Madame la Présidente, 

Madame la Directrice Générale, 

Madame la Présidente

Vos Excellences

J’ai l’honneur de m’exprimer au nom de l’Union européenne et de l’Allemagne, l’Autriche, la Belgique, la Bulgarie, Chypre, la Croatie, le Danemark, l’Espagne, l’Estonie, la Finlande, la France, la Grèce, l’Irlande, l’Italie, la Lettonie, la Lituanie, le Luxembourg, Malte, les Pays-Bas, la Pologne, le Portugal, la Roumanie, la Slovaquie, la Slovénie, la Suède, la Tchéquie et les pays candidats comprenant l’Albanie, le Monténégro la République de Moldavie, l’Ukraine, ainsi que la Principauté de Monaco, la Principauté d’Andorre, le Saint Marin, la Norvège, l’Islande et la Géorgie.

Cette année marque les 80 ans de la fondation des Nations unies et de l'adoption de l'Acte constitutif de l'UNESCO. 

Aujourd'hui, nous nous trouvons dans un environnement géopolitique de plus en plus complexe et incertain, et le multilatéralisme est menacé de toutes parts. Il n'a jamais été aussi important de travailler ensemble, collectivement, pour un monde plus sûr, plus durable et plus inclusif pour nos générations futures. 
Le monde se réorganise. L'UE restera un partenaire prévisible et fiable des Nations unies et de ses partenaires dans le monde. Dans un monde où les crises et les conflits se succèdent, l'UE réaffirme son engagement résolu en faveur d'un multilatéralisme efficace et d'un ordre international fondé sur des règles, au cœur desquels se trouvent les Nations unies. 

We strive to act where it matters for people on the ground. Be it Ukraine, Gaza, Afghanistan, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo or Haiti. We reaffirm our commitment to work with UNESCO in all areas of its mandate in all countries and territories affected by conflict and crisis. UNESCO has an important role to play in promoting the right to education, preserving cultural heritage and identity, and safeguarding independent science. 

The EU reaffirms its continued and unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. We stand with the people of Ukraine for as long it takes, and welcome UNESCO’s support in all areas of its mandate.

UNESCO is at a critical juncture. 

As we look towards the election of the next Director-General, the EU reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the universal respect, protection and fulfilment of human rights for everyone, everywhere. We encourage UNESCO to continue implementing a human rights based approach, as well as gender transformative actions across all of its mandate.

UNESCO has an important role to play on the global stage and in the UN system: With its unique and normative mandate, UNESCO can make a meaningful contribution to the implementation of the Pact for the Future, the implementation of the SDGs and fostering global peace and security. The EU-UNESCO partnership has had concrete results on communities – whether it be via the EU-funded Transcultura project to support cultural and creative industries in the Caribbean, the ‘Reviving of the Spirit of Mosul’ initiative in Iraq, or the EU-UNESCO joint project to address rising antisemitism through education in Europe.

• The EU remains firmly committed to accelerating progress towards SDG 4 on inclusive and equitable quality education for all. We commend UNESCO’s important role to lead and coordinate SDG4, including its efforts to keep education high on the global agenda in 2025, and particularly in crisis and emergency situations.
• We fully support UNESCO’s crucial work in the area of freedom of expression and safety of journalists and media workers, particularly of women journalists. Free, pluralistic and independent media are the backbone of democratic societies. We welcome this year’s World Press Freedom Day Conference in Brussels on the impact of AI on press freedom.
• As we celebrate the 20 years of the 2005 Convention, the EU welcomes the positioning of Culture as a global public good, and looks forward to MONDIACULT2025 – which will serve as a foundation for future-oriented strategies for the post-2030 Agenda.
• The EU stresses its commitment to the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, racial hatred and racial hate crimes in the world. We stand united with all those who fight for dignity, inclusion and equality.
• The EU continues to fully support UNESCO’s Global Priorities Gender Equality and Africa and its priority groups SIDS and Youth.

Finally, financial risk management, internal controls, transparency and accountability are all crucial mechanisms to create an efficient and effective organisation, delivering the best results in line with the SDGs. 

We encourage the Secretariat to engage in contingency planning to ensure the sustainability of the Organization’s long-term programme priorities.

We look forward to fruitful discussions at this Executive Board Session.