UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN). Its full name is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Countries that belong to UNESCO agree to contribute to peace and security by cooperating in the areas of education, science, and culture. Almost all countries belong to UNESCO. Nations that belong to UNESCO provide most of the agency’s funds. UNESCO was founded in 1945 and has headquarters in Paris. UNESCO’S website at https://www.unesco.org/en offers additional information about the organization.
UNESCO seeks to increase respect for justice, law, human rights, and fundamental freedoms for all people. The agency carries out programs to promote these aims only at the request of its members. Many of the agency’s decisions can be carried out only if the governments of member nations take action in their own countries.
UNESCO tries to increase the flow of ideas among the peoples of the world. It stresses the development and quality of education, the sharing of cultures, and the increase and peaceful use of scientific knowledge. The organization encourages artists, scientists, students, and teachers to travel, study, and work in other countries. It focuses on the use of the social sciences to help solve such problems as discrimination and violence. UNESCO stimulates scientific research on such issues as energy use and environmental protection. It works with other UN agencies to help developing countries.
Hundreds of private international associations called nongovernmental organizations (NGO’s) consult with UNESCO. The NGO’s help plan and carry out programs in which they take a special interest.
What UNESCO does
Education.
UNESCO considers learning important for economic development and for peace. It helps countries in their efforts to improve education at all levels. The agency sponsors programs to train teachers, build courses of study, and carry out research in education. UNESCO has started literacy programs and programs to aid digital and mobile learning.
Science.
UNESCO also considers science and technology as important tools for peace and development. The agency promotes international scientific cooperation and encourages basic scientific research and the application of scientific findings. UNESCO distributes scientific information, sponsors training courses, and organizes science conferences and seminars. It operates regional scientific centers in Nairobi, Kenya; Jakarta, Indonesia; Venice, Italy; Cairo, Egypt; and Montevideo, Uruguay. It helped establish CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), which performs research on subatomic particles.
UNESCO contributes to the growth of knowledge in the social sciences by sponsoring research and teaching programs. It promotes the application of the social sciences to solving practical problems. Among its social science concerns are race relations, economic development, and the status of women.
Culture.
UNESCO encourages international cooperation to protect different cultures and to develop and share an appreciation of them. The agency advises governments on how to restore and preserve national monuments. It sponsors exhibits and other efforts to acquaint the public with works of art, literature, and music.
In 1972, a General Conference of UNESCO adopted a convention (international agreement) to establish the World Heritage List. The list is an international registry of sites of great natural or cultural value, such as monuments, buildings, and natural features and areas. The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage took effect in 1975. Countries that have ratified (approved) the convention are expected to help identify important sites and preserve them for future generations. The UNESCO website at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list has a complete list of World Heritage sites.
Organization members stress the rights to inform and to be informed. UNESCO has programs in all major areas of mass communication—including books, films, newspapers, radio, television, and the internet. It provides technical aid to developing nations for communications systems.
How UNESCO is organized
The General Conference
of UNESCO consists of delegates appointed by the member nations. It meets every two years. The conference decides on UNESCO policies and programs. It also approves the budget and passes staff regulations. The conference selects the Executive Board and appoints the director-general of UNESCO. In addition, it admits new members to UNESCO and prepares conventions and recommendations for approval by the member nations. Most conference meetings take place in Paris.
The Executive Board
has 58 members. These members are elected to four-year terms and may be reelected. The board meets in regular session at least twice a year. It supervises UNESCO programs, prepares the agenda of the General Conference, recommends new member nations, and nominates the director-general.
The Secretariat
administers UNESCO’s programs. People from most member nations work in the Secretariat. They include administrators, general service personnel, and various specialists. Some of these people work at UNESCO headquarters, and others work in the field.
The director-general,
the chief administrative officer of UNESCO, appoints and directs the Secretariat. This executive officer also makes regular reports on UNESCO activities to member nations and the Executive Board, and submits work plans and budget estimates to the board. The director-general is appointed to a four-year term and may be reappointed.
The national commissions
of the member nations advise their governments. They also assist the delegations to the General Conference. Most commission members come from national organizations interested in education, science, and culture.
History
After World War I (1914-1918), most of the Allies joined in an international organization called the League of Nations. The League recognized the importance of promoting intellectual cooperation among the nations of the world. It supported the International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation, an association of individuals located in Paris. This group and the International Bureau of Education in Geneva later served as models for UNESCO. Also, during World War II (1939-1945), the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education met regularly in London. These officials were especially concerned with reviving educational systems that had been weakened or destroyed by the war.
The United Nations Charter was signed in San Francisco during June 1945. In November of that year, the United Nations Conference for the Establishment of an Educational and Cultural Organization met in London. Scientists persuaded the planners to add a reference to science in the title of the proposed agency. Government representatives of 37 nations founded UNESCO, and UNESCO officially came into existence on Nov. 4, 1946. By that date, 20 governments had ratified UNESCO’s Constitution.
As UNESCO has grown, it has become increasingly difficult for its members to agree on priorities. New members—especially newly independent states—have had new ideas about how UNESCO should use its resources. Both decisions and decision-making procedures have become more controversial. As a result, UNESCO has not always received the support it needs to accomplish its goals.
Some member nations have refused to pay their member dues over political disagreements. This has resulted in UNESCO suspending their voting rights in the General Conference. In addition, some nations have withdrawn from UNESCO for periods of time. They have done so for different reasons, including political and financial ones. For a list of current UNESCO members, see the organization’s website at https://www.unesco.org/en/countries.
