On 16 October, Jüri Seilenthal, Estonia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), formally presented his credentials to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
© UNESCO/Yujuan Jing
Following the presentation ceremony, Ambassador Seilenthal and Director-General Azoulay held discussions focused on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. “Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war, UNESCO has consistently stood by Ukraine,” Ambassador Seilenthal emphasised. “I expressed my gratitude to the Director-General for this unwavering support, which reflects the organisation’s principled stance and solidarity.”
The meeting also covered the session of UNESCO’s Executive Board and preparations for the upcoming General Conference in Samarkand this November. Discussions further addressed the forthcoming Executive Board elections and the implementation of UNESCO’s Anti-Doping Convention.
Ambassador Jüri Seilenthal graduated cum laude in applied sociology from the University of Tartu in 1993 and has been working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1995. From 1996 to 1997, he was the Director of the Human Resources Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1997 to 1999, he served as Estonia’s first chargé d’affaires in Ireland. From 1999 to 2002, he was the Undersecretary for Administrative Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while also serving as Estonia’s first ambassador to Israel (1999-2004, non-resident), Italy (2002-2006) and co-credited to Malta (2003-2006) and the Holy See (2007-2015, non-resident). From 2006 to 2009 he served as Head of the Foreign Minister’s Cabinet and from 2009 to 2015 as Estonia’s Permanent Representative to the UN and other international organisations in Geneva. Since 2015, Ambassador Seilenthal headed the Foreign Economic Policy and Development Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which later became the Department for External Economic Policy and International Economic Organisations. He resides in Paris, France.
UNESCO is a specialised agency of the United Nations, dedicated to promoting global cooperation in the fields of science, education, culture, communication, environmental protection, and human rights. The primary role of Estonia’s Permanent Delegation is to coordinate collaboration between UNESCO and the Estonian government across these areas.
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