News

On 6 December 2017, UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, met with the Minister of International Relations and Francophonie of Quebec (Canada), Christine St-Pierre, while she was on mission in Paris.

On this occasion, the Director-General, underlined the importance of Quebec’s pioneering commitment to the implementation and promotion of the 2005 Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, as well as Quebec’s role in the recent adoption of the “Operational Guidelines on the Implementation of the Convention in the Digital Environment” and its recognized cultural strategy in this field. 

The Minister affirmed the relevance of UNESCO’s action for Quebec, particularly in the fields of culture, education and the prevention of violent extremism. She recalled the impact of the UNESCO Conference on the Internet and the Radicalization of Young People (30 October -  November 2016), co-organized with the Government of Quebec and financially supported by the Government of Canada, for which the final document, the Quebec Appeal, was adopted by the 39^th session of the General Conference last November. In the same context, the Minister referred to the work of the Center for the Prevention of Radicalization located in Montreal and co-funded by the city and Government of Quebec.

The Director-General encouraged the sharing of good practices on this issue, which is of central concern for Member States, and to which UNESCO can strongly contribute. She also welcomed the creation of a UNESCO Chair for the Prevention of Radicalization and Violent Extremism at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec.

The Minister also shared Quebec's action to defend the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The meeting took place in the presence of the Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Canada to UNESCO, Mrs. Elaine Ayotte.

URL:

https://en.unesco.org/news/meeting-shared-priorities-quebec-minister-international-relations-and-francophonie