AT 34^TH UNESCO GENERAL CONFERENCE

ROMULO   TO    HIGHLIGHT    RP    ADVANCEMENTS    IN    POVERTY REDUCTION, PEACE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

17 October 2007—Philippine advancements in reducing poverty and in achieving lasting peace and sustainable development will be highlighted when Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo, who leads the Philippine delegation, addresses the 34^th UNESCO General Conference to be held in Paris, France from October 17 to November 3.

Secretary Romulo will deliver the Philippines' country policy statement before the 193 members of the UNESCO in the organization's biennial gathering.

Secretary Romulo will highlight dramatic poverty reduction results in the Philippines and move further forward development initiatives in education, science, culture and communication and information.

The recently-released Philippine Midterm Progress report on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicated that the number of Filipinos living in extreme poverty had been drastically reduced from 20.4% in 1990 to 10.2% in 2006.

"Our advancements in achieving the MDGs show the Philippines' forward march. With our commitment and our continued cooperation with UNESCO and other partners in the international community, we will continue to make headway for the poor and the marginalized," said Secretary Romulo.

To further bolster international efforts to achieve MDGs, Secretary Romulo is expected to call on UNESCO members to support the debt-for-development initiative which, Secretary Romulo said is "crucial to ongoing international efforts to uplift the conditions of the poor and marginalized in heavily-indebted countries and moderate income nations like the Philippines."

Emphasizing the importance of education, Secretary Romulo said the Philippines will rally broader international support for the Philippine proposal to host a Center for Lifelong Education for Sustainable Development in Southeast Asia.

The UNESCO Executive Board had already expressed support for this Philippine initiative that is seen to become a "future laboratory for the exchange of knowledge and best practices and contributing to regional capacity-building."

Stressing the Philippines' full commitment to "strengthening the global ramparts for peace," Secretary Romulo said the Philippines will "highlight the partnership between the Philippine Government and civil society, particularly in Mindanao and our own efforts at the UN and other international fora to bring peoples of different faiths in mutual respect."

"We will also strongly advocate the integration of interfaith dialogue in school curricula and textbooks," said Secretary Romulo, adding that interfaith dialogue is an "important Philippine strategy for national, regional and global peace and development.

In information, Secretary Romulo said the Philippines will call on other UNESCO member-states to fully harness information and communications technology as a powerful development tool that "would bridge rather than divide" and "include rather than exclude." END

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