National commissions for UNESCO

Abstract

National Commissions for UNESCO are national entities established by Member State governments in accordance with UNESCO’s Constitution (Article VII) and the Charter of National Commissions for UNESCO. They serve as important bodies for liaison, advice, information and programme implementation. Through their direct links to government and close contacts with academia and civil society networks, National Commissions contribute to the achievement of UNESCO’s objectives regarding programme delivery, partnerships with civil society and visibility at national, sub-regional and regional levels. They are considered to be constituent elements of the Organization. The comprehensive review of UNESCO’s cooperation with National Commissions conducted in 2011 and the follow-up action taken in 2012 and 2013 generated momentum and commitment to strengthen this longstanding cooperation. The Action Plan elaborated by the tripartite working group within the Executive Board, and adopted by the General Conference, provided the Member States and the Secretariat with new direction and guidance to further enhance cooperation with this network. The Action Plan contained several findings. Notable among these were recommendations that UNESCO should better manage the knowledge generated by the National Commissions, that the National Commissions should regularly report on their concrete actions and major achievements, and that they should endeavour to share and promote best practices among themselves. Indeed, many National Commissions regularly produce newsletters, annual reports, booklets and electronic materials via their websites and social networks. The UNESCO Secretariat also maintains and updates its websites and databases, and publishes monthly newsletters with the aim of improving communication, raising awareness and sharing information with this network. However, until now, the Organization has not produced an overall annual report summarizing the various efforts and achievements made by the National Commissions in their individual countries. In response to Recommendation 7 of the Action Plan, and to address the above shortcoming, the Secretariat invited all National Commissions to provide an update of their activities in 2013 including one success story and a photographic illustration. Based on the contributions received between October 2013 and March 2014 from 120 out of 199 National Commissions around the world, the Secretariat was able to compile the relevant information and produce this first edition of the Annual Report of National Commissions for UNESCO. This new publication is intended to showcase the real value of our National Commissions and their active contribution to UNESCO’s ideals and programmes at country level. It is hoped that the next edition of this Annual Report will reflect the activities of an even larger number of National Commissions. Please note that the contents of this Annual Report were edited to fit a common format. However, every effort has been made to retain the essence of the information provided. The Secretariat wishes to apologize for any possible oversight or misunderstanding