Paris: Speaking at the "General Policy Debate" at the 35th Session of the General Conference of UNESCO in Paris on Friday, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister, Kapil Sibal offered sharing the e-learning materials prepared by India under the National Mission for ICT by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) with UNESCO.

"This will make sure that those around who wish to access quality knowledge can do so freely", Sibal stated.

He stated that India is shortly going to initiate a special project aimed at preservation of the endangered languages in India.

Sibal said that India has fully supported the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development based on the premise that Education must become a tool for ushering in a sustainable lifestyle pattern so that developing countries can leapfrog to a sustainable developed economy based on respect for the environment, international understanding, harmony and peace.

"We in India believe that the global community must rededicate itself to building a society free from conflict and adopt and adapt to sustainable lifestyles. At the heart of a global community, free from conflict, is the spirit of non-violence and the message of the Mahatma…. India, all Member States and the global community should advocate for a more inclusive structure for global economic governance as reiterated by our Prime Minister", the HRD Minister said.

Sibal said that as the Chairperson of the Steering Committee of the South-South Cooperation Programme India looks forward to the early implementation of Fund Raising Strategy and raising the profile of the unique South-South Fund in the field of education through successful celebration of South-South Cooperation Day on December 15, 2009.

He said that India welcomes the operationalization of the South-South Cooperation Programme for Education pilot projects for the different regions of G-77 & China being implemented.

Sibal also expressed pride that Professor Yash Pal from India and Prof. Trinh Xuan Thuan from Vietnam will be jointly awarded the UNESCO-Kalinga Prize for popularization of Science 2009.

"UNESCO- Kalinga Prize is the oldest prize of UNESCO and we are pleased that it would be awarded again after a gap of 3 years", he added.