Korean Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport attends UNESCO Strategic Partnership Meeting in Tehran

Today, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office, together with the Association of Korean Enterprises in Iran, held a joint event, entitled: “Strategic Partnership Meeting: Fostering Cooperation in UNESCO’s Fields of Competence”. The purpose of the meeting was to present UNESCO’s activities to the Korean private sector, as well as representatives of embassies and other foreign companies based in the Islamic Republic of Iran, AVA Diplomatic reports.

“Through its programmes, UNESCO continues to make a positive impact in Iran in different areas, such as protecting cultural heritage, enhancing quality education, promoting science for a sustainable future, strengthening a knowledge society, and fostering a culture of peace through inter-cultural dialogue”, said H.E. Kim Seung-Ho, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Iran. “This is why we decided to organize this meeting and encourage cooperation between UNESCO and Korea’s companies in Iran”.

The meeting was attended by H.E. Ms. Kim Hyun Mee, Korea’s Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. “The Government of Korea hopes for the Korean companies in Iran -as responsible members of the Iranian society- to play an effective role in developing cultural and social activities. UNESCO implements diverse activities in Iran and I trust that with the collaboration of UNESCO, Korean companies will also become very effective in their social engagement with the country”, said the Minister.

Ms. Esther Kuisch Laroche, Director and Representative of the UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office, underscored the strong, historical relationship between UNESCO and the Republic of Korea and thanked the embassy for having co-organized the meeting to foster new partnerships with the Korean private sector in Iran.

She provided an overview of UNESCO’s activities and highlighted some of the achievements of the office at the national and sub-regional level.

Mr. Shanta Retnasingam, Chief of Section for Mobilising Resources from Multilateral & Private Partners in UNESCO HQ in Paris, spoke about UNESCO’s principles for partnership with the private sector. “Before we begin any project we always abide by the following principles: beneficiary buy in and full support from the host country, sustainability of the project, ensuring that there is a multiplier effect, donor satisfaction, transparency in implementation, continuous monitoring during implementation, timely reporting and evaluation following the completion of the project”, said Mr. Retnasingam

The opening ceremony was followed by five panel discussions in which UNESCO’s main governmental and non-governmental partners gave presentations about their work and UNESCO’ support to them. Speakers included representatives from the Literacy Movement Organization; Ministry of Energy; Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization; Department of Environment; Iranian National Committee on Physical Education and Sports; IRNA; Parvaz Film Festival; and UNESCO-affiliated research and training centers in Iran.