Ambassador Tran Thi Hoang Mai, head of the Vietnamese Permanent Delegation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), presented her credentials to UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova at the organisation’s headquarter in Paris, France, on September 28.

Ambassador Tran Thi Hoang Mai presents her credentials to UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.

In her remarks, Mai, Vietnam’s first female ambassador at UNESCO, thanked Bokova for her crucial contributions to UNESCO and the relationship between the organisation and Vietnam during her past two tenures, as well as her fine sentiments offered to the Vietnamese people and country.

The ambassador affirmed the significance of UNESCO in introducing and supporting the implementation of progressive initiatives in the fields of education, natural sciences, social sciences, culture and information-communication.

UNESCO-run projects, including many inter-sectorial and inter-field projects, have contributed to Vietnam’s sustainable development, she emphasised.

Mai highlighted Vietnam’s substantive contributions at UNESCO, manifested through its active participation at UNESCO’s forums, such as the World Heritage Committee and the UNESCO Executive Council, in addition to the engagement of Vietnamese experts in UNESCO’s expert system in the fields of science, education and culture.

She pledged to do her utmost in order to accelerate the friendly and cooperative relations between Vietnam and UNESCO, in addition to strengthening Vietnam’s active and responsible participation and contributions to the organisation’s common affairs during her working tenure.

Addressing the reception for the Vietnamese diplomat, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova spoke highly of the developments in UNESCO-Vietnam relations over the past few years, whilst extending her gratitude to the Vietnamese Government with regards to her successful working visit made to Vietnam in late August.

She also affirmed that the relationship between UNESCO and Vietnam is becoming increasingly sustainable.

Nhan Dan