EMBARGOED UNTIL 27/09/04 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION Statement by Professor. Michael OMOLEWA President of the UNESCO General Conference and Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to UNESCO On the occasion of the visit of His Excellency Dr. Sam NUJOMA, President of the Republic of Namibia to UNESCO HEADQUATERS, 27 September 2004 Your Excellency, Dr. Sam Nujoma, President of the Republic of Namibia Chairperson of the Executive Board, Ambassador Hans-Heinrich Wrede Mr Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura Your Excellencies, Permanent Delegates to UNESCO Honourable Ladies and Gentlemen I feel particularly honoured to be part of this welcoming ceremony for a great son of Africa; a most distinguished fighter for freedom and equality; a committed leader to the liberty and well-being of his people and an outstanding internationalist, whose very life has been a worthy example of belief in and commitment to the cooperation of the world in all its diversities, for the promotion of a more just and more peaceful world. As underlined by the different speakers before me, you can see the representation of the many cultures that together make up UNESCO. There lies the strength of the Organization: richness in diversity. Mr President, you are welcome home, to UNESCO; this Organization which has been yours and that of your people, long before the name of Namibia was formally inscribed on the UNESCO register. For UNESCO has always been with you and with your people through the arduous and sometime bitter struggle which was forced on your country by some unsavoury historical accident We are happy that today, that struggle is behind us. But the cooperation between Namibia and UNESCO continues, even more strongly. The emergence of a free NAMIBIA was warmly welcome throughout the world. For UNESCO, over and above the celebration of the happy conclusion of the armed struggle, we welcome particularly your outstanding leadership, courage and commitment to the creation of a non-racial society in Namibia; a policy which led to the declaration by your party of the policy of National Reconciliation. The peaceful evolution of Namibia must owe a lot to that one, wise gesture. Mr. President, This example is very precious to UNESCO, especially at this moment when at last, the international community stands ready to accept that our differences, our diversities should be considered as a source of strength and not as excuses for intolerance, bigotry and for the propagation of doctrines of hatred and conflict. Thus it has been a rewarding exercise for UNESCO to be involved with you in the efforts to move a united Namibia forward in the exhilarating process of nation-building and development. The adherence of Namibia to UNESCO on the 2nd November 1978 was a clear indication of the belief in the ideals and goals of the Organization. It was also a signal to the international community at large that the free and independent Namibia will be ready to share its story, its culture and its own know-how with UNESCO, as the Organization pursues its vocation of working for the creation of a more just world, through education, science and culture. Mr. President, We know how much your country has been very active in the movement for the development of Africa . Apart from your national activities, we also salute your leadership at the sub- regional and at the continental level. UNESCO’s cooperation with you and other African leaders in these endeavours, particularly through the African Union and NEPAD, must be seen as the fulfilment of the mandate and responsibilities given to UNESCO by the international community, right from its birth. To take one quick example, today the question of Education for All is probably the most topical among issues of concern to the Organization. And yet a look at a report presented to the General Conference by Dr. Julian Huxley in November 1946 proposed that “we must aim at full and equal opportunities for education for all:” It is in the context of this responsibility that UNESCO will continue to cooperate with your country Namibia and by extension with the Southern African region and the entire African Continent to which you belong and for whose advancement you have worked continuously and selflessly. Mr/ President, It is with great humility and admiration that I say that yours has been a leadership full of precious examples. As we watch you approach the next stage in the unfolding of your useful and inspiring life, we can only felicitate you with great admiration, for being, once again, a shinning example of maturity in leadership. Mr President, We wish you well and please know that UNESCO will always be your welcoming home. Thank you for your attention. .