At the 43rd Session of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Council (UN UNESCO) held in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) from October 30 to November 13, Vietnam was re-elected by member states as Vice President of the session.
Vietnam's election to this position at the 42nd and 43rd consecutive Sessions demonstrates Vietnam's position, prestige and increasingly high contribution capacity to global multilateral institutions, while affirming the support and trust of the international community in Vietnam's proactive role, responsibility and management capacity within the framework of UNESCO.
This also contributes to enhancing Vietnam's substantial contributions to the process of policy making, coordinating and implementing UNESCO's initiatives in the fields of education, culture, natural sciences, social sciences and information and communication.
Speaking at the High-level plurial Session of the General Assembly on November 4, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ngo Le Van - Vietnam Youth Union - highly appreciated UNESCO's role and contributions over the past 80 years since its establishment in 1945 to peace, mutual understanding between peoples and sustainable development in the world, saying that UNESCO has strongly affirmed its role as the "House of Intelligence".
In the context of the world facing unprecedented challenges, the Deputy Minister emphasized that UNESCO needs to further promote its unique role, strengthen multilateralism, international solidarity and promote creative and inclusive approaches.
On this occasion, the Deputy Minister mentioned Vietnam's policies, guidelines and initiatives. Regarding education, the Vietnamese Government has decided to exempt tuition fees for all students at public educational institutions from the 2025-2026 school year, within the framework of a major reform to build an inclusive, fair and quality education system.
In terms of culture, Vietnam believes that culture must become a pillar of peace, progress and prosperity. Culture is the foundation and endogenous driving force for sustainable development. In that spirit, Vietnam proposed that UNESCO propose the United Nations soon launch the " international decade for culture for sustainable development".
At the national level, Vietnam is building a Resolution on the development of Vietnamese culture in the new era.
Regarding science, Deputy Minister Ngo Le Van shared that Vietnam is resolutely implementing national policies on science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, considering this a driving force for creating breakthroughs in development.
Last October, Vietnam successfully held the Opening Ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime with the participation of 72 countries - one of the largest international treaty signing events in the past 10 years, along with the 50th Anniversary of the International Hydrological Program and the 60th Anniversary of the Vietnam-China Science Program, demonstrating Vietnam's commitment and determination to actively contribute to efforts to promote global digital security and water security.
The head of the Vietnamese delegation expressed his joy and appreciated Vietnam's recent contributions to the UNESCO title ecosystem such as the title of World Cultural Heritage of Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son Relic Complex and Scenic Landscape, Kiep Bac (July 2025), the title of Creative City in the field of cinema of Ho Chi Minh City (October 2025) and UNESCO's honor and celebration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of famous person Le Quy Don (October 2025). This is not only an honor of Vietnam but also a celebration of the universal values of cultural diversity and innovation.
