View source for UNESCO

{{refimprove|date=July 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2012| name = United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
| type = Specialized Agency
| acronyms = UNESCO<br>ONUÉSC
| image= UNESCO.svg
| headquarters = Paris, France
| head = [[Irina Bokova]] <br><small>Director-General of UNESCO</small>
| status = Active
| members = 159
| established = 16 November 1945<ref name=history/>
| website = {{URL|http://www.unesco.org/|UNESCO.org}}
| parent =
| subsidiaries =
| commons = UNESCO
| footnotes =
}}
[[File:Flag of UNESCO.svg|thumb|The UNESCO flag]]
{{Portal|United Nations}}

The '''United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization''' (French '''L'Organisation des Nations unies pour l’éducation, la science et la culture''': '''UNESCO'''; {{IPAc-en|icon|juː|ˈ|n|ɛ|s|k|oʊ}}) is a specialized agency of the [[United Nations]] (UN).
Its 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 [[human rights]] along with fundamental [[freedom (political)|freedoms]] proclaimed in the [[United Nations Charter|UN Charter]].<ref name=history>{{cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/history/ |title=UNESCO History |publisher=www.unesco.org |date= |accessdate=23 April 2010}}</ref>
It is the heir of the [[League of Nations]]' [[International Commission on Intellectual Cooperation]].

UNESCO has 195 Member States<ref>UNESCO’s General Conference voted on the 31st October 2011 <nowiki>''to admit Palestine as a Member State''.
However it notes that for ''its membership to take effect, Palestine must sign and ratify UNESCO’s Constitution''</nowiki>. {{cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/general_conference_admits_palestine_as_unesco_member_state/|title=UNESCO » Media Services » General Conference admits Palestine as UNESCO Member State|publisher=Portal.unesco.org |date= |accessdate=31 October 2011}}</ref> (it recently added [[State of Palestine|Palestine]] in November 2011) and eight Associate Members.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=11170&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html |title=Member States &#124; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |publisher=Portal.unesco.org |date= |accessdate=23 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.fo/Default.aspx?ID=6607&M=News&PID=9485&NewsID=2332 |title=The Faroes become associated <ny specialized institutes and centres throughout the world}}</ref>
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 programs: education, [[natural science]]s, social and [[human science]]s, culture, and communication and information.
Projects sponsored by UNESCO include literacy, technical, and teacher-training programmes; international science programmes; the promotion of independent [[News media|media]] and [[freedom of the press]]; regional and cultural [[history]] projects; the promotion of [[cultural diversity]]; translations of world literature; international cooperation agreements to secure the world [[cultural heritage|cultural]] and [[natural heritage]] ([[World Heritage Site]]s) and to preserve human rights, and attempts to bridge the [[Global digital divide|worldwide digital divide]]. It is also a member of the [[United Nations Development Group]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.undg.org/index.cfm?P=13 |title=UNDG Members |publisher=Undg.org |date= |accessdate=2011-08-08}}</ref>

==Mission and priorities==
UNESCO’s aim is "to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/introducing-unesco/ |title=Introducing UNESCO |publisher=Unesco.org |accessdate=2011-08-08}}</ref>

Other priorities of the Organization include attaining quality [[Education For All|education for all]] and [[lifelong learning]], addressing emerging social and ethical challenges, fostering [[cultural diversity]], a culture of peace and building inclusive knowledge societies through information and communication.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001499/149999e.pdf |title=UNESCO. General Conference; 34th; Medium-term Strategy, 2008-2013; 2007 |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2011-08-08}}</ref>

The broad goals and concrete objectives of the international community—as set out in the internationally agreed development goals, including the [[Millennium Development Goals|Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)]]—underpin all UNESCO’s strategies and activities.

==History==
UNESCO and its mandate for international intellectual co-operation can be traced back to the League of Nations resolution on 21 September 1921, to elect a Commission to study the question.<ref>League of Nations. Records of the Second Assembly.  Plenary Meetings.  5 September-5 October 1921. Geneva. P. 313</ref>
The International Committee on Intellectual Co-operation (ICIC) was officially created on 4 January 1922, as a consultative organ composed of individuals elected based on their personal qualifications.
The International Institute for Intellectual Cooperation (IIIC) was then created in Paris on 9 August 1925, to act as the executing agency for the ICIC.<ref name="unesdoc.unesco.org">{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0007/000790/079049eb.pdf |title=UNESCO. (1987). A Chronology of UNESCO: 1947-1987. Paris, December 1987. LAD.85/WS/4 Rev. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>
On 18 December 1925, the [[International Bureau of Education]] (IBE) began work as a [[non-governmental]] organization in the service of international educational development.<ref>UNESCO. (1987). A Chronology.</ref>
However, the work of these predecessor organizations was largely interrupted by the onset of [[World War II]].

After the signing of the [[Atlantic Charter]] and the [[Declaration of the United Nations]], the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education (CAME) began meetings in London which continued between 16 November 1942 to 5 December 1945.
On 30 October 1943, the necessity for an international organization was expressed in the Moscow Declaration, agreed upon by China, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the USSR.
This was followed by the [[Dumbarton Oaks Conference]] proposals of 9 October 1944.
Upon the proposal of CAME and in accordance with the recommendations of the [[United Nations Conference on International Organization]] (UNCIO), held in San Francisco in April–June 1945, a United Nations Conference for the establishment of an educational and cultural organization (ECO/CONF) was convened in London 1–16 November 1945. 44 governments were represented. At the ECO/CONF, the Constitution of UNESCO was introduced and signed by 37 countries, and a Preparatory Commission was established.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001176/117626e.pdf |title=United Nations Conference for the Establishment of an Educational and Cultural Organisation. Conference for the Establishment of an Educational and Cultural Organisation. Held at the Institute of Civil Engineers, London, from 1 to 16 November 1945. ECO/Conf./29. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>
The Preparatory Commission operated between 16 November 1945, and 4 November 1946—the date when UNESCO’s Constitution came into force with the deposit of the twentieth ratification by a member state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001176/117626e.pdf |title=Constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. 16 November 1945. United Nations Conference for the Establishment of an Educational and Cultural Organisation. Conference for the Establishment of an Educational and Cultural Organisation. Held at the Institute of Civil Engineers, London, from 1 to 16 November 1945. ECO/Conf./29. P. 93. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>

The first General Conference took place from 19 November to 10 December 1946, and elected Dr. [[Julian Huxley]] to the post of Director-General.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001145/114580e.pdf |title=UNESCO. General Conference, 1st Session. (1947). General Conference, First Session, held at UNESCO House, Paris, from 20 November to 10 December 1946. UNESCO/C/30 &#91;1 C/Resolutions&#93;. (Paris.) Item 14, p. 73. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-07-01}}</ref>
The Constitution was amended in November 1954 when the General Conference resolved that members of the Executive Board would be representatives of the governments of the States of which they are nationals and would not, as before, act in their personal capacity.<ref>[http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001145/114586e.pdf UNESCO. General Conference, 8th Session. (1955). Records of the General Conference, Eighth Session, [[Montevideo]], 1954: Resolutions. 8 C/Resolutions. (Paris.) Resolution II.1.2, p.12.  UNESDOC database]</ref>
This change in governance distinguished UNESCO from its predecessor, the CICI, in terms of how member states would work together in the Organization’s fields of competence. As member states worked together over time to realize UNESCO’s mandate, political and historical factors have shaped the Organization’s operations in particular during the Cold War, the decolonization process, and the dissolution of the USSR.

Among the major achievements of the Organization is its work against racism, for example through influential statements on race starting with a declaration of anthropologists (among them was [[Claude Lévi-Strauss]]) and other scientists in 1950<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001269/126969eb.pdf |title=UNESCO. (1950). Statement by experts on race problems. Paris, 20 July 1950. UNESCO/SS/1. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref> and concluding with the 1978 Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001140/114032e.pdf |title=UNESCO. General Conference, 20th Session. (1979). Records of the General Conference, Twentieth Session, Paris, 24 October to 28 November 1978. 20 C/Resolutions. (Paris.) Resolution 3/1.1/2, p. 61. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>
In 1956, the Republic of South Africa withdrew from UNESCO claiming that some of the Organization’s publications amounted to “interference” in the country’s “racial problems.”<ref>UNESCO. Executive Board, 42nd Session. (1955). Report of the Director-General on the Activities of the Organization (March–November 1955). Paris, 9 November 1955. 42 EX/43. Part I Relations with Member States, paragraph 3.</ref> South Africa rejoined the Organization in 1994 under the leadership of [[Nelson Mandela]].

UNESCO’s early work in the field of education included the pilot project on fundamental education in the Marbial Valley, Haiti, started in 1947.<ref>The Haiti pilot project: phase one, 1947-1949. (1951). Monographs on Fundamental Education IV. UNESCO: Paris.</ref>
This project was followed by expert missions to other countries, including, for example, a mission to Afghanistan in 1949.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0005/000590/059046eb.pdf |title=Debiesse, J., Benjamin, H. and Abbot, W. (1952). Report of the mission to Afghanistan. Educational Missions IV. ED.51/VIII.A. (Paris.) UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>
In 1948, UNESCO recommended that Member States should make free primary education compulsory and universal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001145/114591e.pdf#xml=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ulis/cgi-bin/ulis.pl?database=&set=4CFE6AEC_1_103&hits_rec=1&hits_lng=eng |title=UNESCO. General Conference, 2nd Session. (1948). Resolutions adopted by the General Conference during its second session, Mexico, November–December 1947. 2 C/Resolutions. (Paris.) Resolution 3.4.1, p. 17. UNESDOC database |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>
In 1990 the World Conference on Education for All, in [[Jomtien]], Thailand, launched a global movement to provide basic education for all children, youths and adults.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0009/000975/097551e.pdf |title=UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, and The World Bank. (1990). Final Report. World Conference on Education for All: Meeting Basic Education Needs. 5–9 March 1990, Jomtien, Thailand. (WCEFA Inter-agency Commission: New York). UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>
Ten years later, the 2000 [[World Education Forum]] held in [[Dakar]], Senegal, led member governments to commit to achieving basic education for all by 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001211/121147e.pdf |title=UNESCO. (2000). The Dakar Framework for Action. Education for All: meeting our collective commitments (including six regional frameworks for action). World Education Forum, Dakar, Senegal, 26–28 April 2000. ED.2000/WS/27. (Paris). UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>

UNESCO’s early activities in the field of culture included, for example, the Nubia Campaign, launched in 1960.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0004/000419/041943eb.pdf |title=UNESCO. General Conference, 21st Session. (1980). International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia: Report of the Executive Committee of the Campaign and of the Director-General. 26 August 1980. 21 C/82. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>
The purpose of the campaign was to move the Great Temple of [[Abu Simbel]] to keep it from being swamped by the Nile after construction of the [[Aswan Dam]]. During the 20-year campaign, 22 monuments and architectural complexes were relocated. This was the first and largest in a series of campaigns including [[Mohenjo-daro]] (Pakistan), [[Fes]] (Morocco), [[Kathmandu]] (Nepal), [[Borobudur]] (Indonesia) and the [[Acropolis]] (Greece).
The Organization’s work on heritage led to the adoption, in 1972, of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001140/114044e.pdf |title=Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Paris, 16 November 1972. UNESCO. General Conference, 17th Session. Records of the General Conference, Seventeenth Session, Paris, 17 October to 21 November 1972. Volume I: Resolutions, Recommendations. 17 C/Resolution 29. Chapter IX Conventions and Recommendations, p. 135. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>
The [[World Heritage Committee]] was established in 1976 and the first sites inscribed on the [[World Heritage List]] in 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0003/000347/034793eb.pdf |title=UNESCO. Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, Second Session. Final Report. Washington, DC, 5–8 September 1978. CC-78/CONF.010/10 Rev. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>
Since then important legal instruments on cultural heritage and diversity have been adopted by UNESCO member states in 2003 (Convention for the Safeguarding of the [[Intangible Cultural Heritage]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001331/133171e.pdf |title=Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Paris, 17 October 2003. UNESCO. General Conference, 32nd Session. Records of the General Conference, Thirty-second Session, Paris, 29 September to 17 October 2003. Volume I: Resolutions. 32 C/Resolution 32. Chapter IV Programme for 2004-2005, Major Programme IV – Culture, p. 53. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>) and 2005 ([[Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001428/142825e.pdf |title=Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Paris, 20 October 2005. UNESCO. General Conference, 33rd Session. Records of the General Conference. Thirty-third Session, Paris, 3–21 October 2005. Volume I: Resolutions. 33 C/Resolution 41. Chapter V Programme for 2006-2007, p. 83. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>).

An intergovernmental meeting of UNESCO in Paris in December 1951 led to the creation of the [[European Council for Nuclear Research]] (CERN)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001137/113790e.pdf |title=UNESCO. Executive Board, 26th Session. Resolutions and decisions adopted by the Executive Board at its twenty-sixth session. (7 June to 9 July 1951). Paris, 27 July 1951. 26 EX/Decisions. Item 7 Programme, Resolution 7.2.2.1, p. 9. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref> in 1954.

Arid Zone programming, 1948–1966, is another example of an early major UNESCO project in the field of natural sciences.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001145/114593e.pdf |title=UNESCO. General Conference, 3rd Session. (1949). Records of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Third Session. Beirut, 1948. Volume II: Resolutions. (UNESCO: Paris). 2 C/Resolution 3.7, page 23. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>
In 1968, UNESCO organized the first intergovernmental conference aimed at reconciling the environment and development, a problem which continues to be addressed in the field of sustainable development. The main outcome of the 1968 conference was the creation of UNESCO’s [[Man and the Biosphere Programme]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0006/000677/067785eo.pdf |title="Use and conservation of the biosphere: Proceedings of the intergovernmental conference of experts on the scientific basis for rational use and conservation of the resources of the biosphere. Paris, 4–13 September 1968." (1970.) In Natural Resources Research, Volume X. SC.69/XIL.16/A. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>

In the field of communication, the free flow of information has been a priority for UNESCO from its beginnings.
In the years immediately following World War II, efforts were concentrated on reconstruction and on the identification of needs for means of mass communication around the world. UNESCO started organizing training and education for journalists in the 1950s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001480/148006eb.pdf |title=UNESCO. (1955). International Expert Meeting on Professional Training for Journalism. Unesco House, 9–13 April 1956. Purpose and Scope. Paris, 18 November 1955. UNESCO/MC/PT.1. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>
In response to calls for a "[[New World Information and Communication Order]]" in the late 1970s, UNESCO established the International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0003/000323/032363eb.pdf |title=UNESCO. General Conference, 19th Session. (1977). Approved Programme and budget for 1977-1978. Paris, February 1977. 19 C/5, p. 332, paragraphs 4154 and 4155. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref> which produced the 1980 [[MacBride report]] (named after the Chair of the Commission, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate [[Seán MacBride]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0004/000400/040066eb.pdf |title=MacBride, S. (1980). Many voices, one world: towards a new, more just, and more efficient world information and communication order. (UNESCO: Paris). UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref>
Following the MacBride report, UNESCO introduced the Information Society for All<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001085/108540eo.pdf |title=UNESCO. (1996). UNESCO and an Information Society for All: a position paper. (UNESCO: Paris). CII-96/WS/4. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref> programme and Toward Knowledge Societies<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001321/132114e.pdf |title=UNESCO. General Conference, 32nd Session. (2003). Communiqué: Ministerial Round Table on "Towards Knowledge Societies." (UNESCO Headquarters, 9 and 10 October 2003). 14 October 2003. 32 C/INF.26. UNESDOC database |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-07-01}}</ref> programme in the lead up to the World Summit on the Information Society in 2003 ([[Geneva]]) and 2005 ([[Tunis]]).

In 2011, Palestine became a UNESCO member following a vote in which 107 member states supported and 14 opposed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/general_conference_admits_palestine_as_unesco_member_state/|title=General Conference admits Palestine as UNESCO Member|date=2011-10-31|accessdate=2011-12-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/8860951/US-withdraws-Unesco-funding-after-it-accepts-Palestinian-membership.html |title=US withdraws Unesco funding after it accepts Palestinian membership |first=Adrian |last=Blomfield |publisher=''The Telegraph'' |date=31 October 2011 |accessdate=31 October 2011}}</ref>
Laws passed in the United States in 1990 and 1994 mean that it cannot contribute financially to any UN organisation that accepts Palestine as a full member.
As a result, it will withdraw its funding which accounts for about 22% of UNESCO's budget.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/world/middleeast/unesco-approves-full-membership-for-palestinians.html |title=Unesco Approves Full Membership for Palestinians |first1=Steven |last1=Erlanger |first2=Scott |last2=Sayare |publisher=''The New York Times ''|date=31 October 2011 |accessdate=31 October 2011}}</ref>
Israel also reacted to Palestine's admittance to UNESCO by freezing Israel payments to the UNESCO and imposing sanctions to the [[Palestinian National Authority|Palestinian Authority]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/after-unesco-vote-israeli-sanctions-on-palestinian-authority-anger-u-s-1.393600|title=After UNESCO vote, Israeli sanctions on Palestinian Authority anger U.S.|publisher=Haaretz|date=2011-11-04|accessdate=2011-12-11}}</ref> claiming that Palestine's admittance would be detrimental "to potential peace talks".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2011-11-03/middleeast/world_meast_israel-unesco_1_unesco-palestinian-bid-palestinian-state?_s=PM:MIDDLEEAST|publisher=CNN|title=Israel freezes UNESCO funds|date=2011-12-03|accessdate=2011-12-11}}</ref>

==Activities==
[[File:UNESCO Brasília Office.jpg|thumb|UNESCO offices in [[Brasília]]]]

UNESCO implements its activities through the five programme areas of Education, Natural Sciences, Social and Human Sciences, Culture, and Communication and Information.
* [[Education]]: UNESCO 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
** [[UNESCO Chairs]], an international network of 644 UNESCO Chairs, involving over 770 institutions in 126 countries.
** Environmental Conservation Organisation
** [[Convention against Discrimination in Education]] adopted in 1960
** Organization of the International Conference on Adult Education ([http://www.unesco.org/en/confinteavi/ CONFINTEA]) in an interval of 12 years
** Publication of the [[Education for All Global Monitoring Report]]
** [[UNESCO ASPNet]], an international network of 8,000 schools in 170 countries
UNESCO does not accredit institutions of higher learning.<ref>Because [[diploma mill]]s have claimed false UNESCO accreditation, UNESCO itself has published warnings against education organizations that claim UNESCO recognition or affiliation. See Luca Lantero, [http://www.cimea.it/files/fileusers/Diploma_mills_Luca_Lantero_EN.pdf Degree Mills: non-accredited and irregular higher education institutions], Information Centre on Academic Mobility and Equivalence (CIMEA), Italy. and [http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=48787&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html UNESCO "Alert: Misuse of UNESCO Name by Bogus Institutions"]</ref>

* 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 reserve]]s, 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.<ref>{{cite book |author=Varga, Susan |title=Edinburgh Old Town (Images of Scotland) |publisher=The History Press Ltd |location= |year=2006 |pages= |isbn=0-7524-4083-7 |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=}}</ref>  In 2008, Iowa City, Iowa became the City of Literature.
** [[Endangered language]]s and linguistic diversity projects
** [[Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity]]
** [[Memory of the World]] International Register, since 1997
** [[Water resources management]], through the [[International Hydrological Programme]] (IHP), since 1965
** [[World Heritage Site]]s

* Encouraging the "free flow of ideas by images and words" by:
** Promoting [[freedom of expression]], [[Freedom of the press]] and [[Freedom of information legislation]], through the [[International Programme for the Development of Communication]] and the Communication and Information Programme
** Promoting universal access to [[Information and Communications Technology|ICT]]s, through the [[Information for All Programme (IFAP)]]
** Promoting [[Pluralism (political philosophy)|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 [[Rede 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.migrationmuseums.org/web/ |title=Migration Institutions – Home |publisher=Migrationmuseums.org |date= |accessdate=23 April 2010}}</ref>
** [[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]], [[United States|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, UNESCO|FRESH]] Focussing Resources on [[School health services|Effective School Health]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=35173&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html |title=Education &#124; EDUCATION – &#124; UNESCO |publisher=Portal.unesco.org |date= |accessdate=23 April 2010}}</ref>
** [[OANA]], the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies
** [[International Council of Science]]
** [[UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador]]s
** [[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
** The [[UNESCO Collection of Representative Works]], translating works of world literature both to and from multiple languages, from 1948 to 2005

==Official UNESCO NGOs==
UNESCO enjoys official relations with 322 international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ngo-db.unesco.org/s/or/en |title=Quoted on UNESCO official site |publisher=Ngo-db.unesco.org |date= |accessdate=2012-07-01}}</ref>
Most of these are what UNESCO calls "operational", a select few are "formal".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=35293&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html |title=Full list of NGOs that have official relations with UNESCO |publisher=Portal.unesco.org |date= |accessdate=2012-07-01}}</ref>
The highest form of affiliation to UNESCO is "formal associate", and the 22 NGOs<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ngo-db.unesco.org/s/or/en |title=UNESCO Headquarters Committee 107th session 13 Feb 2009 |publisher=Ngo-db.unesco.org |date= |accessdate=2012-07-01}}</ref> with ''formal associate'' (ASC) relations occupying offices at UNESCO are:
# [[International Baccalaureate]] (IB)
# [[CCIVS|Co-ordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service]]  (CCIVS)
# [[Education International]] (EI)
# [[International Association of Universities]] (IAU)
# [[International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication]] (IFTC)
# [[International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies]] (ICPHS) which publishes [[Diogenes (journal)|Diogenes]]
# [[International Council for Science]] (ICSU)
# [[International Council of Museums]] (ICOM), whose Director General is currently Mr [[Julien Anfruns]]
# [[International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education]] (ICSSPE)
# [[International Council on Archives]] (ICA)
# [[International Council on Monuments and Sites]] (ICOMOS)
# [[International Federation of Journalists]] (IFJ)
# [[International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions]] (IFLA)
# International Federation of Poetry Associations (IFPA)
# [[International Music Council]] (IMC)
# International Scientific Council for Island Development (INSULA)
# [[International Social Science Council]] (ISSC)
# [[International Theatre Institute]] (ITI)
# [[International Union for Conservation of Nature|International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources]] (IUCN)
# International Union of Technical Associations and Organizations
# [[Union of International Associations]] (UIA)
# [[World Association of Newspapers]] (WAN)
# World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO)
# World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations (WFUCA)

==UNESCO Institutes and Centres==
[[File:Unesco-IHE.JPG|thumb|[[UNESCO-IHE|UNESCO Institute for Water Education]] in [[Delft]]]]
The institutes are specialized departments of the Organization that support UNESCO's programme, providing specialized support for cluster and national offices.

* [[International Bureau of Education]] (IBE) in [[Geneva]]<ref>[http://www.ibe.unesco.org/en/about-the-ibe/where-we-are/ibe-premises.html IBE official site]</ref>
* [[UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning]] (UIL) in [[Hamburg]]<ref>[http://www.uil.unesco.org/home/ UIL official site]</ref>
* [[UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning]] (IIEP) in [[Paris]] (headquarters) and [[Buenos Aires]] (regional office)<ref>[http://www.iiep.unesco.org/ IIEP official site]</ref>
* UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE) in [[Moscow]]<ref>[http://iite.unesco.org/ IITE official site]</ref>
* UNESCO International Institute for [[Capacity Building]] in Africa (IICBA) in [[Addis Ababa]]<ref>[http://en.unesco-iicba.org/ IICBA official site]</ref>
* UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC) in [[Caracas]]<ref>[http://www.iesalc.unesco.org.ve/ IESALC official site]</ref>
* International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (UNEVOC) in [[Bonn]]<ref>[http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/ UNEVOC official site]</ref>
* UNESCO European Centre for Higher Education (CEPES) in [[Bucharest]]<ref>[http://www.cepes.ro/ CEPES official site]</ref>
* [[UNESCO-IHE|UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education]] (UNESCO-IHE) in [[Delft]]<ref>[http://www.unesco-ihe.org/ UNESCO-IHE official site]</ref>
* [[International Centre for Theoretical Physics]] (ICTP) in [[Trieste]]<ref>[http://www.ictp.it/ ICTp official site]</ref>
* [[UNESCO Institute for Statistics]] (UIS) in [[Montreal]]<ref>[http://www.uis.unesco.org/ UIS official site]</ref>

==Official list of UNESCO prizes==
UNESCO currently awards 22 prizes<ref>UNESCO Executive Board Document [http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001892/189255e.pdf 185 EX/38], Paris, 10 September 2010</ref> in education, science, culture and peace:

* [[Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize]]
* [[L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science]]
* [[UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize|UNESCO/King Sejong Literacy Prize]]
* [[UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy|UNESCO/Confucius Prize for Literacy]]
* UNESCO/Emir Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah Prize to promote Quality Education for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
* [[UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize]] for the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Education
* UNESCO/Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Prize for Outstanding Practice and Performance in Enhancing the Effectiveness of Teachers
* UNESCO/[[Kalinga Prize]] for the Popularization of Science
* [[UNESCO/Institut Pasteur Medal]] for an outstanding contribution to the development of scientific knowledge that has a beneficial impact on human health
* UNESCO/[[Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation]]
* Great Man-Made River International Water Prize for Water Resources in Arid Zones presented by UNESCO (title to be reconsidered)
* Michel Batisse Award for Biosphere Reserve Management
* [[UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights]]
* [[UNESCO Prize for Peace Education]]
* [[UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize]] for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence
* UNESCO/[[International José Martí Prize]]
* UNESCO/[[Avicenna Prize]] for Ethics in Science
* UNESCO/Juan Bosch Prize for the Promotion of Social Science Research in Latin America and the Caribbean
* Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture
* Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes (UNESCO-Greece)
* IPDC-UNESCO Prize for Rural Communication
* [[UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize]]
* UNESCO/Jikji [[Memory of the World]] Prize

===Inactive UNESCO prizes===
* [[Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology]] (inactive since 2005)
* [[International Simón Bolívar Prize]] (inactive since 2004)
* [[UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education]]
* UNESCO/Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences (inactive since 2010)
* UNESCO Prize for the Promotion of the Arts

==Member states==
{{Main|Member states of UNESCO}}
{{As of|October 2011}}, UNESCO counts 195 member states and 8 associate members.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/member-states/countries/ |title=List of UNESCO members and associates |publisher=Erc.unesco.org |date= |accessdate=2011-11-03}}</ref>
Some members are not [[independent state]]s and some members have additional National Organizing Committees from some of their [[dependent territory|dependent territories]].<ref name="Palestine">{{cite web |title=Summary update on Government progress to become a State Party to the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport |url=http://www.wada-ama.org/rtecontent/document/Item_8_6_Attachment_1_SummaryUpdateGovernments_UNESCO_Oct2008_ENG_FINAL.pdf |author=WADA |page=2 |format=PDF |accessdate=28 July 2009}}</ref>
UNESCO state parties are most of the [[United Nations member states]] (except [[Liechtenstein]]), [[Cook Islands]] and [[Niue]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties |title=State Parties |publisher=UNESCO |accessdate=31 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.un.org/en/members/index.shtml |title=Member States of the United Nations |publisher=United Nations |accessdate=31 October 2011}}</ref>

==UNESCO's governing bodies==
===Director-General===
Elections for the renewal of the position of Director-General took place in Paris from 7 September to 23 September 2009. Eight candidates ran for the position, and 58 countries<ref>[http://saveunesco.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/electoral-groups-unesco.pdf List of the voting countries]{{dead link|date=June 2012}}</ref> voted for them. The Executive Council gathered from 7 September to 23 September, the vote itself beginning on the 17th. [[Irina Bokova]] was elected the new Director-General.

This is the list of the Directors-General of UNESCO since its establishment in 1946:<ref>UNESCO official site: [http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/history/directors-general/ Directors-General]</ref>
# {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Julian Huxley]] (1946–1948)
# {{flagicon|MEX}} [[Jaime Torres Bodet]] (1948–1952)
# {{flagicon|USA}} [[John Wilkinson Taylor (educator)|John Wilkinson Taylor]] ([[acting (law)|acting]] 1952–1953)
# {{flagicon|USA}} [[Luther Evans]] (1953–1958)
# {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Vittorino Veronese]] (1958–1961)
# {{flagicon|FRA}} [[René Maheu]] (1961–1974; [[acting (law)|acting]] 1961)
# {{flagicon|SEN}} [[Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow]] (1974–1987)
# {{flagicon|ESP}}  [[Federico Mayor Zaragoza]] (1987–1999)
# {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Koïchiro Matsuura]] (1999–2009)
# {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Irina Bokova]] (2009– )

===General Conference===
This is the list of the sessions of UNESCO General Conference held since 1946:<ref>UNESCO official site: [http://www.unesco.org/new/en/general-conference/previous-sessions/ Previous Sessions of the General Conference]</ref>
{{colbegin}}
* 1st session ([[Paris]], 1946) - chaired by Léon Blum ([[France]])
* 2nd session ([[Mexico City]], 1947) - chaired by Manuel Gual Vidal ([[Mexico]])
* 3rd session ([[Beirut]], 1948) – chaired by Hamid Bey Frangie ([[Lebanon]])
* 1st extraordinary session (Paris, 1948)
* 4th session (Paris, 1949) – chaired by Ronald Walker ([[Australia]])
* 5th session ([[Florence]], 1950) – chaired by Count Stefano Jacini ([[Italy]])
* 6th session (Paris, 1951) – chaired by Howland Sargeant (United States)
* 7th session (Paris, 1952) – chaired by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan ([[India]])
* 2nd extraordinary session (Paris, 1953)
* 8th session ([[Montevideo]], 1954) – chaired by Justino Zavala Muñiz ([[Uruguay]])
* 9th session ([[New Delhi]], 1956) – chaired by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad ([[India]])
* 10th session (Paris, 1958) – chaired by [[Jean Berthoin]] (France)
* 11th session (Paris, 1960) – chaired by Akale-Work Abte-Wold ([[Ethiopia]])
* 12th session (Paris, 1962) – chaired by Paulo de Berrêdo Carneiro ([[Brazil]])
* 13th session (Paris, 1964) – chaired by Norair Sissakian ([[Soviet Union]])
* 14th session (Paris, 1966) – chaired by Bedrettin Tuncel ([[Turkey]])
* 15th session (Paris, 1968) – chaired by Willian Eteki-Mboumoua ([[Cameroon]])
* 16th session (Paris, 1970) – chaired by Atilio Dell'Oro Maini ([[Argentina]])
* 17th session (Paris, 1972) – chaired by Toru Haguiwara ([[Japan]])
* 3rd extraordinary session (Paris, 1973)
* 18th session (Paris, 1974) – chaired by Magda Jóború ([[Hungary]])
* 19th session ([[Nairobi]], 1976) – chaired by Taaita Toweett ([[Kenya]])
* 20th session (Paris, 1978) – chaired by Napoléon LeBlanc ([[Canada]])
* 21st session ([[Belgrade]], 1980) – chaired by Ivo Margan ([[Yugoslavia]])
* 4th extraordinary session (Paris, 1982)
* 22nd session (Paris, 1983) – chaired by Saïd Tell ([[Jordan]])
* 23rd session ([[Sofia]], 1985) – chaired by Nikolaï Todorov ([[Bulgaria]])
* 24th session (Paris, 1987) – chaired by Guillermo Putzeys Alvarez ([[Guatemala]])
* 25th session (Paris, 1989) – chaired by [[Anwar Ibrahim]] ([[Malaysia]])
* 26th session (Paris, 1991) – chaired by [[Bethwell Allan Ogot]] (Kenya)
* 27th session (Paris, 1993) – chaired by Ahmed Saleh Sayyad ([[Yemen]])
* 28th session (Paris, 1995) – chaired by Torben Krogh ([[Denmark]])
* 29th session (Paris, 1997) – chaired by [[Eduardo Portella]] (Brazil)
* 30th session (Paris, 1999) – chaired by [[Jaroslava Moserova]] ([[Czech Republic]])
* 31st session (Paris, 2001) – chaired by [[Ahmad Jalali]] ([[Iran]])
* 32nd session (Paris, 2003) – chaired by [[Michael Omolewa]] ([[Nigeria]])
* 33rd session (Paris, 2005) – chaired by Musa bin Jaafar bin Hassan ([[Oman]])
* 34th session (Paris, 2007) – chaired by George N. Anastassopoulos ([[Greece]])
* 35th session (Paris, 2009) – chaired by Davidson Hepburn ([[Bahamas]])
* 36th session (Paris, 2011) – chaired by [[Katalin Bogyay]] (Hungary)
{{colend}}

==UNESCO offices==
[[File:UNESCO building Paris 01.jpg|thumb|UNESCO headquarter, Paris, France]]
UNESCO has offices in many locations across the globe; its headquarters are located at [[Place de Fontenoy]] in [[Paris]], France, now called the [[World Heritage Centre]].<ref name="Joy2012">{{cite book|author=Charlotte L Joy|title=The Politics of Heritage Management in Mali: From UNESCO to Djenné|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=AbDK8EFb_wYC&pg=PA79|accessdate=22 August 2012|date=15 January 2012|publisher=Left Coast Press|isbn=978-1-61132-094-7|pages=79–}}</ref>

UNESCO's field offices are categorized into four primary office types based upon their function and geographic coverage: cluster offices, national offices, regional bureaux and liaison offices.

===UNESCO field offices by region===
The following list of all UNESCO Field Offices is organized geographically by UNESCO Region and identifies the members states and associate members of UNESCO which are served by each office.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/bfc/all-offices/ |title=List of All UNESCO Field Offices by Region with Descriptions of Member State Coverage |publisher=Unesco.org |date= |accessdate=2011-08-08}}</ref>

====Africa====
* [[Abuja]] – National Office to [[Nigeria]]
* [[Accra]] – Cluster Office for [[Benin]], [[Ivory Coast|Côte d'Ivoire]], [[Ghana]], [[Liberia]], [[Nigeria]], [[Sierra Leone]] and [[Togo]]
* [[Addis Ababa]] – Liaison Office with the [[African Union]] and with the [[Economic Commission for Africa]]
* [[Bamako]] – Cluster Office for [[Burkina Faso]], [[Guinea]], [[Mali]] and [[Niger]]
* [[Brazzaville]] – National Office to the [[Republic of the Congo]]
* [[Bujumbura]] – National Office to [[Burundi]]
* [[Dakar]] – Regional Bureau for Education in [[Africa]] and Cluster Office for [[Cape Verde]], [[Gambia]], [[Guinea-Bissau]], and [[Senegal]]
* [[Dar es Salaam]] – Cluster Office for [[Comoros]], [[Madagascar]], [[Mauritius]], [[Seychelles]] and [[Tanzania]]
* [[Harare]] – Cluster Office for [[Botswana]], [[Malawi]], [[Mozambique]], [[Zambia]] and [[Zimbabwe]]
* [[Kinshasa]] – National Office to the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]
* [[Libreville]] – Cluster Office for the [[Republic of the Congo]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Gabon]] and [[Sao Tome and Principe]]
* [[Maputo]] – National Office to [[Mozambique]]
* [[Nairobi]] – Regional Bureau for Sciences in Africa and Cluster Office for [[Burundi]], [[Djibouti]], [[Eritrea]], [[Kenya]], [[Rwanda]], [[Somalia]], [[South Sudan]] and [[Uganda]]
* [[Windhoek]] – Cluster Office to [[Angola]], [[Lesotho]], [[Namibia]], [[South Africa]] and [[Swaziland]]
* [[Yaoundé]] – Cluster Office to [[Cameroon]], [[Central African Republic]] and [[Chad]]

====Arab States====
* [[Iraq]] – National Office for [[Iraq]] (currently located in [[Amman]], [[Jordan]])
* [[Amman]] – National Office to [[Jordan]]
* [[Beirut]] – Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States and Cluster Office to [[Lebanon]], [[Syria]], [[Jordan]], [[Iraq]] and [[State of Palestine|Palestine]]
* [[Cairo]] – Regional Bureau for Sciences in the Arab States and Cluster Office for [[Egypt]], [[Libya]] and [[Sudan]]
* [[Doha]] – Cluster Office to [[Bahrain]], [[Kuwait]], [[Oman]], [[Qatar]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[United Arab Emirates]] and [[Yemen]]
* [[Khartoum]] – National Office to [[Sudan]]
* [[Rabat]] – Cluster Office to [[Algeria]], [[Mauritania]], [[Morocco]] and [[Tunisia]]

====Asia and Pacific====
{{see also|UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards}}
* [[Almaty]] – Cluster Office to [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Tajikistan]] and [[Uzbekistan]]
* [[Apia]] – Cluster Office to [[Australia]], [[Cook Islands]], [[Fiji]], [[Kiribati]], [[Marshall Islands]], [[Federated States of Micronesia]], [[Nauru]], [[New Zealand]], [[Niue]], [[Palau]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Samoa]], [[Solomon Islands]], [[Tonga]], [[Tuvalu]], [[Vanuatu]] and [[Tokelau]] (Associate Member)
* [[Bangkok]] – Regional Bureau for Education in Asia and the Pacific and Cluster Office to [[Thailand]], [[Burma]], [[Laos]], [[Singapore]], [[Vietnam]] and [[Cambodia]]
* [[Beijing]] – Cluster Office to [[North Korea]], [[Japan]], [[Mongolia]], the [[China|People's Republic of China]] and [[South Korea]]
* [[Dhaka]] – National Office to [[Bangladesh]]
* [[Hanoi]] – National Office to [[Vietnam]]
* [[Islamabad]] – National Office to [[Pakistan]]
* [[Jakarta]] – Regional Bureau for Sciences in Asia and the Pacific and Cluster Office to [[Brunei]], [[Indonesia]], [[Malaysia]], the [[Philippines]] and [[East Timor]]
* [[Kabul]] – National Office to [[Afghanistan]]
* [[Kathmandu]] – National Office to [[Nepal]]
* [[New Delhi]] – Cluster Office to [[Bangladesh]], [[Bhutan]], [[India]], [[Maldives]], [[Nepal]] and [[Sri Lanka]]
* [[Phnom Penh]] – National Office to [[Cambodia]]
* [[Tashkent]] – National Office to [[Uzbekistan]]
* [[Tehran]] – Cluster Office to [[Afghanistan]], [[Iran]], [[Pakistan]] and [[Turkmenistan]]

====Europe and North America====
{{Confusing|date=January 2012}}<!--what about non-EU states like Iceland and Norway?-->
* [[Brussels]] – Liaison Office to the [[European Union]] and its [[Brussels and the European Union|subsidiary bodies in Brussels]]
* [[Geneva]] – Liaison Office to the [[United Nations Office at Geneva|United Nations in Geneva]]
* [[New York City]] – Liaison Office to the [[United Nations Headquarters|United Nations in New York]]
* [[Moscow]] – Cluster Office to [[Armenia]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Belarus]], [[Moldova]] and [[Russia]]
* [[Venice]] – Regional Bureau for Sciences and Culture in Europe and North America

====Latin America and the Caribbean====
* [[Brasilia]] – National Office to [[Brazil]]
* [[Guatemala City]] – National Office to [[Guatemala]]
* [[Havana]] – Regional Bureau for Culture in [[Latin America]] and the [[Caribbean]] and Cluster Office to [[Cuba]], [[Dominican Republic]], [[Haiti]] and [[Aruba]]
* [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]] – Cluster Office to [[Antigua and Barbuda]], [[Bahamas]], [[Barbados]], [[Belize]], [[Dominica]], [[Grenada]], [[Guyana]], [[Jamaica]], [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]], [[Saint Lucia]], [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]], [[Suriname]] and [[Trinidad and Tobago]] as well as the associate member states of [[British Virgin Islands]], [[Cayman Islands]], [[Curaçao]] and [[Sint Maarten]]
* [[Lima]] – National Office to [[Peru]]
* [[Mexico City]] – National Office to [[Mexico]]
* [[Montevideo]] – Regional Bureau for Sciences in [[Latin America]] and the [[Caribbean]] and Cluster Office to [[Argentina]], [[Brazil]], [[Chile]], [[Paraguay]] and [[Uruguay]]
* [[Port-au-Prince]] – National Office to [[Haiti]]
* [[Quito]] – Cluster Office to [[Bolivia]], [[Colombia]], [[Ecuador]] and [[Venezuela]]
* [[San José, Costa Rica|San José]] – Cluster Office to [[Costa Rica]], [[El Salvador]], [[Guatemala]], [[Honduras]], [[Mexico]], [[Nicaragua]] and [[Panama]]
* [[Santiago de Chile]] – Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean and National Office to [[Chile]]

==Controversy and reform==
===New World Information and Communication order===
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 more egalitarian access to information was condemned in these countries as attempts to curb [[freedom of the press]].
UNESCO was perceived by some<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.change.org/stories/unesco-gets-chummy-with-equatorial-guineas-dictator |title=UNESCO Gets Chummy With Equatorial Guinea's Dictator|publisher=News.change.org |date=2010-05-10 |accessdate=2012-06-08}}</ref> as a platform for communists and Third World dictators to attack the [[Western world|West]], a stark contrast to accusations made by the USSR in the late 1940s and early 1950s.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Grahm |first=S. E. |year=2006 |month=April |title=The (Real)politiks of Culture: U.S. Cultural Diplomacy in UNESCO, 1946–1954 |journal=Diplomatic History |volume=30 |issue=2 |pages=231–251 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-7709.2006.00548.x}}</ref>
In 1984, the United States withheld its contributions and withdrew from the organization in protest, followed by the United Kingdom in 1985.
Singapore took the opportunity to withdraw also at the end of 1985, citing rising membership fees.<ref>[http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2209&dat=19841228&id=Y5srAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qPoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5684,5359479 Singapore to withdraw from UNESCO], [[The Telegraph (Nashua)]], December 28, 1984</ref>
Following a change of government in 1997, the UK rejoined. The United States rejoined in 2003, followed by Singapore on 8 October 2007.

===Internal reforms===
{{Time-context|date=August 2011}}
Part of the reason for their change of stance was due to considerable reforms implemented by UNESCO over the past 10 years.{{as of?|date=May 2012}} 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|date=June 2007}} At the same time, the number of field units was cut from a peak of 1,287 in 1998{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} to 93 today.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} Parallel management structures, including 35 Cabinet-level special adviser positions, were abolished.{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}} Between 1998 and 2009, 245 negotiated staff departures and buy-outs took place, causing the inherited $12&nbsp;million staff cost deficit to disappear.{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}} 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|date=June 2007}} 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.
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.
At least in theory, the evaluation of the relevance and effectiveness of programmes is carried out by the Evaluation Section of IOS, although evidence of using "lessons learned" in programming is less clear and not always free from donor preferences.{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}}

===Israel===

[[Israel]] was admitted to UNESCO in 1949, one year after its creation. In 1974, UNESCO stripped Israel of its membership on the grounds of alleged damage being done by Israel's archaeological excavations on the [[Temple Mount]] in [[Jerusalem]]. UNESCO defended this decision with two statements in 1974 and 1975, but renewed Israel's membership in 1977, after the United States threatened to withhold $40 million of funding from the organization.<ref>''Journal of Palestine Studies'', Volume 4, No. 2, Winter 1975</ref>

In 2010, Israel designated the [[Cave of the Patriarchs]], [[Hebron]] and [[Rachel's Tomb]], [[Bethlehem]] as [[List of National Heritage Sites of Israel|National Heritage Sites]] and announced restoration work, prompting criticism from the United States and protests from Palestinians.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hebron clashes over Israel's West Bank heritage list|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8538948.stm|date=2010-02-26|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> In
October 2010, UNESCO’s Executive Board voted to declare the sites as "al-Haram  al-Ibrahimi/Tomb of the Patriarchs" and "Bilal bin Rabah Mosque/Rachel’s Tomb" and stated that they were "an integral part of the occupied Palestinian Territories" and any unilateral Israeli action was a violation of [[international law]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/executive_board_adopts_five_decisions_concerning_unescos_work_in_the_occupied_palestinian_and_arab_territories/|title=Executive Board adopts five decisions concerning UNESCO’s work in the occupied Palestinian and Arab Territories|date=2010-10-21|publisher=unesco.org}}</ref>
UNESCO described the sites as significant to "people of the Muslim, Christian and Jewish traditions", and accused Israel of highlighting only the Jewish character of the sites.<ref>{{cite news|title=THE TWO PALESTINIAN SITES OF AL-HARAM AL-IBRAHIMI/TOMB OF THE PATRIARCHS IN AL-KHALIL/HEBRON AND THE BILAL BIN RABAH MOSQUE/RACHEL’S TOMB IN BETHLEHEM|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001873/187356e.pdf}}</ref>
Israel in turn accused UNESCO of "detach[ing] the Nation of Israel from its heritage", and accused it of being politically motivated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/140377|title=UNESCO Erases Israeli Protests from Rachel's Tomb Protocol |date=01.11.2010|publisher=IsraelNationalNews|author=Hillel Fendel}}</ref>
The [[Shmuel Rabinovitch|Rabbi of the Western Wall]] claimed that Rachel's tomb had not previously been declared a holy Muslim site.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/news.aspx/140345|title=UN Org.: Rachel's Tomb is a Mosque |date=2010-10-29|publisher=IsraelNationalNews|author=Maayana Miskin}}</ref> Israel partially suspended ties with UNESCO. Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister [[Danny Ayalon]] declared that the resolution was a "part of Palestinian escalation".
[[Zevulun Orlev]], chairman of the [[Knesset]] Education and Culture Committee, referred to the resolutions as an attempt to undermine the mission of UNESCO as a scientific and cultural organization that promotes cooperation throughout the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=193893|title=Ayalon: Israel will no longer cooperate with UNESCO |date=03.11.2010|publisher=The Jerusalem Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Shalom |first=Rabbi |url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=194090 |title=Cooperation with UNESCO only partially suspended |publisher=Jpost.com |date= |accessdate=2011-08-08}}</ref>

On June 28, 2011, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, at [[Jordan]]'s insistence, censured Israel's decision to demolish and rebuild the Mughrabi Gate Bridge in Jerusalem for safety reasons. Israel stated that Jordan had signed an agreement with Israel stipulating that the existing bridge must be razed for safety reasons; Jordan disputed the agreement, saying it was only signed under U.S. pressure. Israel was also unable to address the UNESCO committee over objections from [[Egypt]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4088221,00.html |title=UNESCO censures Israel over Mughrabi Bridge - Israel News, Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |accessdate=2011-08-08}}</ref>

===Palestinian Territories===
====Palestinian Youth Magazine Controversy====
In February 2011, an article was published in a Palestinian youth magazine in which a teenage girl described one of her four role-models as [[Adolf Hitler]]. In December 2011, UNESCO, which partly funded the magazine, condemned the material and subsequently withdrew support.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/8975423/Unesco-cuts-funding-for-Palestinian-youth-magazine-over-Hitler-praise.html |title=Unesco cuts funding for Palestinian youth magazine over Hitler praise |publisher=The Telegraph |date=23 December 2011 |accessdate=12 January 2012}}</ref>

====Islamic University of Gaza Controversy====
In 2012, UNESCO decided to establish a chair at the [[Islamic University of Gaza]] in the field of [[astronomy]], [[astrophysics]], and [[space science]]s,<ref name="UNESCOIslamicUniversity">{{cite web | url=http://www.unesco.org/en/university-twinning-and-networking/access-by-region/arab-states/palestine/unesco-chair-in-astronomy-astrophysics-and-space-sciences-964/ | title=UNESCO Chair in Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Sciences (964), established in 2012 at The Islamic University of Gaza (Palestine). | publisher=UNESCO | accessdate=July 15, 2012}}</ref> fueling much controversy and criticism.  Israel's [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)|Foreign Ministry]] expressed shock and criticized the move, and stated that the university supports [[Hamas]] (which Israel and other countries designate as a terrorist organization) and houses bomb laboratories for Hamas. The ministry called the university "a known greenhouse and breeding ground for Hamas terrorist."<ref name="MFAUNESCO">{{cite press_release | url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/MFA+Spokesman/2012/Israel_shocked_UNESCO_Chair_Gaza_Islamic_University_12-Jul-2012.htm | title=Israel shocked by UNESCO Chair at Gaza Islamic University | publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs | date=12 July 2012 | accessdate=July 15, 2012}}</ref>

The university has been linked to Hamas in the past.  However, the university head, [[Kamalain Shaath]], defended UNESCO, stating that "The Islamic University is a purely academic university that is interested only in education and its development."  .<ref name="NationalPostUNESCO">{{cite news | url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/12/unesco-accused-of-endorsing-hamas-terrorists-breeding-ground/ | title=UNESCO establishes chair at Gaza university accused of housing Hamas bomb labs | work=National Post | date=12 July 2012 | accessdate=July 15, 2012 | author=Higgins, Michael}}</ref><ref name="ShalitGazaIslamicUniversity">{{cite web | url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3361595,00.html | title=Fatah: Shalit was held at Gaza Islamic University | publisher=Yedioth Ahronot | date=6 February 2007 | accessdate=July 15, 2012}}</ref><ref name="BostonIUGProfile">{{cite web | url=http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/02/28/hamas_u/ | title=Hamas University | publisher=The Boston Globe | date=28 February 2010 | accessdate=July 15, 2012 | author=Cambanis, Thanassis}}</ref> Israeli ambassador to UNESCO Nimrod Barkan planned to submit a letter of protest with information about the university's ties to Hamas, especially angry that this was the first Palestinian university that UNESCO chose to cooperate with. A senior Foreign Ministry official stated, "Before UNESCO gave a chair to the [[Technion]] and the Interdisciplinary Center [institutions in Haifa and Herzliya, respectively] they checked things with a magnifying glass. In Gaza no one checked."<ref name="HaaretzUNESCOGaza">{{cite news | url=http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/diplomania/israel-furious-at-unesco-decision-to-back-science-chair-at-islamic-university-of-gaza-1.450524 | title=Israel furious at UNESCO decision to back science chair at Islamic University of Gaza | work=Ha'aretz | date=12 July 2012 | accessdate=July 15, 2012 | author=Ravid, Barak}}</ref> The Jewish organization [[B'nai B'rith]] criticized the move as well.  B'nai B'rith International President [[Allan Jacobs]] said, “To so strongly associate an organization meant to promote peaceful goals with a terrorist organization is yet another contributor to the world body’s tarnished reputation in the international community."<ref name="BnaiBrithUNESCO">{{cite news | url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/bnai-brith-slams-unesco-affiliation-with-gaza-university/ | title=B’nai Brith slams UNESCO affiliation with Gaza University | work=The Times of Israel | date=14 July 2012 | accessdate=July 15, 2012 | author=Yaakov, Yifa}}</ref>

==References and notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{official website|http://www.unesco.org/|UNESCO.org}} Official UNESCO website
* [http://www.uis.unesco.org/ UNESCO] – Institute for Statistics
* [http://www.ibe.unesco.org/ UNESCO] – International Bureau of Education
* [http://www.uil.unesco.org/ UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning]
* [http://ngo-db.unesco.org/ NGO-db.UNESCO.org] A searchable database of organizations maintaining official relations with UNESCO
* [http://www.myworldshots.com/UNESCO-World-Heritage Photo collection of UNESCO World Heritage Sites]
{{Navboxes
|list =
{{Supranationalism/World government topics|state=autocollapse}}
{{UN Charter}}
{{United Nations}}
{{ECOSOC}}
}}

[[Category:UNESCO| ]]
[[Category:1945 establishments]]
[[Category:Acronyms]]
[[Category:Conservation and restoration organizations]]
[[Category:Heritage organizations]]
[[Category:International cultural organizations]]
[[Category:International educational organizations]]
[[Category:International scientific organizations]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Paris]]
[[Category:United Nations Development Group]]
[[Category:United Nations specialized agencies]]

[[kbd:Лъэпкъ Зэгуэт Организациэ еджэныгъэм, шъэныгъэм, културэм пылъ]]
[[af:UNESCO]]
[[ar:يونسكو]]
[[an:Unesco]]
[[frp:Organisacion des Nacions unies por l’èducacion, la science et la cultura]]
[[as:ৰাষ্ট্ৰসংঘ শিক্ষা, বিজ্ঞান আৰু সংস্কৃতি সংস্থা]]
[[ast:UNESCO]]
[[az:UNESCO]]
[[bn:জাতিসংঘ শিক্ষা, বিজ্ঞান ও সংস্কৃতি সংস্থা]]
[[zh-min-nan:UNESCO]]
[[ba:ЮНЕСКО]]
[[be:Арганізацыя ААН па пытаннях адукацыі, навукі і культуры (ЮНЕСКА)]]
[[be-x-old:Арганізацыя Аб’яднаных Нацыяў па пытаньнях адукацыі, навукі і культуры]]
[[bg:ЮНЕСКО]]
[[bar:UNESCO]]
[[bs:UNESCO]]
[[br:UNESCO]]
[[ca:UNESCO]]
[[cv:ЮНЕСКО]]
[[cs:UNESCO]]
[[cy:UNESCO]]
[[da:UNESCO]]
[[de:UNESCO]]
[[et:UNESCO]]
[[el:Εκπαιδευτική Επιστημονική και Πολιτιστική Οργάνωση των Ηνωμένων Εθνών]]
[[es:Unesco]]
[[eo:Unesko]]
[[ext:UNESCO]]
[[eu:UNESCO]]
[[fa:یونسکو]]
[[hif:UNESCO]]
[[fo:UNESCO]]
[[fr:Organisation des Nations unies pour l'éducation, la science et la culture]]
[[fy:UNESCO]]
[[ff:UNESCO]]
[[ga:UNESCO]]
[[gl:UNESCO]]
[[ko:국제 연합 교육 과학 문화 기구]]
[[hy:Միավորված Ազգերի Կրթության, Գիտության և Մշակույթի Կազմակերպություն]]
[[hi:युनेस्को]]
[[hr:UNESCO]]
[[id:Organisasi Pendidikan, Keilmuan, dan Kebudayaan PBB]]
[[is:Mennta-, vísinda- og menningarstofnun Sameinuðu þjóðanna]]
[[it:Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Educazione, la Scienza e la Cultura]]
[[he:אונסק"ו]]
[[jv:UNESCO]]
[[kn:ವಿಶ್ವಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ಶೈಕ್ಷಣಿಕ, ವೈಜ್ಞಾನಿಕ ಮತ್ತು ಸಾಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಕ ಆಯೋಗ]]
[[krc:Бирлешген Миллетлени окъуудан, илмудан эмда культурадан организациясы]]
[[ka:იუნესკო]]
[[kk:ЮНЕСКО]]
[[sw:UNESCO]]
[[ht:INESKO]]
[[ku:UNESCO]]
[[ky:ЮНЕСКО]]
[[lad:UNESCO]]
[[la:Societas Educativa, Scientifica, et Culturalis Consocietatis Nationum]]
[[lv:UNESCO]]
[[lb:UNESCO]]
[[lt:UNESCO]]
[[lij:UNESCO]]
[[lmo:UNESCO]]
[[hu:UNESCO]]
[[mk:УНЕСКО]]
[[ml:യുനെസ്കോ]]
[[mr:युनेस्को]]
[[xmf:იუნესკო]]
[[arz:يونيسكو]]
[[mzn:یونسکو]]
[[ms:UNESCO]]
[[mn:ЮНЕСКО]]
[[my:ယူနက်စကို]]
[[nl:UNESCO]]
[[ne:युनेस्को]]
[[ja:国際連合教育科学文化機関]]
[[nap:Organizzazione d%27%27e Nazzione Aunite pe ll'Aducazione, 'a Scienza e 'a Cultura]]
[[no:UNESCO]]
[[nn:UNESCO]]
[[oc:UNESCO]]
[[uz:UNESCO]]
[[pnb:یونیسکو]]
[[pap:UNESCO]]
[[km:យូណេស្កូ]]
[[pms:UNESCO]]
[[nds:UNESCO]]
[[pl:UNESCO]]
[[pt:Organização das Nações Unidas para a Educação, a Ciência e a Cultura]]
[[ro:Organizația Națiunilor Unite pentru Educație, Știință și Cultură]]
[[qu:UNESCO]]
[[rue:ЮНЕСКО]]
[[ru:ЮНЕСКО]]
[[sah:ЮНЕСКО]]
[[sa:विश्व संस्थानस्य शैक्षणिक, वैज्ञानिक, सांस्कृतिक संस्थानम्]]
[[sc:UNESCO]]
[[stq:UNESCO]]
[[sq:UNESCO]]
[[scn:UNESCO]]
[[simple:United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization]]
[[sk:Organizácia Spojených národov pre výchovu, vedu a kultúru]]
[[sl:Organizacija Združenih narodov za izobraževanje, znanost in kulturo]]
[[so:UNESCO]]
[[ckb:یوونێسکۆ]]
[[sr:Унеско]]
[[sh:UNESCO]]
[[fi:Unesco]]
[[sv:Unesco]]
[[tl:UNESCO]]
[[ta:ஐக்கிய நாடுகள் கல்வி, அறிவியல், பண்பாட்டு நிறுவனம்]]
[[tt:Мәгариф, фән һәм мәдәният сораулары буенча Берләшкән Милләтләр Оешмасы]]
[[te:యునెస్కో]]
[[th:องค์การการศึกษา วิทยาศาสตร์ และวัฒนธรรมแห่งสหประชาชาติ]]
[[tr:UNESCO]]
[[uk:ЮНЕСКО]]
[[ur:یونیسکو]]
[[vec:UNESCO]]
[[vi:Tổ chức Giáo dục, Khoa học và Văn hóa Liên Hiệp Quốc]]
[[war:UNESCO]]
[[wuu:联合国教育科学文化组织]]
[[yi:אונעסקא]]
[[yo:UNESCO]]
[[zh-yue:聯合國教科文組織]]
[[bat-smg:UNESCO]]
[[zh:联合国教育、科学及文化组织]]