Party General Secretary Tô Lâm (right) receives Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the UNESCO's World Heritage Centre. VNA/VNS Photo Phạm Kiê

HÀ NỘI – Việt Nam is always an active, trusted partner and supporter of UNESCO, making substantive contributions as a member of key executive agencies, including the World Heritage Centre, said Party General Secretary Tô Lâm.

At a reception for the Director of the World Heritage Centre under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Lazare Eloundou Assomo in Hà Nội on May 20, the Party chief highlighted UNESCO’s role as the “intellectual home of humanity” in promoting multilateralism, maintaining peace and security, and advancing sustainable development in the world.

He expressed his appreciation for nearly five decades of support and cooperation from UNESCO in Việt Nam’s post-war recovery and ongoing process of national construction and development.

Việt Nam currently has 72 UNESCO-recognised titles nationwide, including eight world cultural and natural heritage sites.

These distinctions are regarded as critical assets in fostering sustainable socio-economic development, enhancing local livelihoods and preserving cultural identity, he said.

The Party leader reaffirmed Việt Nam’s commitment to further integration in world politics, the global economy, and human civilisation. He underlined Việt Nam’s desire to contribute more actively to regional and global peace, stability and development, while sharing its successful experiences with other countries and supporting UNESCO’s overarching mission in a proactive and responsible manner.

The Party leader urged UNESCO, the World Heritage Centre, and Assomo personally, to continue supporting Việt Nam in promoting its cultural heritage internationally and in safeguarding its recognised sites. Specifically, he called for assistance in accelerating the approval process for the restoration dossier of Kính Thiên Palace and its core spatial area within the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel. He also requested support for the nomination of the Cổ Loa Citadel as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Party chief appealed for UNESCO’s endorsement of the proposed inscription of the Yên Tử – Vĩnh Nghiêm – Côn Sơn, Kiếp Bạc Relic, and Scenic Complex on the World Heritage List, to be considered at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee meeting in Paris in July.

For his part, Assomo reaffirmed Việt Nam’s role as an important, active, reliable and strategic partner of UNESCO, with effective and practical contributions. He praised Việt Nam as a model for effective collaboration in the field of heritage preservation and promotion, noting that its initiatives and cooperative practices could serve as valuable examples for other UNESCO member states.

Assomo expressed his admiration for Việt Nam’s dynamic development and acknowledged the strong strategic direction provided by the Communist Party of Việt Nam. He commended the nation’s recent policy focusing on institutional reform, education, culture, science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, key pillars of its development strategy. These advancements, he said, provide a robust foundation for Việt Nam’s continued contributions to cultural preservation in the world.

The official asserted UNESCO's support through technical guidance and close cooperation in the management and promotion of Viet Nam’s world heritage sites. In his capacity, he committed to working closely with Việt Nam to manage, preserve and promote the values of its eight UNESCO sites and to back the nomination of new ones, including the Yên Tử – Vĩnh Nghiêm – Côn Sơn, Kiếp Bạc Complex and Cổ Loa Citadel. VNA/VNS