Malcolm Adiseshiah
From 1 to 16 November 1945 a United Nations Conference was convened in London for the establishment of an educational and cultural organization (ECO/CONF). In the conference, a new organization was created to establish the “intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind” and thus prevent the outbreak of another world war. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded by thirty-seven countries. Its Constitution to promote collaboration between member states in the fields of education, science and culture was signed on 16 November 1945 and came into force on 4 November 1946. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former President of India, was a former student of Adiseshiah’s father. He made a referral to Sir Julian Huxley, then Director-General of UNESCO, who invited Adiseshiah to the organization in 1948. He was posted as Deputy Director of the department of exchange of persons. In that capacity Adiseshiah signed the UNESCO Fellowship letter in 1949 to M. S. Swaminathan, eminent scientist and administrator, to pursue research at the Agricultural University in Wageningen, the Netherlands which was the starting point of his illustrious career.
Convention against Discrimination in Education
Convention against Discrimination in Education is a multilateral treaty adopted by UNESCO on 14 December 1960 in Paris and came into effect on 22 May 1962, which aims to combat discrimination cultural or religious assimilation or racial segregation in the field of education. The Convention also ensures the free choice of religious education and private school, right to use or teach their own languages for national minorities. and prohibits any reservation. The Convention enters into force for each State 12 months after the deposit of instrument of ratification. As at December 2018, 104 states were members of the Convention (China has denonced also in territorial relation to Macau).