Public Diplomacy
Courtesy Call on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by H.E. Ms.Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
August 28, 2019
On August 28, for about 10 minutes, from 4:15 p.m., Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received a courtesy call from H.E. Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The overview of the courtesy call is as follows.
- Cooperation with UNESCO
Prime Minister Abe reiterated Japan’s support to UNESCO’s efforts in areas such as education, culture, AI, Disaster Risk Reduction, climate change and education, including development toward Africa.
In response, Director-General Azoulay mentioned that Japan’s initiative toward Africa is important and that UNESCO’s cooperation with Japan has been reinforced which UNESCO wishes to further enhance. Both sides noted that cooperation between Japan and UNESCO has entered a new era and expressed satisfaction about the progress accomplished so far. - UNESCO’s efforts for de-politicization
Prime Minister Abe expressed his appreciation on the steady progress of UNESCO’s reforms toward de-politicization under Director-General Azoulay’s initiative and expressed his proactive support for UNESCO’s reforms including the comprehensive review of the Memory of the World Programme. In response, Director-General Azoulay explained about efforts made by UNESCO toward its de-politicization. Prime Minister Abe expressed his appreciation toward Director-General Azoulay’s leadership as well as Japan’s wish to continue to cooperate with UNESCO for its efforts toward de-politicization.