MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/. Some of UNESCO's most important programs owe their creation to Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the opening of the photo exhibition of TASS and the Russian Foreign Ministry marking the 70th anniversary of Russia's (USSR) joining UNESCO.

"It was the USSR that was the main driving force in UNESCO addressing the issue of eliminating colonialism, neo-colonialism and racism. Moscow stood at the origins of many program agencies, such as, for example, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. Without Russia's active position, the emergence and evolution of the most important programs that remain relevant today would have hardly been possible," the top diplomat noted.

Among them, according to Lavrov, is the International Program for the Development of Communication and the Man and the Biosphere program. The Russian foreign minister also pointed out that in accordance with Russia's proposal, the UNESCO General Conference in 2003 established the International Basic Sciences Program, and the Russian government also initiated UNESCO’s biggest prize, the Mendeleev International Prize in the Basic Sciences. "With its unique experience in language policy, our country takes a leading position in the program of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages in 2022-2032," Lavrov added.