1. Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with new UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay on December 6, during which the two sides discussed ways that the Republic of Korea and UNESCO can work together as well as the latter’s way forward.

2. Vice Minister Cho offered congratulations to the UNESCO Director-General on her inauguration; relayed the ROK government’s commitment to work with UNESCO on the latter’s reform and development efforts; and voiced hope to step up bilateral cooperation in such sectors as education, science and culture.

° The Vice Minister asked the Director-General to pay keen attention to and cooperate on UNESCO’s efforts to operate its overall system, including the Memory of the World and World Heritage programs, in an objective and fair manner.

3. Director-General Azoulay, voicing hope that the ROK-UNESCO cooperation projects will continue to flourish, stated that efforts will be made to move smoothly forward the overall procedures related to the UNESCO Memory of the World.

° The Director-General shared the Vice Minister’s view that countries should thoroughly implement their pledges regarding world heritages.

4. The first meeting between a senior government official of the ROK and the new UNESCO Secretary-General since the latter’s inauguration is seen to have contributed to the efforts to create conditions for a closer cooperation with UNESCO.


* unofficial translation