Mme France Marquet, SAF Representative to UNESCO, attended 42nd UNESCO General Conference

UNESCO Headquaters, Paris - 12th November 2023

Madam France Marquet, Principal Trustee, Madanjeet Singh Foundation and South Asia Foundation Representative to UNESCO, attended 42nd Session of the General Conference begun from 7 to 22 November 2023.

The high-level segment of UNESCO's General Conference tooe place on Thursday, November 9, 2023 from 3pm to 6pm in Room I.

The high-level segment focused on how the commons should be thought of and protected in the context of the major disruptions the world is currently experiencing, with a particular emphasis on climate disruption and digital transformation.

3pm-4pm: An inaugural lecture by Dipesh Chakrabarty on global public goods and how they need to be rethought in the face of the major disruptions the world is facing.
4pm-6pm: A high-level session on partnerships bringing together heads of state/government, CEOs, heads of multilateral organizations, civil society leaders and other eminent people to show how UNESCO is leveraging partnerships to address climate disruption and digital transformation in a way that benefits people and the planet.

Mme France Marquet, Principal Trustee, MSF attended the General Conference

“RETHINKING THE COMMONS, ACTING TOGETHER”

15:00-15:05 – Welcome and Opening
Master of Ceremony : Ms Samira Ibrahim, Journalist at France Médias Monde
15:05-15:45 – Opening lecture
Mr Dipesh Chakrabarty, Indian historian and author, University of Chicago
15:45-15:50 Artistic interlude: Yarima Blanco (Cuba), Transcultura Programme
15:50-16:00 – Address by Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO

“4:00pm PARTNERSHIPS SESSION Multistakeholder partnerships in support of the climate and biodiversity”

Programme and panelists

Moderated by Ms Annette Young, senior journalist at France 24, host and creator, “The 51 percent”
Testimony of a young activist: Mr Antonio Diaz Aranda, Youth Climate Ambassador of Mexico for COP28, COP 27 and SB58, UNESCO Climate Action Steering Committee member
Panel discussion with
H.E. Mr Alain Berset, President of the Swiss Confederation
H.E. Ms Noura Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates
Ms Jutta Urpilainen, Commissioner for International Partnerships, European Commission
H.E. Mr Mamman Nuhu, Ambassador, Executive Secretary, Lake Chad Basin Commission
Mr Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group
H.R.H. Princess Abze Djigma, Chair of the H.R.H. Princess Abze Djigma Foundation, Traditional Leader and Leader of the MAMA-LIGHT Initiative
Special Announcement: Presentation of the Futurekeepers campaign

“5:00pm PARTNERSHIP PANEL DISCUSSION Multistakeholder partnerships to address digital transformation”

Programme and panelists

Moderated by Ms Annette Young, senior journalist at France 24, host and creator, “The 51 percent”
Testimony of a young activist: Ms Luísa Franco Machado, Digital Development Expert, UN Young Leader for the SDGs (Brazil)
Panel discussion with
H.E. Mr Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania
Mr Antonio Zappulla, CEO, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Mr Vilas Dhar, President and Trustee of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
Ms Awa Bousso Dramé, Researcher and L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talent, Founder/CEO of CoastGIS Research Institute
Ms Mira Milosevic, Executive Director, Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)
Spotlight intervention: “AI for the Planet” initiative, presented by Mr Patrick Dupoux, Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group
18:00 – Conclusion of the Partnerships Session
Artistic performance by Yarima Blanco y Son Latino
18:30 – Special Session: PROTECT BIODIVERSITY AND RECONCILING WITH THE LIVING: the example of the Amazon project

“Protecting biodiversity, reconciling all forms of life”

The high-level segment continued with a special session presenting UNESCO's partnership with member states (Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru) and a major private sector partner (LVMH) for the protection of biodiversity in the Amazon. This session shared the results of the program and presented a concrete example of how key players and partners can join forces to regenerate ecosystems.

Source: UNESCO