The United Arab Emirates and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have signed an agreement on the operation of the Sharjah-based Regional Center for Educational Planning (RCEP). The agreement was signed yesterday at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris by Humaid Mohammed Al Qatami, UAE Minister of Education & Chairman of the RCEP and Irina Bokova, the UNESCO Director General. Al Qatami described the signing of the agreement as the "UAE's response to the international standards set by the UNESCO for the operation of the Centre and for achieving its strategic objectives." He added that the Centre was established in the UAE on 17 October 2003. The hosting was renewed for the first time in 2008 and under yesterday's agreement, it has been renewed for another 4-year period, according to a report of the UAE news agency "WAM".