This concerted action is particularly important in the preparation of the Organization's six-year plans and its biennial Programmes and Budgets, on which not only Member States but also the institutions of the United Nations system and NGOs are consulted and give their views.

The consistency of UNESCO's action with that of its partners in the United Nations system is also discussed within the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination, in respect of matters of system-wide concern, such as co-operation with financing institutions and forms of operational action and, on another level, the concepts relating to human resources and their role in development, of which they are both the means and the end.

UNESCO is naturally also involved in the humanitarian aid operations carried out under the aegis of the United Nations and is also associated with the action of the United Nations system as a whole in areas regarded by the international community as requiring priority attention, such as, in 1993, the specific concerns of indigenous populations or in 1995, the problems of tolerance and the World Summit for Social Development.

Many priority issues in the action of the United Nations system have components which relate to the Organization's fields of competence, and to education in particular.

As of 1993, out of 178 Member States, 165 had set up National Commissions for UNESCO, each with the task of involving the country's educational, scientific and communication circles, as well as its main institutions, in UNESCO's work.

As vehicles for liaison, information, discussion and implementation, the National Commissions issue publications, ensure the country's participation in international programmes, arrange seminars and make UNESCO's ideals widely known.

UNESCO is giving increasing support to the National Commissions, so that they can play a more active role in the preparation of technical assistance requests, particularly under the Participation Programme. Also, through the various networks and regional programmes UNESCO offers Member States unique opportunities for co-operation between themselves at the international, regional and sub-regional levels.

They are very varied and have activities and interests which range over all the Organization's fields of competence, whether they be specialist or learned organizations (teachers, scientific research workers, philosophers, sociologists, journalists, writers, lawyers or other professions) or mass organizations (trade unions, co-operatives, women's associations and youth movements).

These organizations are associated with the elaboration and implementation of UNESCO programmes and support its activities through their worldwide membership and their national branches in many countries.

The Education Sector maintains collective consultations with NGOs specializing in higher education, literacy and science education and with the main teachers' organizations.