Due to its strategic location, history and level of economic development, the Philippines has served as a bridge between East and West, between North and South.  This website has been established by the Philippine Permanent Delegation to the UNESCO not only to link itself more closely to other Permanent Delegations, but more importantly, to reinforce Philippine ties with other countries that embrace the values and objectives of the UNESCO, thereby paving the way for closer and more effective collaboration.

Intramuros, the Walled City and seat of the Spanish colonial government

Snaphot of the Philippines

Although the vast majority of the Filipino nation is of  Malay origin, there are lasting influences of Islamic, Hindu, and Chinese cultures.  More than 300 years of Spanish rule immediately followed by 50 years of American administration added a strong layer to the Asian core of Filipino culture.

Approximately 88% of the population of 75 million is literate, making Filipinos among the most literate citizens in Asia today.  Education is compulsory up to the secondary level and most people who can afford it continue on to college.  The large number of college graduates each year - an average of 230,000 - adds to the pool of highly trained manpower for managerial and technical positions.  For skilled jobs, the supply of labor comes from the numerous and vocational technical schools all over the country.
 

Ratification of UNESCO Charter

The Philippines was a founding member of the United Nations, having signed its Charter in San Francisco in 1945. It is, therefore, not surprising that after it regained its independence in July 1946, it immediately became a member of various UN specialized agencies, among them UNESCO. Four months after signing the UNESCO Constitution, the Philippine Senate ratified it, and the Philippines became one of the first full members of the Organization.
 

Executive Board

Apart from undertaking specific projects in collaboration with the Organization, the Philippines has been represented in the Executive Board seven (7) times in the past fifty two (52) years of UNESCO´s existence by Filipino intellectuals and experts in the fields of education, sciences and culture, the latest having served from 1991-1995.

The Philippines has strongly supported several initiatives approved by the Executive Board. Fully committed to the goal of the 1990 Jomtien World Conference on Education for All to promote education as a basic human right and a prerequisite for development, the Philippine Government issued Proclamation 480 which formulated the Education for All Philippine Plan of Action (EFA-PPA) for the decade 1990-2000. As the blueprint of the country´s action plan in the framework of the global EFA movement, it enumerates specific measures for institutionalizing early childhood development, improvement in the quality and efficiency of primary education, eradication of illiteracy and provision of basic functional skills to adults and out-of -school youth.

In the scientific field, the country has been actively involved in the major scientific programmes of UNESCO´s Intergovernmental Scientific Commission (ISC) and the Man and Biosphere (MAB). The Philippines became a member of the ISC in 1964 and was elected several years ago as a member of its Executive Council.
 

General Conference subsidiary organs

The Philippines currently participates either as a member or observer in the following subsidiary organs of the General Conference :

  • Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication
  • Intergovernmental Council of the General Information Programme
  • Intergovernmental Council for the Management of Social Transformations
  • Intergovernmental Committee of the World Decade for Cultural Development
  • Intergovernmental Committee for the Intergovernmental Informatics Programme
  • Headquarters Committee
     

Other bodies

The Philippines is also a member of the Executive Council of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission as well as the Advisory Committee on Education for Peace, Human Rights, Democracy, International Understanding and Tolerance ; the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor ; the Steering Committee of the World Commission on Culture and Development ; and the Conciliation and Good Offices Commission for the Settlement of Disputes which may arise between State Parties to the Convention against Discrimination in Education.
 

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