The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will set up the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) “within the next one year”. The Category-1 institute, the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, was approved by UNESCO’s General Conference held in Paris in October.

At a symposium held Monday on “Tracing 64 years of UNESCO - India cooperation” in the city, Armoogum Parsuramen, UNESCO’s Director for India told Newsline, “The General Conference approved the proposal and the Indian government has allotted a provisional campus for us to start the institute within the next one year. They are also setting up permanent infrastructure, which may take some time.”

To begin with, the institute will be located at the National University of Educational Planning and Administration in South Delhi.

A Category-1 institute, Parsuramen explained, is run entirely by UNESCO staff using infrastructure provided by the host country. “We can get down to the finer details once India finalises its official procedures and signs the operational agreement and the host country agreement,” he said.

The research-based academic institute will follow a specific programme as laid down by UNESCO’s executive board and will bear UNESCO’s name and logo.

Speaking at the symposium, Dr Karan Singh, representative to the UNESCO, said, “I am particularly excited about the MGIEP. It will be the first institute of its kind in Asia and we expect it to become a real centre for conflict resolution and peace.”

... contd.