with the participation of President Khatami, on 5 April 2005 - five years after the first meeting, which was held in New York in September 2000.
The Director-General also met Mr Ali Akbar Hachemi Rafsanjani, former President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with whom he exchanged views on the enhancement of bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of literacy and water management.
In his meeting with Mr Hossein Marashi, Vice President and Head of the Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO), the Director-General commended him on his proactive role in the safeguarding of his country’s cultural heritage. In this regard, Mr Marashi said that Iran was ready to extend, through UNESCO, its financial and technical assistance to neighbouring countries in the preservation of their cultural heritage. He also announced that the Iranian Parliament was now considering the ratification of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The Director-General signed, together with Mr Habibollah Bitaraf, Minister of Energy, an Agreement concerning the International Centre on Qanats and Historic Hydraulic Structures, to be established in the city of Yazd.
The Director-General held a bilateral meeting with Mr Jafar Towfighi, Minister of Sciences, Research and Technology, and Chairperson of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, with whom he inaugurated the new premises of the UNESCO Tehran Office in the Sa’ad Abad Complex. He also met with Mr Morteza Haji, Minister of Education, who informed the Director-General of his country’s determination to reduce the illiteracy rate by 50% by 2010, i.e. five years before the Dakar target. The Director-General welcomed the establishment of an EFA Council and invited him to attend the General Conference and participate at the EFA Ministerial Round Table to share Iran’s experience in combating illiteracy. He inaugurated, together with Mr Haji, the Bam Teachers’ Research Centre and laid the foundation of the first brick of the Bam Model School Complex.
The Director-General visited a world heritage site in the city of Isfahan as well as the Arg-e-Bam Citadel, which was recently inscribed on the World Heritage List.
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Fuente |
Flash Info n°53-2005
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