In the framework of the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and President of the Ukrainian National Commission for UNESCO Mariana Betsa held meetings with delegations from African and Asian countries and small island states to promote Ukraine's candidacy in the elections to the UNESCO Executive Board for 2025-2029.
Mariana Betsa met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova Mihai Popșoi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhromjon Aloev, Minister of State, Minister of National Education and New Citizenship for the Democratic Republic of the Congo Raissa Malou, Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture of Namibia Sanet Steenkamp, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic David Kašpar, and Secretary of State for Multilateral Cooperation of Equatorial Guinea Mari-Cruz Evuna Andeme.
The Deputy Minister also held meetings with representatives of delegations from a group of small island states at UNESCO, including Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Palau, Haiti, and with delegations from Mauritius, Côte d'Ivoire, Nepal, the Republic of Congo, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sierra Leone, Tuvalu, South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania, and Djibouti.
The vast majority of interlocutors expressed support for Ukraine's initiatives within UNESCO and confirmed their readiness to positively consider supporting Ukraine's candidacy in the elections to the UNESCO Executive Board for the period 2025-2029, which will take place on November 7, 2025.
On November 6, Khaled Ahmed El-Enany Ali Ezzat, representative of Egypt, was elected as the new Director-General of UNESCO. Ukraine supported the candidacy of this representative of Egypt for the position of the new Director-General of UNESCO.
Mariana Betsa held a meeting with the newly elected Director-General, who will take office on November 15, 2025.
The Ukrainian delegation continues its work at the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand.