Press release
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay visits India to strengthen the strategic partnership focusing in particular on cooperation in heritage, education and AI
New Delhi, 4 February 2020: UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay carried out an official visit to India from 4 to 6 February, with a view to reinforcing the strategic partnership between the Organization and India, one of UNESCO鈥檚 founding members.
During her visit the Director-General meet the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the Minister of Human Resource Development, Mr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr Prahlad Singh Patel.
During her meetings, Ms Azoulay explored opportunities to develop UNESCO鈥檚 partnership with India with a particular focus on culture, education and artificial intelligence (AI), for which Member States have asked UNESCO to develop a standard-setting instrument for the ethics in AI.
The Director-General began her trip on 4 February, with a visit to the Raj Ghat memorial to pay her respects to Mahatma Gandhi who has had a profound influence on UNESCO.
On 5 February, Ms Azoulay travelled to Jaipur, which last June became India鈥檚 38th World Heritage site in India. She attended the special ceremony honouring UNESCO in the city鈥檚 Albert Hall.
The Director-General also visited several other World Heritage sites including Humayun鈥檚 Tumb and the Red Fort in New Delhi, and Amer Fort in Rajasthan. In the Indian capital, she visited the National Museum to see the exhibition entitled 鈥淚ndian Heritage in Digital Space鈥, which showcases augmented reality displays of five UNESCO's World Heritage sites.
While in Rajasthan, Ms. Azoulay called on the Girls Secondary School in Amer, reflecting UNESCO鈥檚 commitment to girls鈥 education as in the Director-General鈥檚 words 鈥淚nvesting in a girl鈥檚 education is one of the most effective ways to ensure a better life for her, and a better world for us all.鈥
On 6 February, the last day of her visit, she attended the opening of the seminar on 鈥淭he Future of Education 鈥 Artificial Intelligence for Social and Emotional Learning鈥 organized by the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP).
To view a montage of events, activities and places covered by the UNESCO Director-General's during her visit,
