Gaza to be added to UNESCO's activity reports with Türkiye's initiative

PARIS

Gaza will be included in future activity reports of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) through Türkiye's initiative.

Türkiye's Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Ambassador Gulnur Aybet, said the 219th Executive Board Meeting of UNESCO was "intense and productive" in her speech on the final day of the meeting.

Aybet emphasized that the session demonstrated that many things could be achieved through consensus.

"While agreement may be impossible on everything, with some understanding and skill, we can reach consensus on points we find acceptable, determining how far we can advance this organization," she said.

Aybet stressed the need for transparency and the timely sharing of necessary documents during the session, indicating that this would facilitate healthy discussions.

"We should not shy away from discussion. Debate is healthy; it makes us aware of each other's sensitivities, and this is what makes us strong as UNESCO," she added.

She welcomed UNESCO's Action Plan for Gaza but expressed dissatisfaction with its presentation format.

Agenda items should be shared and discussed with member states before the session begins, facilitating consensus building, she said.

She explained that "the entire UN system emerged from the ashes of a devastating war on a global scale, where atrocities were committed, and as a result, these institutions were established with the aim of ‘never again.’"

Aybet pointed out the repetition of wars and atrocities despite the UN's founding principles, highlighting that vulnerable people are still dying 30 years after the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

She expressed concern that when there are no children to teach, journalists to report, or anything left to rebuild, the mission of these institutions loses its significance.

Aybet reminded colleagues that their duties encompass the principles underlying the UN system, extending beyond UNESCO's name.

She said that in a time of declining trust in international institutions, it is their responsibility to rebuild this trust.

"An international system based on the rule of law is not just for some, but for everyone. If institutions want to maintain their legitimacy, they must be inclusive of everyone," she said.

Aybet also emphasized that institutions should not fear change.