The Palestinian flag will be raised at the Paris headquarters of the U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) next week to mark the admission of Palestine to the agency. The December 13 ceremony will be presided over by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Foreign Minister Riad Maliki. UNESCO General Conference President Katalin Bogyay and Executive Board Chairwoman Alissandra Cummins also will attend. The UNESCO General Conference admitted Palestine as the agency's 195th Member on October 31. Membership became official three weeks later, when Palestine signed and accepted the UNESCO Constitution in London.
