At the 43rd UNESCO General Conference, India presented its agenda on ethical AI, digital education, and cultural heritage. Ambassador Vishal V. Sharma stated that the nation's focus was on "education, ethics, and equity" as part of its Viksit Bharat vision for 2047.
UNESCO's top decision-making body, the 43rd General Conference, will take place in Uzbekistan from October 30 to November 13. It will determine the agency's 2026–2027 budget and programs.
India is collaborating with UNESCO on the Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) to map national readiness for ethical and responsible AI, according to Sharma, India's Permanent Delegate to UNESCO. He cited a series of India-based consultations with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and IndiaAI Mission.

In accordance with UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, the RAM effort is intended to assist nations in evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of implementing AI. In addition to a $10 billion semiconductor mission aimed at fostering digital self-reliance, he stated that India's National Quantum Mission and a $29 billion AI sector "are expected to create over one million professionals by 2026."
In reference to India's educational reforms, Sharma stated that the National Education Policy encourages online learning via platforms created under the G20 and UNESCO frameworks, including SWAYAM, DIKSHA, Bhashini, and PM eVidya. "India has established one of the largest democratic education ecosystems in the world with 1.5 million schools, 42,000 colleges, and 10 million teachers," he stated.

He continued by saying that India has given $1 million to the World Heritage Convention, $30 million to UNESCO's Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development, and ITEC scholarships to students from the Global South. As further examples of India's intellectual expansion, Sharma mentioned the establishment of IIT campuses in Tanzania, the United Arab Emirates, and a planned one in Nigeria.
Regarding heritage, Sharma stated that India has proposed the Chhath Mahaparv festival for UNESCO's ICH list and would host the 20th session of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee in December 2025. He applauded Lucknow's inclusion in UNESCO's Creative Cities Network as a City of Gastronomy and mentioned the Maratha Military Landscapes' 2024 inscription on the World Heritage List.

Sharma cited the 100-country broadcast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat radio show as an example of participatory communication. "Who was the greater conqueror — the one who conquered others, or the one who conquered himself?" India asked in its last statement, drawing a comparison between Alexander's victories and the Buddha's self-realization.