UNESCO DG arrives in India to boost cultural ties, to visit Jaipur on Wednesday

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay arrived in India on a three-day visit starting Tuesday, seeking to bolster "strategic partnership" with country focusing on areas such as herit, education and artificial intelligence, officials said. This is her first official visit to India after she took charge as DG of this world body, y said.

DG who has arrived in Delhi will begin her trip with a visit to Raj Ghat to pay her respects to Mahatma Gandhi who has h a profound influence on UNESCO, officials said. She is expected to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and also meet Union Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Prahl Singh Patel during visit, a UNESCO India official said.

"During her meetings, Azoulay will explore opportunities to develop UNESCO's strategic partnership with India with a particular focus on culture, education and artificial intelligence, for which Member States have asked UNESCO to develop a standard-setting instrument for ethics in AI," UNESCO India Office said.

In Delhi, Director-General will visit World Herit sites -- Humayun's Tomb andF Red Fort, it said. On Wednesday, Azoulay will travel to Pink City Jaipur, which last June became 38th World Herit site in India. She will attend a special ceremony houring UNESCO, at iconic Albert Hall, alongside Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, it said in a statement. UNESCO DG will also visit Amer Fort in Rajasthan.

While in Rajasthan, Azoulay will also visit Girls Secondary School in Amer, reflecting UNESCO's commitment to girls' education as in Director-General's words

"Investing in a girl's education is one of most effective ways to ensure a better life for her, and a better world for us all."

In Delhi, she will visit National Museum to see exhibition titled 'Indian Herit in Digital ' which showcases augmented reality displays of five UNESCO World Herit Sites, officials said. On last day of her visit, she will dress opening session of a seminar on ' Future of Education Artificial Intelligence for Social and Emotional Learning' in Delhi, organised by UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), y said.

(Im Credits: UNESCO)