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United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations
United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
 established on 16 November 1945. Its stated purpose is to contribute to peace
Peace

Peace is a term that most commonly refers to an absence of aggression, violence or hostility, but which also represents a larger concept wherein there are healthy or newly-healed interpersonal relationship or international relations, safety in matters of social or economic welfare, the acknowledgment of equality and fairness in political re...
 and security
Security

Security is the degree of protection against danger, loss, and criminals. Individuals or actions that encroach upon the condition of protection are responsible for a "breach of security."...
 by promoting international collaboration
Collaboration

Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together toward an intersection of common goals ? for example, an intellectual endeavor that is creative in nature?by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus....
 through education
Education

File:Inukshuk Monterrey 1.jpgEducation can be seen as a product or a process and considered in a broad sense or a technical sense. According to philosophy of education George F....
, science
Science

In its broadest sense, science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research....
, and culture
Culture

Culture is difficult to define. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions....
 in order to further universal respect
Respect

Respect is esteem for, or a sense of the worth or excellence of, a person, a personal quality, ability, or a manifestation of a personal quality or ability....
 for justice
Justice

Justice is the concept of morality rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, fairness and equity."...
, the rule of law
Rule of law

The rule of law is a legal concept which includes a number of interrelated principles. First, protecting the rule of law ensures that no one is above the law....
, and the human rights
Human rights

Human rights refer to the "basic rights and freedom to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of speech, and equality before the law; and social, cultural and economic rights, i...
 and fundamental freedoms
Freedom (political)

Political freedom is the absence of interference with the sovereignty of an individual by the use of coercion or aggression. The members of a free society would have full dominion over their public and private lives....
 proclaimed in the UN Charter
United Nations Charter

The United Nations Charter is the treaty that forms and establishes the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, California, United States, on June 26, 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries ....
. It is the heir of the League of Nations
League of Nations

The League of Nations was an inter-governmental organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919?1920. At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members....
' International Commission on Intellectual Cooperation.

UNESCO has 193 Member States and six Associate Members.






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United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations
United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
 established on 16 November 1945. Its stated purpose is to contribute to peace
Peace

Peace is a term that most commonly refers to an absence of aggression, violence or hostility, but which also represents a larger concept wherein there are healthy or newly-healed interpersonal relationship or international relations, safety in matters of social or economic welfare, the acknowledgment of equality and fairness in political re...
 and security
Security

Security is the degree of protection against danger, loss, and criminals. Individuals or actions that encroach upon the condition of protection are responsible for a "breach of security."...
 by promoting international collaboration
Collaboration

Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together toward an intersection of common goals ? for example, an intellectual endeavor that is creative in nature?by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus....
 through education
Education

File:Inukshuk Monterrey 1.jpgEducation can be seen as a product or a process and considered in a broad sense or a technical sense. According to philosophy of education George F....
, science
Science

In its broadest sense, science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research....
, and culture
Culture

Culture is difficult to define. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions....
 in order to further universal respect
Respect

Respect is esteem for, or a sense of the worth or excellence of, a person, a personal quality, ability, or a manifestation of a personal quality or ability....
 for justice
Justice

Justice is the concept of morality rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, fairness and equity."...
, the rule of law
Rule of law

The rule of law is a legal concept which includes a number of interrelated principles. First, protecting the rule of law ensures that no one is above the law....
, and the human rights
Human rights

Human rights refer to the "basic rights and freedom to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of speech, and equality before the law; and social, cultural and economic rights, i...
 and fundamental freedoms
Freedom (political)

Political freedom is the absence of interference with the sovereignty of an individual by the use of coercion or aggression. The members of a free society would have full dominion over their public and private lives....
 proclaimed in the UN Charter
United Nations Charter

The United Nations Charter is the treaty that forms and establishes the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, California, United States, on June 26, 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries ....
. It is the heir of the League of Nations
League of Nations

The League of Nations was an inter-governmental organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919?1920. At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members....
' International Commission on Intellectual Cooperation.

UNESCO has 193 Member States and six Associate Members. The organization is based in Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
, 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 science
Natural science

In science, the term natural science refers to a methodological naturalism approach to the study of the universe, which is understood as obeying rules or law of nature origin....
s, social and human science
Human Science

Human science is a term applied to the investigation of human life and human activities via a rational, systematic, and verifiable methodology that acknowledges the validity of both data derived by impartial observation of sensory experience and data derived by means of impartial observation of psychological experience ....
s, culture, and communication and information. Projects sponsored by UNESCO include literacy
Literacy

The traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write, or the ability to use language to Reading , Writing, Listening, and Speech communication....
, technical, and teacher-training programmes; international science
Science

In its broadest sense, science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research....
 programmes; the promotion of independent media
News media

The news media refers to the section of the mass media that focuses on presenting current news to the public.These include print media ; broadcast media , and increasingly Internet-based mass media ....
 and freedom of the press
Freedom of the press

Freedom of the press consists ofconstitutional or Statute protections pertaining to the Mass media and published materials.With respect to governmental information, any government distinguishes which materials are public or protected from disclosure to the public based on classified information as sensitive, classified or secret and being...
; regional and cultural history
HIStory

HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is a double album by Michael Jackson, released on June 20, 1995, and is Jackson's ninth. The first disc, named "HIStory Begins" consists of a selection of Jackson's greatest hits from the singer's past fifteen years, while the second, named "HIStory Continues" features new songs, with the...
 projects, the promotion of cultural diversity
Cultural diversity

Cultural diversity is the variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region, or in the world as a whole. There is a general consensus among mainstream anthropologists that humans first emerged in Africa about two million years ago ....
; international cooperation agreements to secure the world cultural
Cultural heritage

Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical Cultural artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations....
 and natural heritage
Natural heritage

Natural heritage is the legacy of natural, not man-made, places, objects and intangible attributes encompassing the countryside and natural environment, including flora and fauna , scientifically know as biodiversity....
 (World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 Sovereign state which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term....
s) and to preserve human rights
Human rights

Human rights refer to the "basic rights and freedom to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of speech, and equality before the law; and social, cultural and economic rights, i...
; and attempts to bridge the worldwide digital divide
Digital divide

The term digital divide refers to the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited or no access at all....
.

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 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.

Flag of Unesco
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

Controversy and reform

UNESCO has been the centre of controversy in the past, particularly in its relationships with the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, Singapore
Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
, and the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
. During the 1970s and 1980s, UNESCO's support for a "New World Information and Communication Order" and its MacBride report
MacBride report

Many Voices One World, also known as the MacBride report, was a 1980 UNESCO publication written by the International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems, chaired by Republic of Ireland Nobel laureate Se?n MacBride....
 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
Freedom of the press

Freedom of the press consists ofconstitutional or Statute protections pertaining to the Mass media and published materials.With respect to governmental information, any government distinguishes which materials are public or protected from disclosure to the public based on classified information as sensitive, classified or secret and being...
. UNESCO was perceived by some as a platform for communist and Third World countries to attack the West
Western world

The term Western world, the West or the Occident can have multiple meanings dependent on its context . Accordingly, the basic definition of what constitutes "the West" varies, expanding and contracting over time, in relation to various historical circumstances....
, a stark contrast to accusations made by the USSR in the late 1940s and early 1950s. 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. 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. Between 1998 and 2009, 245 negotiated staff departures and buy-outs took place, causing the inherited $12 million staff cost deficit to disappear. 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. 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.

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.

Activities

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

    File:Inukshuk Monterrey 1.jpgEducation can be seen as a product or a process and considered in a broad sense or a technical sense. According to philosophy of education George F....
    : UNESCO is providing international leadership in creating learning societies with educational opportunities for all; it supports research in Comparative education
    Comparative education

    Comparative education is a fully established academic field of study that examines education in one country by using data and insights drawn from the practises and situation in another country, or countries....
    ; 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
    • International Institute for Educational Planning, IIEP: A centre for training and research to strengthen the capacity of countries to plan and manage their education systems.
    • Environmental Conservation Organisation
      Environmental Conservation Organisation

      The Environmental Conservation Organisation , is an Ireland Environmentalism, education and youth organisation, which was established in 1986. Affiliated with the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs and Associations "WFUCA", it aims to raise environmental awareness, understanding, and knowledge in young people, along with promoting conservation...
  • UNESCO also issues public 'statements' to educate the public:
    • Seville Statement on Violence
      Seville Statement on Violence

      The Seville Statement on Violence is a statement on violence that was adopted by an international meeting of scientists, convened by the Spanish National Commission for UNESCO, in Seville, Spain, on 16 May 1986....
      : 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
      International Network of Geoparks

      The Global Network of National Geoparks is a UNESCO Geoparks programme established in 1998. According to UNESCO, for a Geopark to qualify in the GGN it needs to have:...
    • Biosphere reserve
      Biosphere reserve

      A biosphere reserve is an international conservation designation given by UNESCO under its Programme on Man and the Biosphere . The World Network of Biosphere Reserves is the collection of all 531 biosphere Nature reserve in 105 countries ....
      s, through the Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB), since 1971
    • City of Literature
      City of Literature

      UNESCO's City of Literature program is part of its Creative Cities Network which was launched in 2004 The Network was born out of UNESCO's Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity initiative which was created in 2002....
      ; in 2007, the first city to be given this title was Edinburgh
      Edinburgh

      Edinburgh ; is the Capital city of Scotland, a position it has held since 1437. It is the seventh largest city in the United Kingdom and the second largest Scottish City status in the United Kingdom after Glasgow....
      , the site of Scotland's first circulating library. In 2008, Iowa City, Iowa became the City of Literature.
    • Endangered language
      Endangered language

      An endangered language is a language that is at risk of falling out of use, generally because it has few surviving speakers. If it loses all of its native speakers, it becomes an extinct language....
      s and linguistic diversity projects
    • Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
      Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity

      The Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity is a list maintained by UNESCO with pieces of intangible culture considered relevant by that organization....
    • Memory of the World International Register, since 1997
    • Water Resource Management, through the International Hydrological Programme
      International Hydrological Programme

      The International Hydrological Programme is one of UNESCO's scientific programmes, which focuses on the use and availability of water....
       (IHP), since 1965
    • World Heritage Site
      World Heritage Site

      A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 Sovereign state which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term....
      s


  • 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
      International Programme for the Development of Communication

      The International Programme for the Development of Communication is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization programme aimed at strengthening the development of mass media in Developing country....
       and the Communication and Information Programme
    • Promoting universal access to ICTs, through the Information for All Programme (IFAP)
      Information for All Programme (IFAP)

      The Information for All Programme is a programme of Unesco that provides a platform for international policy discussions and guidelines for action on:...
    • Promoting Pluralism and cultural diversity
      Cultural diversity

      Cultural diversity is the variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region, or in the world as a whole. There is a general consensus among mainstream anthropologists that humans first emerged in Africa about two million years ago ....
       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
      World Press Freedom Day

      The United Nations General Assembly declared 3 May to be World Press Freedom Day to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and marking the anniversary of the D...
      , 3 May each year, to promote freedom of expression and freedom of the press
      Freedom of the press

      Freedom of the press consists ofconstitutional or Statute protections pertaining to the Mass media and published materials.With respect to governmental information, any government distinguishes which materials are public or protected from disclosure to the public based on classified information as sensitive, classified or secret and being...
       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 Literacy Day

      September 8 was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO on November 17, 1965. It was first celebrated in 1966. Its aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies....
    • International Year for the Culture of Peace
      International Year for the Culture of Peace

      The International Year for the Culture of Peace was designated by the United Nations as the year 2000, with the aim of celebrating and encouraging a culture of peace....


  • Founding and funding projects, such as:
    • Migration Museums Initiative: Promoting the establishment of museums for cultural dialogue with migrant populations.
    • UNESCO-CEPES
      UNESCO-CEPES

      UNESCO-CEPES was established 1972 at Bucharest, Romania, as a de-centralized office for the European Centre for Higher Education. The centre promotes international cooperation in the sphere of higher education and also serves Canada, the USA and Israel....
      , the European Centre for Higher Education: established in 1972 in Bucharest
      Bucharest

      Bucharest is the capital city, industrial and commercial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the D?mbovita River....
      , Romania
      Romania

      Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
      , as a de-centralized office to promote international co-operation in higher education in Europe as well as Canada
      Canada

      Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
      , USA
      United States

      The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
       and Israel
      Israel

      Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
      . Higher Education in Europe is its official journal.
    • Free Software Directory
      Free Software Directory

      The Free Software Directory is a project of the Free Software Foundation and United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It catalogs useful free software that runs under free operating systems - particularly GNU operating system and Linux....
      : since 1998 UNESCO and the Free Software Foundation
      Free Software Foundation

      The Free Software Foundation is a non-profit corporation founded by Richard Stallman on 4 October 1985 to support the free software movement, a copyleft-based movement which aims to promote the universal freedom to distribute and modify computer software without restriction....
       have jointly funded this project cataloguing free software
      Free software

      Free Software or software libre is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with minimal restrictions only to ensure that further recipients can also do these things and to prevent consumer-facing hardware...
      .
    • FRESH
      FRESH, UNESCO

      FRESH is an acronym for Focusing Resources on Effective School Health, an inter-agency framework developed by UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank, launched at the Dakar Education Forum, 2000, which incorporates the experience and expertise of these and other agencies and organizations....
       Focussing Resources on Effective School Health
      School health services

      File:Schooltandarts School dentist.jpgSchool Health Services are services from medical, teaching and other professionals applied in or out of school to improve the health and well-being of children and in some cases whole families....
      .
    • OANA
      OANA

      OANA is an association of news agency from UNESCO member states in the Asia-Pacific region.It was formed in 1961 on UNESCO's initiative. It provides a news wire service containing articles donated by its members....
      , the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies
    • International Council of Science
    • UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
      UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador

      UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors are celebrity advocates of UNESCO who utilize their talent or fame to spread the UNESCO ideals, especially attracting media attention....
      s
    • ASOMPS, Asian Symposium on Medicinal Plants and Spices, a series of scientific conferences held in Asia
    • Botany 2000
      Botany 2000

      Botany 2000 is the name for a scientific program, organized under the auspices of UNESCO. While a similar UNESCO program, ASOMPS, focus on promotion of collaboration and co-operation between scientists in Asia, Botany 2000 is composed of activities in Asia and Africa....
      , a programme supporting taxonomy, and biological and cultural diversity of medicinal and ornamental plants, and their protection against environmental pollution


Prizes, awards and medals

UNESCO awards several prizes in science, culture and peace, such as:
  • Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology
    Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology

    The Carlos J. Finlay Prize is a biennal scientific prize sponsored by the Government of Cuba and awarded since 1980 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to people or organizations for their outstanding contributions to microbiology and its applications....
  • Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize
    Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize

    The F?lix Houphou?t-Boigny Peace Prize was established in 1989 by UNESCO:The prize bears the name of F?lix Houphou?t-Boigny, late former president of C?te d'Ivoire....
  • Great Man-Made River International Prize for Water Resources in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas
  • International José Martí Prize
    International José Martí Prize

    The International Jos? Mart? Prize serves to "promote and reward an activity of outstanding merit in accordance with the ideals and spirit" of Cuban independence leader, thinker, and poet Jos? Mart?"....
  • International Simón Bolívar Prize
    International Simón Bolívar Prize

    The International Sim?n Bol?var Prize serves to recognise activities of outstanding merit that, in accordance with the ideals of Latin American independence hero Sim?n Bol?var, "contribute to the freedom, independence and dignity of peoples and to the strengthening of a new international economic, social and cultural order"....
  • Javed Husain Prize for Young Scientist
  • Jikji Memory of the World Prize
    Jikji prize

    The UNESCO/Jikji Memory of the World Prize is a UNESCO prize to further promote the objectives of the Memory of the World Programme and to commemorate the inscription of the Jikji, the oldest known book of movable metal print in the world....
     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
    Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation

    The Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation is a biennial award sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Sultan Qaboos Bin Said of Oman "to afford recognition to outstanding contributions by individuals, groups of individuals, institutes or organizations in the management or preserv...
  • UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
    UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize

    The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, created in 1997, honours a person, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger....
  • UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize
    UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize

    The UNESCO Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah Prize for the Use of ICT in Education was instituted in 2005. It consists of a sum of 50 000 USD to be equally divided between two laureates....
     for the Use of ICT in Education
  • UNESCO Mozart Medal
    UNESCO Mozart Medal

    The UNESCO Mozart Medal is an award named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and administered by UNESCO....
     for contribution to world peace through music and the arts.
  • UNESCO Prize for Peace Education
    UNESCO Prize for Peace Education

    The UNESCO Prize for Peace Education has been awarded annually since 1981.The prize is endowed up to 60 000 US dollars and honours extraordinary activities in the spirit of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization constitution....
  • UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
    UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education

    The UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights, created in 1978 as the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, serves to honour the efforts of organizations or individuals that have made an exemplary contribution to the ad...
  • UNESCO Science Prize
    UNESCO Science Prize

    The UNESCO Science Prize is a biennial prize awarded by UNESCO to "a person or group of persons for an outstanding contribution they have made to the technological development of a developing member state or region through the application of scientific and technological research ."...
  • UNESCO/Institut Pasteur Medal
    UNESCO/Institut Pasteur Medal

    The UNESCO/Institut Pasteur Medal is a biennial international science prize created jointly by UNESCO and the Pasteur Institute in 1995 "to be awarded in recognition of outstanding research contributing to a beneficial impact on human health and to the advancement of scientific knowledge in related fields such as medicine, fermentations, agr...
  • UNESCO Artist for Peace
    UNESCO Artist for Peace

    UNESCO Artists for Peace are international celebrity advocates for the United Nations agency UNESCO. This category of advocate is intended to heighten public awareness in addition to the categories UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and UNESCO Champion for Sport....
  • Creative Cities Network
    Creative Cities Network

    The Creative Cities Network is a project under the patronage of UNESCO. With the aim of celebrating and maintaining cultural diversity, the alliance formed by member cities share their experiences in promoting the local heritage, as well as discuss plans on how to cope with the influx of globalization....
  • Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts
    Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts

    The Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts is awarded to handicraft products annually by .The programme operates separately in several Asian regions: South East Asia, Central Asia, South Asia and East Asia....
  • UNESCO/International Reading Association
    International Reading Association

    The International Reading Association is an international professional body that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialogue about research on reading, and encourage the habit of reading....
     literacy prize
  • UNESCO Comenius Medal


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


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


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
United Nations Postal Administration

The United Nations Postal Administration is the mail of the United Nations. It issues postage stamps and postal stationery in dollar denomination for the United Nations offices in New York City, in Swiss francs for the offices in Geneva and in euros for the offices in Vienna....
 (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
United Nations headquarters

The United Nations Headquarters is a distinctive complex in New York City that has served as the headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1950....
 building in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
. No longer available at the UN, most of these Cinderella stamp
Cinderella stamp

A cinderella stamp is a label similar in appearance to a postage stamp but which does not normally pay regular postage.There are several types, including propaganda labels, stamps issued by non-recognised countries or governments, Court Fee stamps, charity labels like Christmas seals and Easter Seals, most telegraph stamps and purely decorat...
s can be purchased at low cost from speciality stamp dealers.

Directors General

  1. Julian Huxley
    Julian Huxley

    Sir Julian Sorell Huxley Fellow of the Royal Society was an English evolutionary biologist, Humanist and Internationalism . He was a proponent of natural selection, and a leading figure in the mid-twentieth century evolutionary synthesis....
    , (1946–1948)
  2. Jaime Torres Bodet
    Jaime Torres Bodet

    Jaime Torres Bodet was a prominent Mexico politician and writer who served in the executive cabinet of three President of Mexico.A native of Mexico City, Torres Bodet was appointed Secretary of Education by President Manuel ?vila Camacho; he then served as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs under President Miguel Alem?n Vald?s....
    , (1948–1952)
  3. John Wilkinson Taylor, (acting
    Acting (law)

    In law, when someone is said to be acting in a position it can mean one of three things.*The position has not yet been formally created.*The person is only occupying the position temporarily, to ensure continuity....
     1952–1953)
  4. Luther Evans, (1953–1958)
  5. Vittorino Veronese
    Vittorino Veronese

    Vittorino Veronese was an Italian lawyer, who was Director-General of UNESCO from 1958 to 1961.With a doctorate in law and as an anti-fascist lawyer, he quickly took an interest in social and educational problems and international co-operation....
    , (1958–1961)
  6. René Maheu
    René Maheu

    Ren? Gabriel Eugene Maheu , a close friend of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, was a France professor of philosophy and the sixth Director-General of UNESCO of UNESCO....
    , (1961–1974; acting
    Acting (law)

    In law, when someone is said to be acting in a position it can mean one of three things.*The position has not yet been formally created.*The person is only occupying the position temporarily, to ensure continuity....
     1961)
  7. Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow
    Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow

    Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow , is a Senegalese educator. Born in Dakar, M'bow served in France and North Africa during World War II after volunteering for the French army....
    , (1974–1987)
  8. Federico Mayor Zaragoza, (1987–1999)
  9. Koichiro Matsuura
    Koichiro Matsuura

    is the current Director-General of UNESCO. He was first elected in 1999 to a six-year term and reelected on 12 October 2005 for four years, following a reform instituted by the 29th session of the General Conference....
    , (1999–present)

Locations

UNESCO has offices in many locations across the globe; its headquarters are located in Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
, France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
.

External links

  • Official UNESCO website
  • UNESCO - Bureau of Strategic Planning
    • Official link about the art collection
    • Official World Heritage website with the full World Heritage List and extensive databases
    • UNESCO offices worldwide
    • UNESCO Culture Sector
  • - Communication & Information Programme
  • UNESCO Red Book on Endangered Languages
  • Asia Pacific Heritage
  • Science Prizes
  • - Institute for Statistics
  • - International Bureau of Education
  • - International Institute for Educational Planning
  • sustainable development and conservation of freshwater resources in the world