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AUSTRALIAN INTERVENTION
AT THE 33RD SESSION OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE
OF UNESCO


SENATOR THE HONOURABLE ROD KEMP
MINISTER FOR THE ARTS AND SPORT

WEDNESDAY, 5 OCTOBER 2005

Mr President
Director-General
Distinguished Delegates

May I join with others in warmly congratulating you, Mr President, on your election to this important post, the duties of which extend, of course, well beyond this meeting.

This session is of special significance as we consider UNESCO’s future programmes and priorities on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Organization.

As a founding Member of UNESCO, Australia considers that it is imperative that Member States embrace this opportunity, during the 60th anniversary, to scrutinise closely the Organization’s priorities, objectives, programmes and future direction, to ensure that its focus remains relevant.

Finding ways to address persistent and pervasive challenges remains at the heart of UNESCO’s mandate
• be it developing an Indian Ocean Early Warning System in the wake of the terrible tsunami in our region;
• or addressing poverty and literacy, including through the revitalisation of UNESCO’s flagship programme Education for All; or
• or promoting intercultural and interfaith understanding;
• or fighting drugs in sport.

It is fitting that the Youth Forum was the opening event of this Conference. We need to ensure continued focus on empowering our youth to build momentum for the objectives of UNESCO.

Of course one of the key activities for young people is physical activity and sport. Australia is a sporting nation.

We believe that the universal sporting values of teamwork, fair play, opportunity for all, pursuit of excellence, and learning to win and lose with dignity and grace, contribute to a successful society.

The International Convention Against Doping in Sport, to be discussed and voted on at this General Conference, is fundamental to the protection of values in sport and is a key interest to Australia.

As the Australian Minister for Sport, I was keen to ensure Australia played a leading role in the drafting of this Convention.

The International Convention Against Doping in Sport will provide the framework for a comprehensive and consistent international anti-doping regime.

It also provides a foundation for best practice anti-doping programmes to be employed throughout the world.

Accordingly, Australia supports the adoption of the Convention at this Conference and will immediately commence its ratification process once the Convention is adopted.

The importance of this Convention in protecting the value of sport requires that it have the resources it needs to be effective.

Many will see this Convention as a means of creating a level playing field for elite athletes. That is true – but this Convention is about much more.

It is about imparting values to our athletes and children that cheating is unacceptable and that sporting success must come from dedication and hard work.

Australia is grateful for the commitment of the Director-General of UNESCO to support the Convention from within the General Budget. Australia supports this proposition.

The Convention establishes a Voluntary Fund. Australia would like to see the Voluntary Fund used to assist developing countries to participate in the international fight against doping in sport.

We believe the general operation of the Convention should be funded from the UNESCO Regular Budget.

Sport, arts, and culture play an important social and economic role in Australia, and are vital for the health and prosperity of diverse communities, especially Indigenous Australians.

Australia’s enthusiasm for cultural diversity is well-established by our support for an extensive and effective domestic cultural industry, and our active involvement in the debate on culture in the international community.

This includes active participation in negotiations on the draft Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions.

Australia would sincerely hope for complete consensus on a quality international instrument that enhances the standing of UNESCO by genuinely protecting and promoting the diversity of cultural expressions in a manner consistent with other international obligations.

The current draft Convention does not appear to meet this objective.

Within the UN system, UNESCO has special responsibility for promoting interfaith and intercultural understanding through education in order to combat terrorism.

Australia was one of the first UNESCO Member States to take the initiative in this field, convening the highly successful Conference on Education for Intercultural and Interfaith Understanding in Adelaide in November 2004 and we will be looking for UNESCO to advance this important work.

Education, particularly higher education, is becoming an international issue. Australia, as one of the largest providers of education to overseas students, takes its responsibilities in this area seriously.

For this reason, we support the Director-General’s plans to issue guidelines on Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher Education.

UNESCO is also making a major contribution to the pursuit of a sustainable planet for future generations through its implementation of the UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development.

The Pacific Cluster with its 16 Member States has significant challenges in all aspects of sustainable development.

A strong UNESCO sub-regional strategy is needed for the Decade to have an effective impact in the Pacific.

Another important theme for consideration by this Conference is the relevance of the UNESCO mandate in the light of rapid scientific and technological change, including specific consideration of the draft Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights.

We support the provision of a set of voluntary, non-binding guiding principles to assist policy and legal formulation in the field of bioethics.

To maintain the effectiveness of UNESCO’s programmes, we need strong management, effective governance and a clear vision for the future structure of the Organization.

In this context, I would like to commend the working group on reform of UNESCO’s governance.

Sound governance is vital to improving the effectiveness, efficiency, transparency and accountability of UNESCO, thereby enabling the Organization to fulfil its mandate and role within the UN system.

This conference will also commence discussion on UNESCO’s forthcoming Medium-Term Strategy and forward programme and budget.

Amongst other things, it is clear that there should be further coordination between the various sectors of UNESCO and the development of more effective public and private partnerships with UNESCO.

Commenting at the recent UN Summit, our Prime Minister John Howard said that the challenge the UN is “to redefine its authority and responsibility in the global environment in which we find ourselves. Australia, as always, will be an active player in these deliberations.”

This is equally true for UNESCO.

Thank you.

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