Who is UNESCO? What do they do?

Question: Who is UNESCO? What do they do?

Are you familiar with UNESCO? UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Answer: UNESCO was founded in 1945 and aims to build peace in the minds of men. It builds classrooms in devastated countries, publishes scientific breakthroughs, serves as a global clearinghouse for knowledge and aims to forge international cooperation and universal agreement on emerging ethical issues.

According to their website, 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."

Their goals are 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

Cultural Diversity has always been at the core of UNESCO’s concerns. The UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity confirmed the Organization’s commitment to promoting the "fruitful diversity of ... cultures" for a more open and creative world in the new 21st century context.

Visit their website for more information on the global events sponsored by this organization.

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