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S P E E C H |
AT THE LUNCHEON IN HONOR OF DR. KOICHIRO
MATSUURA,
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNESCO
ILUSTRADO RESTAURANT, INTRAMUROS, MANILA
22 MAY 2006
His Excellency the Director-General of UNESCO, Dr. Koichiro Matsuura;
His Excellency the Ambassador of Japan, Ambassador Ryuichiro Yamazaki;
National Artist Napoleon Abueva;
The Secretary General of UNACOM, Ambassador Preciosa Soliven;
The Chairman of the NCCA, Mr. Ambeth Ocampo, and the Executive-Director, Ms. Cecile Alvarez;
UNACOM Commissioners;
Distinguished Guests;
Friends:
I am highly pleased to host this gathering to honor Dr. Koichiro Matsuura.
Apart from being the vigilant guardian of the world’s cultural heritage, Dr. Matsuura is an intellectual of the first order. He is a lawyer, economist, and multilingual diplomat – a humanist who appreciates the wonderful creativity of mankind in all its diversity.
He is also a true friend of the Philippines.
In 2002, Dr. Matsuura was here when we observed the World Press Freedom Day. Visiting us for the second time, Dr. Matsuura is here for the World Congress of the ITI, the International Theater Institute, which will be participated in by almost 50 countries.
Dr. Matsuura’s visit today has brought together all these talents and experts from various disciplines: in education, in science, in culture, in communication, in the arts. This reminds me of what President Kennedy once said when he had Nobel Prize winners gathered in the Oval Office: “Never have so much talent gathered in one room, except when Thomas Jefferson sat here alone.”
Today, all these talents – the best and the brightest – are gathered here because of Dr. Matsuura and UNESCO.
The country is honored by this gathering of experts from almost 50 countries, from various disciplines in theater, education, science, culture and the humanities. As stated in the Preamble of UNESCO’s Constitution: “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.”
Aside from the ITI Congress, many of us are also looking forward to the conferment of another doctorate degree on Dr. Matsuura, this time from the University of Santo Tomas. This is truly a distinct honor, as the UST is one of the oldest Universities in the world, older than Harvard and just as eminent as an older institution, Spain’s Universidad de Salamanca.
We take pride in this award to be given to you.
For me, this occasion has a personal as well as official significance. With Ambassador Soliven, I first met Dr. Matsuura at the UNESCO General Assembly last October in Paris. I distinctly remember that we presented to him two important initiatives from the Philippines, both of which UNESCO decided to support.
I refer to the Interfaith Dialogue, which President Arroyo herself convened at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly during its 60th Anniversary. The other initiative we proposed is the Debt-for-Development Conversion, debt-for-education, debt-for-environment and culture to better implement the Millennium Development Goals.
We are indeed deeply grateful to Dr. Matsuura and UNESCO for supporting these initiatives.
Since he was re-elected last year, it has become more evident that UNESCO’s membership subscribes widely to Dr. Matsuura’s ambitions for the organization and that they trust his competence to achieve these goals. I am glad to note that he was re-elected, unopposed, for an unprecedented second term. You might say that he was elected unanimously.
Of course, the Philippines is pleased that UNESCO will continue to benefit from Dr. Matsuura’s expertise and experience.
In this regard, I wish to reiterate our full support for UNESCO’s flagship program – “Education for All” – as well as to the other priority programs on natural resources and disaster management, bioethics and human rights, cultural diversity, and information.
The Philippines also looks forward to new opportunities for partnership and collaboration with UNESCO – not only in preserving our cultural heritage but also in improving our basic educational programs, as well as in carrying out the Philippine international initiative, which, as I mentioned, is the Flagship Program on Interfaith Dialogue.
Just shortly after noon, Dr. Matsuura and I took the opportunity to discuss our mutual concerns and interests in a friendly and candid manner. He brought me up to date on key developments in UNESCO’s work – on the standard-setting instruments it is developing and the further reforms he is implementing in its administrative and program aspects.
I thanked Dr. Matsuura for UNESCO’s continuing support of our efforts to preserve our cultural monuments, which are enrolled in UNESCO’s World Heritage Program.
We are confident that, with UNESCO’s support, we will soon see the Batanes Province inscribed as a World Cultural Heritage Site together with the historic town of Vigan and four of our finest baroque colonial churches. San Agustin Church, just around the corner, is one of them. We have one each in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, and another in Iloilo, the Miagao Cathedral.
With UNESCO’s help, we continue to safeguard our natural environment. By protecting the natural beauty and biodiversity of our archipelago, we are helping sustain the seamless web of life on our planet.
As you know, Tubbataha Reef Marine Park and the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park have been inscribed as World Natural Cultural Heritage Sites.
Of course, we should know that Puerto Galera has been recognized as one of only 30 ‘Most Beautiful Bays’, in the world.
Meanwhile, Siargao Island off Surigao has been given UNESCO’s ‘protected landscape and seascape’ status in the Greater Mindanao Bio-geographic Region.
Just as UNESCO has shared in our rejoicing over our cultural accomplishments, it has also taken part in providing for natural disasters. I would like to thank Dr. Matsuura and UNESCO for allocating US$50,000 for the e-communication system to confront the natural disasters that happen in our region, beginning in particular with the mudslide that happened in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte.
UNESCO’s generous help in backing up efforts on the ground to rebuild individual and communal lives in disaster areas is also matched by its other programs and projects in education, science, culture and communication.
As we thank him for UNESCO’s grants, I believe we should also thank him for supporting the Leaders’ Forum to be held tomorrow at the Manila Hotel.
UNESCO is with us, through both joy and sorrow, as we Filipinos learn how to live and work and exist together, in harmony and peace with other peoples in all continents and islands – all part of the seamless web of life.
In this spirit, may I invite you all, ladies and gentlemen, to join me in a toast to His Excellency, Director-General Koichiro Matsuura:
- To his Excellency’s continued good health, happiness and prosperity; and
- To the enduring partnership between UNESCO and the Philippines.
Mabuhay!