Addressing the 30th General Assembly of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris on Wednesday, Minister of Education Dr. Muhammed Ahmed Al-Rasheed pledged the Kingdom's continued support of the organization, saying Saudi Arabia believes firmly in its goals and principles. He called for a rehabilitation of UNESCO to avoid efforts being dissipated or duplicated, and for collaboration among the member states to devise clear working plans. He declared that UNESCO should be efficient and professional, anticipating problems before they occur as well as following them up afterwards. He also called for field offices to be restructured, and for a clear policy of decentralization.

Dr. Al-Rasheed also called for greater attention to be paid to Arab heritage and the usage of the Arabic language in UNESCO's deliberations. Moreover, illiteracy, poverty and human misery, he declared, must be eliminated, adding that there could be no world peace until there is no oppression, citing the case of the Palestinian people.
Today, the Assembly was addressed by Director-General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Al-Tweijri, who urged the organization to initiate a global movement against illiteracy. In addition, he advocated working for the dissemination of moderation and equity; fighting information that is wrong or false; and combating the scientific and technological underdevelopment that not only cripples the progress of two-thirds of the member states, but also leaves them without hope. He declared that UNESCO would thereby testify to its commitment towards one of the lofty objectives for the sake of which it was initially created, namely, restoration of world peace and security through educational, scientific and cultural action.

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