"No improvement of the education system is possible without active involvement from teachers", says Iñigo Méndez de Vigo

In his speech, the Spanish minister said that, "in 2013, Spain implemented a new education act to foster improved quality in the education system because we are convinced that education is the key to combating social exclusion. We have already achieved results in 2015, with a six-point reduction in the early school drop-out rate when compared with 2011".

"Quality training for our young people", he added, "is the guarantee of their personnel and professional development, and equal opportunities". To that end, he said it is essential to increase the quality of teachers and underpin the work done by teachers and trainers because "no improvement of the education system is possible without the active involvement of teachers".

The Spanish Minister for Education wished to highlight the fact that, "in the current migrant crisis that is affecting Europe, the Government of Spain has implemented a refugee integration strategy through various education programmes".

Spain requests increased role for UNESCO in preserving heritage

Spain is one of the countries with the most assets registered with UNESCO. The country has 44 assets on the World Heritage List, 14 on the Intangible Heritage List and five documentary heritage entries in the Memory of the World Register.

The Spanish Minister for Education, Culture and Sport stated that "the task of heritage preservation, in spite of the achievements made in recent decades, is still huge and the mechanisms provided for by the various conventions should perhaps be strengthened".

"The work of preservation", he stressed, "becomes even more important in the face of premeditated attacks and acts of terrorism and violence against people and their cultural identity". For that reason, Spain and Italy promoted a decision - supported by a large number of Member States - in which a stronger role is given to UNESCO for the protection of cultural assets in the event of conflict.

The minister thanked UNESCO for drafting a Global Strategy "that will complement the traditional instruments defined by the conventions for responding to cultural emergencies, combating illegal trafficking and redressing the damages caused, connecting it to the United Nations intervention mechanisms and the conventional framework of its specialised bodies".

Similarly, he underlined the special commitment from Spain to the principles of the Convention on the Protection of Underwater Heritage given its particular vulnerability and the historic and scientific importance of its preservation.

Iñigo Méndez de Vigo concluded his speech by reaffirming Spain's support for the UNESCO Science Programmes aimed at responding to the planet's global challenges and supporting the work being carried out by UNESCO in pursuit of guaranteeing freedom of expression, access to information and the work of information and communication professionals.