Paris: India has offered to host a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) centre for dialogue, which should assume the form of a shared discourse among all countries and cultures.

Besides, it also offered to create a UNESCO chair or institute for the purpose.

The offer was made by Dr L M Singhvi, member of the executive board for India at the plenary meeting of the 165th session of the executive board of UNESCO on October 8.

"We in India would be happy to host a UNESCO Centre for Dialogue Among Civilisations and Cultures and to create a UNESCO chair or institute for the purpose," Singhvi said.

"This we believe would be a major contribution which UNESCO can make to world peace in our age and time," he said.

Stating that India has committed $ 20 billion to achieve the objective of Education for All (EFA), Singhvi suggested that UNESCO should focus on the funding aspect of EFA as a grass-root movement and on greater mobilisation of resources in order to fulfill the goals set out in the Dakar Framework.

"The World Bank Fast Track initiative should be broadened and E-9 initiative should be accorded a higher priority in the allocation of resources," he said.

PTI