Namibia was elected to the Unesco executive board for the period 2019-2023 during a meeting in which ambassador Albertus Aochamub participated on Monday.
The Unesco executive board is elected by the General Conference and is one of the three constitutional organs of UNESCO.
It consists of 58 member states with a four-year term of office. Each state member appoints one representative and may also appoint alternates.
Aochamub, the substantive member of Namibia to the Unesco executive board, delivered Namibia’s interventions.
In a statement, Aochamub said Namibia appreciates the work of Unesco on Sustainable Development Goal number 4 and emphasized the need to ensure continued provision of equitable and quality education despite the disruptions caused by COVID-19.
Aochamub also said Namibia acknowledged the extraordinary efforts of Unesco’s men and women on the frontline to keep our Organisation functioning to the best of its ability.
“These are special times and your special efforts are being noted and appreciated as we combat the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
The ambassador also said Nambia commends all the efforts being made by Unesco to upscale and mobilise increased resources for our existing programmatic activities within the various thematic areas.
“Now is the time to accelerate the pace of delivery of essential services to all our citizens the world over and eliminate duplication of efforts wherever we find them. To that end, it is our considered position that we should not commence any new, wasteful and grand projects that put a further strain on already meagre resources at our disposal,” he added.
According to Aochamub, Namibia noted Unesco’s drive to strengthen the use of ICTs in education and wish to advocate for the rebuilding of a strong and locally adapted National Distance Learning System.
“We especially applaud the efforts of our Regional Office in Harare, Zimbabwe and that of the Windhoek Field Office as we collaborate within the framework of our stated national priorities. Given the loss of a number of jobs in one of the mainstays of our economy, namely tourism, the development of a strategy on “Heritage Tourism and Employment Opportunities at Community Level” comes at an opportune time.
“This initiative will involve our sister organisation, the UNWTO, and further speaks volumes of a UN system dedicated to delivering value to the communities it serves in an integrated fashion. We look forward to the successful implementation of this noble drive,” he said.
