Monaco takes part in 43rd UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand

43ème Conférence générale de l’UNESCO 1 ©DR

A Monegasque delegation* led by H.E. Ms Anne-Marie Boisbouvier, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, took part in the 43^rd UNESCO General Conference from 30 October to 13 November 2025 in Samarkand (Uzbekistan).

Held every two years, the UNESCO General Conference brings together the organisation’s 194 member states to set its priorities on education, science, culture and communication.

In her speech, H.E. Ms Anne-Marie Bousbouvier congratulated Professor Khaled El-Enany on his appointment as Director-General of UNESCO, and announced the renewal of Monaco’s framework cooperation agreement with the organisation (2026–2029).

As part of this renewed partnership, the Principality reaffirmed its determination to take action in the following areas:

• Protecting the oceans: through its contribution to the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, the World Heritage Marine Programme, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development;
• Education: by supporting the Global Education Monitoring Reports and promoting policies on inclusive education, particularly those focused on girls and women;
• Culture: through its support for the Heritage Emergency Fund and other agreements in this area.

During the 43^rd session, the Principality of Monaco distinguished itself by taking on the following roles for the Europe and North America Regional Group:

• the Vice-Presidency of the Natural Sciences and IOC Commission (H.E. Ms Anne-Marie Boisbouvier);
• scrutineer for elections of member states of the UNESCO Executive Board, the organisation’s administrative body (Ms Agatha Korczak).

The Conference also provided an opportunity to adopt the first global normative framework on the ethics of neurotechnology. This establishes essential safeguards to ensure that the technology helps to improve the lives of those who need it without jeopardising human rights.

Finally, a young representative from Monaco, Whitney-Marie Gadeau, took part in the 14^th Youth Forum on 27 and 28 October. The event offered young people a space in which to debate major global issues, and to present recommendations to the member states attending the General Conference.

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* The delegation comprised: Ms Séverine Dusaintpère, Deputy Permanent Delegate, Ms Agatha Korczak, First Secretary, Mr Michael Landau, Department of Education, Youth and Sport, and Mr Davide Tarditi, Department of Cultural Affairs.

For further information:

• 43^rd Session of the UNESCO General Conference: https://www.unesco.org/en/general-conference/43 UNESCO+1
• Recommendation on the ethics of neurotechnology: https://www.unesco.org/en/ethics-neurotech/recommendation UNESCO

43ème Conférence générale de l’UNESCO 3 ©DR