Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, commended the generous donations offered by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, for the UNESCO's programmes in Africa and South Asia.

Bokova was received by Sheikh Hmadan at his Zabeel Palace in Dubai where they discussed the UN agency's role in supporting efforts to spread education in poor communities.

The UNESCO director invited HH to attend the opening of the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Hall in the UNESCO headquarters in Paris next October. The hall was renovated and fitted with latest voice and lighting systems.