Cooperation with International Organizations (UNESCO,UNU)
Meeting between Foreign Minister Taro Kono and H.E. Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO
On December 13, commencing at 0:15 p.m. for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. Taro Kono, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting with H. E. Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. An overview of the meeting is as follows:
1. Cooperation with UNESCO
(1) Minister Kono congratulated the inauguration of the Director-General and stated that Japan is ready to strongly support UNESCO’s drastic reform.
(2) In response, Director-General Azoulay said that Japan has been an important partner of UNESCO and expressed her willingness to cooperate with Japan to stop UNESCO’s politicization and to normalize its inherent function, which is a current priority of UNESCO.
2. The Memory of the World Programme
(1) Minister Kono also stated that it is necessary to avoid to create a situation contrary to UNESCO’s founding spirit and objectives to promote the friendship and mutual understanding among Member States and it is essential to advance the review process of the Memory of the World Programme.
(2) In response, Director-General Azoulay agreed on the necessity of the review process and expressed that she would like to advance it, while consulting carefully with Member States and various concerning parties.
