The SEAMEO-UNESCO Coordination Meeting

Bangkok, Thailand. The SEAMEO Secretariat and UNESCO Bangkok convened the SEAMEO-UNESCO Coordination Meeting on 4 June 2021. This annual meeting was conducted in blended mode co-chaired by Dr Ethel Agnes P. Valenzuela, Director of SEAMEO Secretariat and Mr Shigeru Aoyagi, Director of UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education (UNESCO Bangkok), attended by a core staff of the SEAMEO Secretariat and UNESCO Bangkok.

This meeting was held as a part of the SEAMEO and UNESCO mechanism to strengthen regional cooperation between the two organisations, particularly on education, science and culture. Besides, the meeting also provided a platform to share  opportunities for collaboration on specific programmatic activities of both parties.

The two organisations provided updates on their respective priorities and activities on education, science, and culture and discussed ways to support SEAMEO-UNESCO joint initiatives.

SEAMEO updated the meeting on the current status of SEAMEO Seven Priority areas to support SDG4. These include SEAMEO Border Schools Project, SEAMEO-UNESCO-GPE Project on Special Education Needs Online Course, SEAMEO CARES, SEA-PLM, SEAMEO-UNESCO Southeast Asia DKAP, The Bangkok Statement on Language and Inclusion (MLE), and SEAMEO Congress 2021.

UNESCO shared updates on the Second Asia Pacific Regional Education Ministers Conference (APREMC-II) and the progress of the transition to learning and education 2030+ networking group.

SEAMEO shared the 51st SEAMEO Council Conference and SEAMEO Centre Directors Meeting scheduled in June and July while UNESCO Bangkok shared about their upcoming projects, including implementing the Equitable Education Alliance and the Teaching and Learning with Intangible Cultural Heritage Regional Project.

SEAMEO Secretariat and UNESCO Bangkok  initiated this annual coordination meeting since 2008. The meeting serves as a platform to strengthen the cooperation between the two organizations; establish linkages between UNESCO and SEAMEO entities; collaborate on specific issues and activities of both parties; facilitate networking, and exchange/share best practices and lessons learned between SEAMEO and UNESCO.