UNESCO

What it is and What it does

UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded on 16 November 1945. For this specialized United Nations agency, it is not enough to build classrooms in devastated countries or to publish scientific breakthroughs. Education, Social and Natural Science, Culture and Communication are the means to a far more ambitious goal : to build peace in the minds of men.

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Today, UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The Organization also serves as a clearinghouse – for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge – while helping Member States to build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields. In short, UNESCO promotes international co-operation among its 191* Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication.
*As of March 2005

UNESCO is working to create the conditions for genuine dialogue based upon respect for shared values and the dignity of each civilization and culture.
This role is critical, particularly in the face of terrorism, which constitutes an attack against humanity. The world urgently requires global visions of sustainable development based upon observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of which lie at the heart of UNESCO’s mission and activities.

Through its strategies and activities, UNESCO is actively pursuing the Millennium Development Goals, especially those aiming to:

halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty in developing countries by 2015

achieve universal primary education in all countries by 2015

eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005

help countries implement a national strategy for sustainable development by 2005 to reverse current trends in the loss of environmental resources by 2015.

Millennium Development Goals

The United Nations Millennium Declaration of September 2000, which serves as an overarching guide for UNESCO’s Strategy, consolidated the broad consensus reached and agreed on specific time-bound targets. A set of International Development Goals (IDGs) defines select major components of a global agenda for the twenty-first century.


By 2015 all 191 United Nations Member States have pledged to:


Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger: Halve the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day and who suffer from hunger.

Achieve universal primary education: Ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling.

Promote gender equality and empower women: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015.

Reduce child mortality: Reduced by two thirds the mortality rate among children under five.

Improve maternal health: Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio.

Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases: Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.

Ensure environmental sustainability: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes; reverse loss of environmental resources. Halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and significantly improve the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020.

http://portal.unesco.org/