The delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic participated in the works of 36th Session of UNESCO's General Conference held during the period from 23rd October to 10th November, 2011 at the headquarter of UNESCO in Paris. The Syrian delegation was headed by Dr. Saleh Al-Rashed – the former Minister of Education - Chairperson of the National Syrian Commission for Education, Culture and Science. The delegation members were:
- Lamia Shakour, Ambassador of Syria in Paris, Permanent Delegate to UNESCO.
- D. Farah Suleiman Al-Motlk, Deputy Minister of Education
- D. Ali Alkiam- Deputy Minister of Culture
- D. Riad Tayfur, Deputy Minister of Higher Education
- D. Nidal Hasan, Secretary General of the Syrian National Commission for UNESCO
- Mazen Naffa, Director of Development Media Division, Ministry of Information
- Mohammed Abu Dallah third secretary at the Syrian Embassy in Paris
- Zaid Mari, Office of the Minister of Education

The Director-General opened the works of the 36th Session of the General Conference and focused on:
- The Significant phase in the history of the organization where civilizations, cultures and people broadly converge.
- The impact of the census on the natural resources water and agriculture. Global warming.
- The Economic crisis and its consequences.
- The General-Director mentioned the mission of UNESCO to build peace since it was established 65 years ago. But today a culture of peace is different from the one prevailed 20 or 50 years ago. The culture of Peace is built on the heritage we take from education and respect of human rights and security and from the recognition of others and their own culture and existence.
- The 187th session of the Executive Board brought the issue of admitting Palestine as a permanent membership in UNSECO and based on the related resolution made by UNESCO’s General Conference, which confirmed the right of the Palestine people to struggle to maintain its identity, culture and heritage. H.E added that the mutual cooperation between UNESCO and Palestine in the related expertise to support the educational system and institutions and preserve the valuable heritage.
- The importance of the international cooperation in sustainable development, so the development of Africa and gender equality is everyone's responsibility.
- Achieving a sustainable development policy where all have a role to play, UNESCO, education, culture and science, and sharing knowledge. Furthermore the draft program and budget demonstrate the reform actions; also it reflects the efforts and steps to achieve this reform.

Member states discussed 87 items on the agenda of the general conference that was classified as the hardest session ever, since the foundation of UNESCO. Items included the following:
- Election of the chief person of the General Conference (Katalin Bogoaa delegate of Hungary).
- Presentation of the Director- General reports on the organization's activity.
- The draft program and budget for the biennium 2012 - 2013.
- Discussion of public policy.
- Discussion of the reports of the Conference committees.
- Examining the admission requests submitted by new countries to UNESCO.
- UNESCO’s Forum for leaders: How does UNESCO contribute to build a culture of peace and sustainable development?
- Nominations to the Executive Board and other committees. And the election of Barbados as a chairperson of the Executive Board in addition to the election of new EXB members. United Arab Emirates with 144 votes, and Tunisia with107 votes, and Saudi Arabia with 106 votes of the Arab Group in Jordan with 103 votes and Libya with 36 votes. Closing the election of other committees. The Syrian Arab Republic won the membership of the two committees: the Intergovernmental Council of the International Hydrological Program (IHP); Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Restoration of the Cultural Properties to its Origin Countries or its Restitution in Case of Illicit appropriation.
- The ninth coordination meeting of the heads of delegations of Member States of ISESCO
- Raising the flag of South Sudan who has become a UNESCO’s Member State.
- Discussion of the item related to admit Palestine as Member of the Organization. Voting was carried out in the 1st hall of the organization. 185 Member States were entitled to vote, 173 Member States have voted, the votes needed for the majority were 81 votes including France, Austria, Spain, and Malta. 107 Votes in favor of admission, 14 votes against, including the United States of America, Germany, Australia, and Canada.12 Member States were absent. Voting results jeopardize the Organization financial stability since the largest contributor to the organization has frozen its financial contribution to the organization for the year 2011 which was about 22% of the UNESCO total budget.
- Election of members of the world heritage committee, nine new members won the elections namely were: Algeria, Qatar, Germany, Japan, India, Malaysia, Senegal, Serbia, and Colombia.
- Her Excellency the General-Director replied to the queries raised by the chairperson of the Delegate Members and she recommended some solutions to confront the financial crisis that face the Organization
- The Director-General of UNESCO, the president of the General Conference ended the session stressing to proceed with the UNESCO reform process. And to accomplish all aspiration and priorities in the areas of expertise. In addition to thank all Member States, Observers and General Commission and Interpreters

Activities and interventions of the Syrian Delegation.
Speech of H.E Dr. Saleh Al Rashed, ex-Minister of Education, Head of the Syrian Delegation to the General Conference on Saturday 29 November 2011.

H.E focused on the following issues:
- Appreciation for the mutual cooperation with the Organization in the various fields and the Syrian support for the initiative led by H.E Irina Bokova and her new policy regarding the human resources that achieve the objectives of the organization as expected by Member States.
- Congratulation for election of the new Chairperson of the General Conference.
- Confirmation of the significance of the best investment in education in building up the future of humanity and prosperity.
- Syria keeps up with all the new events and world experiences and interacts with them in the light of enhancing the national spirit of the Syrian citizens and strengthens their affiliation to the motherland through launching many educational projects, in addition to the support for youth employment, poverty alleviation, women's education and gender equality.
- Support to the resolution of admitting Palestine as a Member State.
- Violation acts of Israel against the educational and cultural institutions in the Syrian Occupied Golan and in Palestine.
- Commitment to the statement of the Arab States concerning the five resolutions related to the occupied Arab territories and the official world recognition of Palestine.
- Thank to the world heritage committee to adopt the resolution on inscribing the 40 historical villages in the north of Syria on world heritage list.

Intervention of H.E Dr. Saleh Alrashed, ex-Minister of Education, in the co-ordination meeting held for The Heads of Member States delegates in Islamic conference organization 27th November, 2011.
He said: We gather today to discuss the resolution to admit Palestine as a Member State in UNESCO. And My country Syria wishes that all Arab and Islamic countries reveal a full support to the admission of Palestine in UNESCO. Adding that all Member States should maintain a proper follow up for the implementation of the adopted resolution regarding Palestine.
He added that all Member States should release a clear and attitude to support the Membership of Palestine in UNESCO.
H.E Dr. Saleh Al Rashed confirmed, in his statement in front of the General Conference and after the adoption of the resolution to admit Palestine as a permanent member, that voting in favor of this resolution gives hope to the Palestinian people after more than 60 years of deprivation and his daily suffering in his cultural and educational life. Syria recognized in Syrian occupied Golan and still realizes the burnt cultural and educational deprivation on their sons, looking forward to alleviate the suffering and injustice of the people demanding the right to self-determination and in line with the founding charter of the UNESCO constitution and it is the start of peace in human beings minds.
Syria congratulates Palestine membership in UNESCO the pioneered organization. HE Dr. Saleh Al-rashed the former education minister met the president of Arab Syrian Republic on the sidelines of the conference in the presence of accompanied delegation members, a number of HE ministers and presidents of delegation participants in this session: These meetings dealt with the prospects of cooperation in educational fields among Syrian and brotherly countries, HE talked about the efforts done by Ministry of Education to raise the educational reality pointed to important projects that begun and implemented according to a timetable and the most important of them is:
The national criteria of educational curricula, new school books, The Regional Centre of Early Childhood Development, The National Distinguished Centre, the calendar and educational development centre, the rehabilitation of teachers, technology integration in education, The Vocational and Technical Education Development, examination system, the educational integration, the education techniques suitable for new curricula and many educational projects as well as the need to acquainting on pioneered educational experiences in these countries and experiences exchange about them.
Also his HE pointed to restructuring educational system in Syria explaining the important steps the ministry done to achieve the highest school enrollment ratio and addressing the dropout dramatically declining rate greatly in the last years and confronting literacy problem by the suitable solutions and ensuring the necessary abilities to implement compulsory education, as well pointing to the project of enabling Arabic language and the concerning of Syria in it. Also pointing to the importance of cooperation with international and Arab organization specialized in education, sciences, and culture and communication fields.
-HE Dr. Saleh Al-Rashed the former Minister of Education met the UNESCO director general Mrs. Irina Bokova in the morning of Tuesday 1/November/2011/ assuring in his talk on the following important points:
-The great hope that the relationships with the organization and its regional status be in the best level:
And the desire in develop and deepen them always.
-UNESCO could achieve a good status by the efforts of HE of director general in regarding the general level, and we in Syria support its steps to repair UNESCO.
-we thank the organization about its efforts for the adoption of general conference the decision of jointing Palestine to UNESCO a new membership, and the impact on the Palestinian people who must realize that there are organizations able to plant confidence and inspiring hope .

for the issues of education and culture in syria and urgent need for this understanding and Deep understanding with the general director support in the fields of cooperation with Unesco.
-projects between the Syrian Arab Republic and UNESCO, and the hope to receive constant attention and appropriat support for their completion and progress and thus developing prospect of cooperation with the organization.
-the desire to continue cooperation with Unesco and to send experts to help in the implementation of activities and programs at the reginal center for early childhood development in Damascus, and also the desire to help in sending experts in the field of curricula development and teacher training,and continuing of providing grants program to students of Syrian occupied Golan studying in Syrian universities.
The importance of tangible and intangible cultural heritage programs and sustainable development, quality, curricula, early childhood and young people and the necessity to benefit from UNESCO experiences to implement activities and programmes in Syria.
He concluded by saying: Syria the state deep-seated in history is looking with hope to the future.
The delegation members was committed to attend the works of specialized and technical committees and presented during work sessions suitable interventions for the given itens specially those relating to implementing the resolution about the educational and cultural institutions in the occupied territories.
And we mention to Arab group in organizing a consultative regular meeting preceding work sessions to follow up presenting the ideas, distributing the roles and coordinating Arab countries efforts, and apprehending the context of the organization.