EMBASSY OF PAKISTAN, PARIS, FRANCE

Statement of Ambassador of Pakistan to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO at the 220th Session of the UNESCO Executive Board

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• Strengthening UNESCO’s Role Amid Global Conflicts: Pakistan’s Perspective at the 220th Session

• Ambassador of Pakistan Advocates for Multilateralism and Palestinian Rights at UNESCO

The Ambassador of Pakistan to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, in his statement at the 220th Session of the UNESCO Executive Board, noted that this meeting was taking place against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, multiple crises, and raging conflicts, all contributing to a complex global scenario in which the international rule of law is under severe challenge.

He emphasized that it was an opportune time to assess the strategic direction of UNESCO to maintain and enhance its relevance to current and evolving challenges. “We must engage in frank and transparent dialogue, be ready to ask the right questions, and collaborate across the board to come up with the best recommendations,” he added.

The Ambassador highlighted that there was a strategic opportunity for strengthening UNESCO’s cooperation with the wider UN system and other global forums. While UNESCO was devoting considerable time and resources to some groups with limited membership, the importance of active engagement with other, more inclusive and larger forums such as the G-77, which also has broader participation from Africa and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), cannot be ignored.

The Secretariat is responsible for managing the Organization and representing it globally. Strategic communication is an essential part of that function. Unfortunately, the organization was found lacking on some of the most pressing issues.

Not transparency, but mystery surrounds the handling of certain issues. Hence, the repeated inexplicable delays in issuing important reports, such as that on Gaza, were noted. He mentioned the criticism directed towards the organization for its silence and double standards.

The world faces the most profound crisis since the end of World War II. International order is breaking down in Gaza, according to UN Special Rapporteurs and Procedures in a joint statement marking one year of genocidal attacks on Palestinians.

“Israeli bombs have spared no one,” they wrote, “not journalists, students, scholars, doctors, nurses, babies, pregnant women, persons with disabilities… the list is long.” The massive destruction of educational, cultural, and heritage institutions, as well as the land itself, deeply jeopardizes Palestinian culture, national identity, and existence on the land, according to their joint statement. Such statements must emanate from UNESCO, he asserted.

With UNESCO’s critical role in promoting peace, Pakistan called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to prevent further escalation of conflict in the region and underscored the imperative of addressing the root cause of the crises in the Middle East—the decades-long illegal Israeli occupation. He reiterated Pakistan’s consistent and unambiguous support and solidarity for the just Palestinian cause. “The road to a just and durable peace lies in the pacific settlement of the Palestinian question in accordance with UN resolutions and international legitimacy,” he stated.

The Ambassador further added that from the preservation of archaeological sites and cultural heritage to promoting education, responding to crises, countering disinformation and hate speech—which Pakistan flagged as a priority along with other member states at this session—to the ethics of artificial intelligence and upholding the ideals of peace, there is immense opportunity to make a difference. The Pact of the Future and the Global Digital Compact contain important mandates to be pursued within UNESCO’s fields of competence.

With our shared commitment to effective multilateralism and the spirit of constructive dialogue and consensus, it is evident that we can not only achieve our objectives but also strengthen UNESCO’s role and credibility in this process, the Ambassador concluded.