United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESC0) is one of 18 specialized agencies within the United Nations System. It was established on November 16, 1945, as much of the world was emerging from the devastation of the Second World War. Canada was one of the 20 founding members. UNESCO was formed to create an organization that would embody a genuine culture of peace by promoting collaboration among nations through education, the sciences, culture, and communication and information.

UNESCO works to create the conditions for dialogue and cooperation between the peoples of the world, based upon commonly shared values and respect for individual civilizations and cultures. The Organization also serves as a clearinghouse to share knowledge and ideas with its 195 Member States and eight Associate Members. Through diverse and extensive strategies and projects, UNESCO is is actively pursuing the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, placing particular emphasis on initiatives which focus on eradicating poverty; achieving universal primary education and eliminating gender disparity in education; helping countries to implement national strategies for sustainable development; and halting the loss of environmental resources.

Since its inception , UNESCO has worked to inspire, encourage and sustain the principles of democracy, cooperation, non-violence, respect for human rights and cultural diversity. As the developing countries of the world struggle to find their place, as globalization continues to grow and the world moves rapidly towards knowledge based societies, the work of UNESCO becomes ever more vital. Through its efforts in the sectors of education, science, culture, information and communication, UNESCO is committed to attaining an ambitious goal: to build peace in the minds of men and women.

For more information on the work of UNESCO please visit the UNESCO web site.