Lagos — UNESCO/OECD's Cross-border Higher Education, United Nations' Dialogue Among Civilizations and the examination of the relations between the three organs of UNESCO - the Secretariat, General Conference and the Executive Board - are just a few of the "something(s) to remember" the President of the 31st General Conference of UNESCO, Ambassador Ahmad Jalali for, with his active participation, as he bows out of the organisation.

At a farewell reception, recently held in his honour by the Nigerian Delegation to UNESCO, the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Iran to UNESCO since 1997 thanked the Africa Group of the organisation for the support given to him during his tenure as President of the General Conference.

He specifically commended Nigeria for the leadership role, which she has consistently played in UNESCO. He also observed the closeness and profound friendship between President Olusegun Obasanjo and President Khatami of Iran, who had both worked closely together to launch the Dialogue Among Civilization session at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in 2000. He particularly had some warm appreciation for the Honourable Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Professor Babalola Borishade, whom he met for the first time in 2001 at the E-9 meeting organized by UNESCO in China. He described Borishade as "a First Class brain, a master strategist, and an embodiment of the richness of Africa culture and tradition as often reflected in his elegant mode of dress."

Jalali, who was also decked in the African traditional flowing gown at the reception, observed that Africa is the continent of the future and expressed the hope that the excellent relation between Africa and Iran will continue undisturbed in the years ahead. To Nigeria's Permanent Delegate, Prof. Michael Omolewa, whom he handed over to as President of the 32nd General Conference in 2003, Jalali expressed his "sincere appreciation of the most cordial relation which existed between us at official and personal level I will continue to appreciate our shared times at UNESCO: your intellectual and amicable support for me in the different aspects of my duties in UNESCO has always been a source of great encouragement to me. I would be delighted if we could stay in contact so that I can be sure of permanent and intimate intellectual nourishment."

Cross-border Higher Education is an initiative of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to enhance quality provision in cross-border higher education at a global level by further strengthening quality assurance, accreditation and recognition of qualifications schemes at both national and international levels through the development of non-binding international guidelines on "Quality provision in cross-border higher education."

Former President of Iran, Mohammed Khatami had introduced the theory of 'Dialogue Among Civilizations' as a response to Samuel Huntington's theory of 'Clash of Civilizations'.

All the six regions of the world were represented at the well-attended farewell reception. Guests included the current President of the General Conference and Ambassador of Oman, Dr. Musa Bin Jaafar Bin Hassan; a past President, now Assistant Director-General (External Relations Cooperation of UNESCO), Mr. Ahmed Sayyad; former Director, UNESCO BREDA Office in Senegal and now Secretary of the Executive Board, Mr. Armoogum Parsuramen and Secretary to the President of the General Conference, Ms. Moshy Chassama.

A university professor, Jalali has authored a dozen of articles in social, cultural, historical, philosophical, political and international fields. He is also the author and editor of over a dozen volumes of university textbooks in mathematics.