Organization of the Annual Meeting of the European Commissions for UNESCO in Thessaloniki (3-5 April 2017)

"In an international climate which is characterized by upheavals and conflicts, it is timely as ever to promote and strengthen the activities of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which aims to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science and culture, to promote universal respect of justice, law and human rights and fundamental freedoms guaranteed for the peoples of the world, regardless of race, sex, language or religion, as stated in the Charter of the United Nations," said Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Amanatidis during a Press Conference attended by the President of the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO, Mrs. Ketty Tzitzikosta, today in Thessaloniki.

Within the framework of UNESCO, the European network of National Commissions for UNESCO is now one of the most powerfully active informal regional networks of the international organization of the United Nations, and its meeting in Thessaloniki from 2 to 6 April 2017 represents a success on the part of the Hellenic National Commission.

The Foreign Ministry and the Hellenic government support the conference, as it will generate high added value, which will contribute to and act as a catalyst for the activities of UNESCO in Europe, as well as the exchange of best practices for producing tangible and practical results in the fields of education, science, cultural management, and communications.

Thessaloniki is at the heart of European developments, and a series of successes on the part of the city must be highlighted, including a) the establishment of the UNESCO Centre for Women and Peace in the Balkan Countries, b) the inclusion of the city's early Christian and Byzantine monuments into the UNESCO World Heritage list, c) the establishment of a UNESCO Centre for "Integrated Water Resources Management" at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, d) the inclusion of the Derveni papyrus into the International register of UNESCO's "Memory of the World” programme, and e) the addition of the archaelogical site at Philippi to the UNESCO World Heritage list. Moreover, it will highlight the role of Thessaloniki as a centre for the sciences, education, communications, and development.

The more than 100 senior executives of Europe's national commissions for UNESCO will act as "ambassadors" for Thessaloniki, advocating its culture and history abroad.