Address

By Cristian Mihai Adomnitei

Romanian Minister of Education, Research and Youth

On the occasion of the 34th UNESCO General Conference

Paris, 22 October 2007

Your Excellencies,

Mr President of the UNESCO General Conference,

Mr President of the Executive Council,

Mr Director General,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to express my honour to

participate in the 34th UNESCO General Conference. We all value these
General Conferences as excellent opportunities for debates and
cooperation between politicians, experts, and practitioners as well as a
forum for exchanging ideas and best practices.
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We would also like to address a strong welcome in the family of UNESCO
to Montenegro and to salute the return of Singapore.

Romania considers that in the confrontation with the new challenges facing
the world, UNESCO plays and will continue to play a key role in supporting
the development of cooperation in the fields of education, science and
culture in benefit of all State-members. In this respect, Romania considers
important that is important to support UNESCO’s efforts for promoting
education for all, fighting poverty, preservation of culture and cultural
heritage as well as innovation, science and research.

The UN Charter of Fundamental Rights asserts that everyone has the right
to education and Romania’s Constitution clearly mentions the right of each
person to free education at all levels of studies. Our guiding principles, on
which the system of education is built, are quality of education, freedom of
people to choose the language of instruction, providing the minorities with
the right to study in their mother tongue as well as the freedom of the
religious education, according to the requirements of each religion.

The guidelines for reforming our educational system are in accordance with
the principle of education for all, principle launched by UNESCO on the
occasion of the Dakar Forum. In Romania we are working to make all the
necessary efforts to offer to our young citizens the highest quality of
education and training, trying to build appropriate education pathways for
each single person, adapted to his or her background, skills and needs.

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Please allow me to mention here the commitment or my led by Prime
Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu for supporting the educational system by
deciding to allocate for 2008 a budget representing 6% of GDP and another
0,75% of GDP-public funds for RDI. This is the biggest budget that
Romania has allotted for education.

We also pay special attention to the provision of equal opportunities, to

quality education for the disadvantaged groups, to tailoring special social
programmes for those coming from disadvantaged families and areas.

I take this opportunity to assure you of the great importance attached by the
Romanian Government to the international developments relevant to
education. In this regard, I should particularly mention the drafting of a new
legislation on education, including higher education, which is to be finalized
and enter soon into the decision process of our Government and the
Parliament.

Important steps forward are proposed in the draft law on higher education
for making our study programmes more flexible, setting new procedures
and national standards for quality assurance focussed on learning
outcomes and institutional quality management, development of the
transferable credit system, switching to new incentives for global financing
particularly related to research outputs, or in diversification of the student
scholarship system. Internationalisation of education is another key word for
my Government.

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As you are all very much aware of, making changes really happen is not an
easy, smooth endeavour and partnerships are, in this respect, crucial. All
along our efforts we have closely cooperated with the ones having the
experience, expertise and the know-how in reforming higher education
systems. UNESCO- Higher Education European Centre has been always
among our key partners and I take this opportunity to acknowledge the
centre’s support in this respect.

We have actively taken part in many of the activities linked with these
programmes and we will continue to cooperate with UNESCO-CEPES by
participating and presenting, when appropriately, the Romanian
experiences in the field of reforming its higher education system.

Romania considers that the educational and training systems should also
consider adult education in the lifelong learning context. This aim could be
achieved by comparing the policy initiatives, introducing benchmarks and
indicators, tools and data bases for best practices at formal, nonformal and
informal level.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We all know that science and research are together with education,
important elements of the UNESCO strategies and policies.

We all agree that universities, research institutes and private enterprises

have an essential role to play in promoting research that supports economic
growth and environmental protection. Universities and other higher
education institutions have also a key role in providing education and
training that support the people to fully exploit sustainable technologies.

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We consider that the correlation of the national need for innovation with the
development of science and technology at a global level can take place
through research-action networks, where the multidisciplinary international
cooperation will target the resolution of specifically identified problems. The
international mobility is a key dimension of researcher training. In this
context, we fully support UNESCO programmes addressing the current
problems of science and technology.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity

of Cultural Expressions is a significant step forward in the assertion of a
new political will to depart from a purely commercial logic in the area of
promotion and circulation of forms of cultural expression. Romania shows
an active interest into supporting and promoting this essential new
international legal instrument.

During the last years Romania fully supported the UNESCO efforts to
establish a coherent normative action in specific areas such as protection of
the Underwater Cultural Heritage.

Within the framework of the new UNESCO Convention, Romania's key

interest concerning cultural action is directly focused towards two main
targets: the European Union member states and the neighbouring countries
of South Eastern Europe and the Black Sea Region, with special attention

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granted to the needs and expectations of Romanian communities living
abroad and the general public.

In this context, we had the honour to host this year the High level South
Eastern European meeting in Bucharest and Sibiu-the European capital of
Culture together with Luxembourg –promoting the intercultural dialogue in
this region.

We also would like to point our interest to organize and to develop at Sibiu
a center of excellence in the field of intangible Heritage for the South-
Eastern Europe.

Ladies and gentlemen,

At present we all are facing the challenges put forward by the process of
globalization. This process leads us to the necessity of developing and
enhancing the cooperation among us and the community of UNESCO
institutions and networks represent an important tool for closer relations and
cooperation.

I am more confident making this statement as I know I am addressing an

auditorium who share landmark values such as UNESCO’s, and whose
determination in defending the idea of democratic cooperation for progress
is worth our appreciation.

From this perspective, we have supported and will continue to support a

policy of decentralisation and development of UNESCO regional centres
and specialised institutions and I take this opportunity to congratulate Mr.
Koichiro Matsuura, general director of UNESCO, for his consistent efforts to
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re-launch UNESCO both through administrative restructuring and its
activities.

Now it’s time to refer to the privilege Romania has had ever since 1972, that
of being the host of the UNESCO Higher Education European Centre in
Bucharest, which we have always supported being aware of its value at an
academic level and as promoter of UNESCO principles.

In a period of 51 years since its accession to UNESCO, we have tried to

make our own contribution as active participants to the fulfilment of
UNESCO objectives and projects, and this has also been an opportunity for
us to learn from the experience of our partners.

Romania gives a high appreciation to the dedicated contribution of Mr

Koichiro Matsuura for promoting UNESCO activities and cooperation with
my country, especially for the preservation of our cultural heritage and for
developing research and innovation as key for economic progress. We are
determined to strengthen this way.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Honourable assistance,

I would like to conclude by emphasizing our beliefs that international

exchanges, networking and inter-disciplinary projects are tools that can
support our cooperation and UNESCO due to its dynamism and to its
policies is able to be active and visible on the international scene and to
cooperate effectively with other international organisations in achieving our
common goals. Thank you very much for your attention.