UNESCO

Org type	Specialized Agency
Acronyms	UNESCO
Head	Director General of UNESCO; Koïchiro Matsuura Japan
Status	Active
Established	November 16, 1945
Headquarters	Paris, France
Website	www.unesco.org
Wikimedia; Commons	UNESCO
Portal	United Nations Portal

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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO; pronounced /yuː.nɛs.koʊ/, yoo-nes-koe) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945. Its stated purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the UN Charter.^[1] It is the heir of the League of Nations' International Commission on Intellectual Cooperation.

UNESCO has 193 Member States and six Associate Members^[2]. The organization is based in Paris, with over 50 field offices and many specialized institutes and centres throughout the world. Most of the field offices are "cluster" offices covering three or more countries; there are also national and regional offices. UNESCO pursues its objectives through five major programmes: education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, and communication and information. Projects sponsored by UNESCO include literacy, technical, and teacher-training programmes; international science programmes; the promotion of independent media and freedom of the press; regional and cultural history projects, the promotion of cultural diversity; international cooperation agreements to secure the world cultural and natural heritage (World Heritage Sites) and to preserve human rights; and attempts to bridge the worldwide digital divide.

[edit] Structure

Three bodies are responsible for policy-making, governance, and day-to-day administration at UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

The General Conference
The Executive Board
The Secretariat

The UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France

The General Conference is a gathering of the organization's member states and associate members, in which each state has one vote. Meeting every two years, it sets general policies and defines programme lines for the organization.

The Executive Board's 58 members are elected by the General Conference for staggered four-year terms. The Executive Board prepares the sessions of the General Conference and ensures that its instructions are carried out. It also discharges other specific mandates assigned to it by the General Conference.

The UNESCO flag

The Secretariat consists of the Director-General and his staff and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the organization. The Director-General, who serves as the public face of UNESCO, is elected for a (renewable) four-year term by the General Conference. The staff currently numbers some 2100, of whom some two-thirds are based in Paris, with the remaining third spread around the world in UNESCO's 58 field offices. The Secretariat is divided into various administrative offices and five programme sectors that reflect the organization's major areas of focus.

[edit] Controversy and reform

UNESCO has been the centre of controversy in the past, particularly in its relationships with the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and the former Soviet Union. During the 1970s and 1980s, UNESCO's support for a "New World Information and Communication Order" and its MacBride report calling for democratization of the media and a more egalitarian access to information was condemned in these countries as attempts to curb freedom of the press. UNESCO was perceived by some as a platform for communist and Third World countries to attack the West, a stark contrast to accusations made by the USSR in the late 1940s and early 1950s.^[3] In 1984, the United States withheld its contributions and withdrew from the organization in protest, followed by the United Kingdom in 1985 and Singapore in 1986. Following a change of government in 1997, the UK rejoined. The United States rejoined in 2003, followed by Singapore on 8 October 2007.

Part of the reason for their change of stance was due to considerable reforms implemented by UNESCO over the past 10 years. These included the following measures: the number of divisions in UNESCO was cut in half, allowing a corresponding halving of the number of Directors — from 200 to under 100, out of a total staff of approximately 2,000 worldwide.^{[citation needed]} At the same time, the number of field units was cut from a peak of 1287 in 1998 to 93 today. Parallel management structures, including 35 Cabinet-level special adviser positions, were abolished.^{[citation needed]} Between 1998 and 2009, 245 negotiated staff departures and buy-outs took place, causing the inherited $12 million staff cost deficit to disappear.^{[citation needed]} The staff pyramid, which was the most top-heavy in the UN system, was cut back as the number of high-level posts was halved and the “inflation” of posts was reversed through the down-grading of many positions. Open competitive recruitment, results-based appraisal of staff, training of all managers and field rotation were instituted, as well as SISTER and SAP systems for transparency in results-based programming and budgeting.^{[citation needed]} In addition, the Internal Oversight Service (IOS) was established in 2001 to improve organizational performance by including the lessons learned from programme evaluations into the overall reform process. In reality though, IOS's main tasks involve auditing rather than programme oversight; it regularly carries out audits of UNESCO offices that essentially look into administrative and procedural compliance, but do not assess the relevance and usefulness of the activities and projects that are carried out.^{[citation needed]}

Programming coherence and relevance remains a challenge at UNESCO. One of the main reasons for this is that activities and projects can be identified and supervised by various services within the organization.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Activities

UNESCO implements its activities through the five programme areas of Education, Natural Sciences, Social and Human Sciences, Culture, and Communication and Information.

Education: UNESCO is providing international leadership^{[citation needed]} in creating learning societies with educational opportunities for all; it supports research in Comparative education; and provides expertise and fosters partnerships to strengthen national educational leadership and the capacity of countries to offer quality education for all. This includes the
- Eight specialized Institutes in different topics of the sector
- Environmental Conservation Organisation
- Organization of the International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA) in an interval of 12 years
UNESCO also issues public 'statements' to educate the public:
- Seville Statement on Violence: A statement adopted by UNESCO in 1989 to refute the notion that humans are biologically predisposed to organised violence.
Designating projects and places of cultural and scientific significance, such as:
- International Network of Geoparks
- Biosphere reserves, through the Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB), since 1971
- City of Literature; in 2007, the first city to be given this title was Edinburgh, the site of Scotland's first circulating library.^[4] In 2008, Iowa City, Iowa became the City of Literature.
- Endangered languages and linguistic diversity projects
- Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
- Memory of the World International Register, since 1997
- Water Resource Management, through the International Hydrological Programme (IHP), since 1965
- World Heritage Sites

Encouraging the "free flow of ideas by images and words" by:
- Promoting freedom of expression, press freedom and access to information, through the International Programme for the Development of Communication and the Communication and Information Programme
- Promoting universal access to ICTs, through the Information for All Programme (IFAP)
- Promoting Pluralism and cultural diversity in the media

Promoting events, such as:
- International Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World: 2001–2010, proclaimed by the UN in 1998
- World Press Freedom Day, 3 May each year, to promote freedom of expression and freedom of the press as a basic human right and as crucial components of any healthy, democratic and free society.
- Criança Esperança in Brazil, in partnership with TV Globo, to raise funds for community-based projects that foster social integration and violence prevention.
- International Literacy Day
- International Year for the Culture of Peace

Founding and funding projects, such as:
- Migration Museums Initiative: Promoting the establishment of museums for cultural dialogue with migrant populations.^[5]
- UNESCO-CEPES, the European Centre for Higher Education: established in 1972 in Bucharest, Romania, as a de-centralized office to promote international co-operation in higher education in Europe as well as Canada, USA and Israel. Higher Education in Europe is its official journal.
- Free Software Directory: since 1998 UNESCO and the Free Software Foundation have jointly funded this project cataloguing free software.
- FRESH Focussing Resources on Effective School Health.^[6]
- OANA, the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies
- International Council of Science
- UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors
- ASOMPS, Asian Symposium on Medicinal Plants and Spices, a series of scientific conferences held in Asia
- Botany 2000, a programme supporting taxonomy, and biological and cultural diversity of medicinal and ornamental plants, and their protection against environmental pollution

[edit] UNESCO Institutes and Centres

The institutes are specialized departments of the Organization that support UNESCO’s programme, providing specialized support for cluster and national offices.

UNESCO institutes and centres in the sector of education

UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP); Paris (France) and Buenos Aires (Argentina); A centre for training and research to strengthen the capacity of countries to plan and manage their education systems.
UNESCO International Bureau of Education (IBE); Geneva (Switzerland)
UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL); Hamburg (Germany)
UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE); Moscow (Russian Federation)
UNESCO International Institute for Capacity-Building in Africa (IICBA); Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC); Caracas (Venezuela)
UNESCO International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (UNEVOC); Bonn (Germany)
UNESCO European Centre for Higher Education (CEPES); Bucarest (Romania)

UNESCO institutes and centres in the sector of natural sciences

UNESCO Institute for Water Education (IHE); Delft (Netherlands)
International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP); Trieste (Italy)

UNESCO Institute for Statistics

UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS); Montreal (Canada)

[edit] Prizes, awards and medals

UNESCO awards several prizes in science, culture and peace, such as:

Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology
Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize
Great Man-Made River International Prize for Water Resources in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas
International José Martí Prize
International Simón Bolívar Prize
Javed Husain Prize for Young Scientist
Jikji Memory of the World Prize for individuals or institutions that have made significant contributions to the preservation and accessibility of documentary heritage.
Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science
L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science
Sergei Eisenstein Medals for merit in cinematographic art.
Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation
UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICT in Education
UNESCO Mozart Medal for contribution to world peace through music and the arts.
UNESCO Prize for Peace Education
UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
UNESCO Science Prize
UNESCO/Institut Pasteur Medal
UNESCO Artist for Peace
Creative Cities Network
Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts
UNESCO/International Reading Association literacy prize
UNESCO Comenius Medal^[7]

[edit] Member States

As of October 2007, UNESCO counts 193 Member States and 6 Associate Members.

Afghanistan 4 May 1948
Albania 16 October 1958
Algeria 15 October 1962
Andorra 20 October 1993
Angola 11 March 1977
Antigua and Barbuda 15 July 1982
Argentina 15 September 1948
Armenia 9 June 1992
Australia 4 November 1946
Austria 13 August 1948
Azerbaijan 3 June 1992
Bahamas 23 April 1981
Bahrain 18 January 1972
Bangladesh 27 October 1972
Barbados 24 October 1968
Belarus 12 May 1954
Belgium 29 November 1946
Belize 10 May 1982
Benin 18 October 1960
Bhutan 13 April 1982
Bolivia 13 November 1946
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 June 1993
Botswana 16 January 1980
Brazil 4 November 1946
Brunei Darussalam 17 March 2005
Bulgaria 17 May 1956
Burkina Faso 14 November 1960
Burundi 16 November 1962
Cambodia 3 July 1951
Cameroon 11 November 1960
Canada 4 November 1946
Cape Verde 15 February 1978
Central African Republic 11 November 1960
Chad 19 December 1960
Chile 7 July 1953
China 4 November 1946
Colombia 31 October 1947
Comoros 22 March 1977
Congo 24 October 1960
Cook Islands 25 October 1989
Costa Rica 19 May 1950
Côte d'Ivoire 27 October 1960
Croatia 1 June 1992
Cuba 29 August 1947
Cyprus 6 February 1961
Czech Republic 22 February 1993
Democratic People's Republic of Korea 18 October 1974
Democratic Republic of the Congo 25 November 1960
Denmark 4 November 1946
Djibouti 31 August 1989
Dominica 9 January 1979
Dominican Republic 4 November 1946
Ecuador 22 January 1947
Egypt 4 November 1946
El Salvador 28 April 1948
Equatorial Guinea 29 November 1979
Eritrea 2 September 1993
Estonia 14 October 1991
Ethiopia 1 July 1955
Fiji 14 July 1983
Finland 10 October 1956
France 4 November 1946
Gabon 16 November 1960
Gambia 1 August 1973
Georgia 7 October 1992
Germany 11 July 1951
Ghana 11 April 1958
Greece 4 November 1946
Grenada 17 February 1975
Guatemala 2 January 1950
Guinea 2 February 1960
Guinea-Bissau 1 November 1974
Guyana 21 March 1967
Haiti 18 November 1946
Honduras 16 December 1947
Hungary 14 September 1948
Iceland 8 June 1964
India 4 November 1946
Indonesia 27 May 1950
Iran (Islamic Republic of) 6 September 1948
Iraq 21 October 1948
Ireland 3 October 1961
Israel 16 September 1949
Italy 27 January 1948
Jamaica 7 November 1962
Japan 2 July 1951
Jordan 14 June 1950
Kazakhstan 22 May 1992
Kenya 7 April 1964
Kiribati 24 October 1989
Kuwait 18 November 1960
Kyrgyzstan 2 June 1992
Lao People's Democratic Republic 9 July 1951
Latvia 14 October 1991
Lebanon 4 November 1946
Lesotho 29 September 1967
Liberia 6 March 1947
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 27 June 1953
Lithuania 7 October 1991
Luxembourg 27 October 1947
Madagascar 10 November 1960
Malawi 27 October 1964
Malaysia 16 June 1958
Maldives 18 July 1980
Mali 7 November 1960
Malta 10 February 1965
Marshall Islands 30 June 1995
Mauritania 10 January 1962
Mauritius 25 October 1968
Mexico 4 November 1946
Micronesia (Federated States of) 19 October 1999
Monaco 6 July 1949
Mongolia 1 November 1962
Morocco 7 November 1956
Montenegro 1 March 2007
Mozambique 11 October 1976
Myanmar 27 June 1949
Namibia 2 November 1978
Nauru 17 October 1996
Nepal 1 May 1953
Netherlands 1 January 1947
New Zealand 4 November 1946
Nicaragua 22 February 1952
Niger 10 November 1960
Nigeria 14 November 1960
Niue 26 October 1993
Norway 4 November 1946
Oman 10 February 1972
Pakistan 14 September 1949
Palau 20 September 1999
Panama 10 January 1950
Papua New Guinea 4 October 1976
Paraguay 20 June 1955
Peru 21 November 1946
Philippines 21 November 1946
Poland 6 November 1946
Portugal (1) 11 September 1974
Qatar 27 January 1972
Republic of Korea 14 June 1950
Republic of Macedonia 28 June 1993
Republic of Moldova 27 May 1992
Romania 27 July 1956
Russian Federation 21 April 1954
Rwanda 7 November 1962
Saint Kitts and Nevis 26 October 1983
Saint Lucia 6 March 1980
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 14 January 1983
Samoa 3 April 1981
San Marino 12 November 1974
Sao Tome and Principe 22 January 1980
Saudi Arabia 4 November 1946
Senegal 10 November 1960
Serbia (2) 20 December 2000
Seychelles 18 October 1976
Sierra Leone 28 March 1962
Singapore 8 October 2007
Slovakia 9 February 1993
Slovenia 27 May 1992
Solomon Islands 7 September 1993
Somalia 15 November 1960
South Africa (3) 12 December 1994
Spain 30 January 1953
Sri Lanka 14 November 1949
Sudan 26 November 1956
Suriname 16 July 1976
Swaziland 25 January 1978
Sweden 23 January 1950
Switzerland 28 January 1949
Syrian Arab Republic 16 November 1946
Tajikistan 6 April 1993
Thailand 1 January 1949
Timor-Leste 5 June 2003
Togo 17 November 1960
Tonga 29 September 1980
Trinidad and Tobago 2 November 1962
Tunisia 8 November 1956
Turkey 4 November 1946
Turkmenistan 17 August 1993
Tuvalu 21 October 1991
Uganda 9 November 1962
Ukraine 12 May 1954
United Arab Emirates 20 April 1972
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (4) 1 July 1997
United Republic of Tanzania 6 March 1962
United States of America (5) 1 October 2003
Uruguay 8 November 1947
Uzbekistan 26 October 1993
Vanuatu 10 February 1994
Venezuela 25 November 1946
Vietnam 6 July 1951
Yemen 2 April 1962
Zambia 9 November 1964
Zimbabwe 22 September 1980

[edit] Associate Members

Aruba 20 October 1987
British Virgin Islands 24 November 1983
Cayman Islands 30 October 1999
Macao, China 25 October 1995
Netherlands Antilles 26 October 1983
Tokelau 15 October 2001

[edit] Postage Stamps

Various countries have issued postage stamps commemorating UNESCO. The organization's seal and its headquarters building have been common themes. In 1955 the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issued its first ones honouring the organization.

While UNESCO has never separately issued stamps valid for postage, from 1951 to 1966 it issued a series of 41 "gift stamps" to raise money for its activities. Designed by artists in various countries, they were sold at a desk by the UNPA counter located in the United Nations Headquarters building in New York City. No longer available at the UN, most of these Cinderella stamps can be purchased at low cost from speciality stamp dealers.