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Armenian Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan met with UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany during her working visit to France.
The Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport announced the meeting in a statement.
Deputy Minister Artur Martirosyan and Armenia’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO Aram Hakobyan also attended the meeting.
Congratulating Khaled El-Enany on assuming the post of UNESCO Director-General, Andreasyan wished him success in his new role, stressing that Armenia is actively engaged in UNESCO working groups and stands ready to continue contributing to the effective implementation of the organisation’s priorities.
The UNESCO Director-General thanked Armenia for initiating the Education for Peace resolution, which was recently adopted unanimously by the UN General Assembly, highlighting its importance for strengthening a culture of peace and promoting international recognition of the role of education. Andreasyan, in turn, stressed that promoting the role of education as a fundamental factor in advancing peace, mutual understanding and sustainable development is a matter of principle for Armenia in international forums.
The sides also discussed the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), which will be held in Yerevan this autumn, noting that a number of events are planned within its framework, including with UNESCO’s involvement.
Turning to education, the minister presented the main priorities of Armenia’s State Programme for Education Development through 2030, highlighting efforts to improve the quality of education, ensure inclusiveness, advance digital transformation and promote competency-based education. She underscored the importance of UNESCO’s expert support in developing education policies, particularly in reforms in the field of technical and vocational education and training, and highlighted the effectiveness of jointly implemented programmes.
The meeting also covered the activities of the UNESCO Associated Schools Network in Armenia, as well as the country’s participation in the organisation’s upcoming educational initiatives, including Digital Learning Week, to be held in Paris in September 2026.
Addressing cultural cooperation, Andreasyan reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to the effective implementation of UNESCO’s cultural conventions and the preservation of the world’s cultural heritage. She also noted that the process of ratifying UNESCO’s 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage is currently underway.
UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany thanked Andreasyan for the meeting and highly praised Armenia’s active participation in UNESCO’s programmes and initiatives. He described Armenia as one of UNESCO’s trusted partners, particularly highlighting cooperation in the fields of education, culture and the preservation of cultural heritage.
The sides reaffirmed their readiness to further deepen cooperation at the conclusion of the meeting.