Paris - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday praised UNESCO´s role in defending pluralism in a world where five major "rifts" are facing, the first being the tension between China and the United States.
"A world of divisions and rifts is not a sustainable one. In this context, UNESCO plays a pivotal role in bringing the world closer," Guterres said at the opening of the 40th General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
UNESCO has 193 member countries, but the United States and Israel have withdrawn. Washington announced its exit from the organization at the last public conference in 2017, accusing UNESCO of being "anti-Israel." The Jewish state followed suit.
Guterres said that the number two in front of the participants in the Paris Peace Forum "five fissures, five specific risks that divide the world," and "the first economic and geopolitical fracture." "Doing everything possible to maintain a world order and maintain a multipolar world," he said.
The UN chief has already expressed concern about the "fragmentation" of the world, warning in January in Davos, Switzerland, of the tension between the world´s three major powers - the United States, Russia and China.
He also expressed concerns about the dissolution of the social contract and the escalation of discrimination and hate speech, coupled with the decline in solidarity with refugees and the environmental crisis, as well as the "new risks" associated with technological development.
In his view, UNESCO is at the heart of these problems through its work for education, youth and science.
"You are making vital efforts to help the world settle ethical problems in science and technology and to share the benefits of knowledge," he said.
The biennial UNESCO General Conference in Paris, where it is based, will run until 27 November with the participation of delegates from Member States, including 15 declared Heads of State and Government. About a dozen of them will attend Tuesday´s meetings, most of them also attending the peace forum in the French capital until Wednesday.
