UNESCO Beijing Office

Over the centuries, East Asia has figured prominently in trade and various exchanges and has thus notably enriched other civilizations. Today’s East Asian region is a place of dynamic change and it could be argued that these changes are taking place faster than anywhere else in the world. Yet these changes, be they ones redefining Asian landscapes or Asian minds, are also taking a toll on the region’s environment and traditional culture. It is the combination of these factors that makes UNESCO’s responsibilities in education, science and culture so challenging - and at the same time all the more imperative - in the East Asian region.

The UNESCO Beijing Office began in 1984 as the UNESCO Office for Science and Technology in China. The Beijing Office has expanded its responsibilities and now serves the East Asian sub-region - The People’s Republic of China, Mongolia, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) - in all UNESCO’s fields of competence:

Education holds the key to development. UNESCO Beijing conducts its educational programmes in China, Mongolia and DPRK with the knowledge that promoting education for all is the surest way of removing the burden of poverty and demolishing the wall of exclusion.

UNESCO believes in the pursuit of the ‘sciences in the service of development.’ With the environmental threats posed by the sub-region’s booming development, however, it is essential that the UNESCO Beijing office not only use science to improve the quality of lives but to ensure sustainable development for future generations as well.

In the words of the UNESCO Director-General: ‘we cannot do away with the heritage without running the risk of offering young people nothing but a series of questions without answers.’ UNESCO Beijing’s work in the revitalisation of cultures is especially significant since it provides continuity in this era of unpredictable change in the sub-region.

The UNESCO Beijing Office has a two-fold function:

1. to implement UNESCO programmes with consideration to the East Asian sub-region’s interests and realities; and
2. to articulate the current and future needs of the East Asian Member States, and to facilitate the incorporation of these needs into the framework of UNESCO programmes.

The UNESCO Beijing Office pays close attention to co-operation with governments and organisations and to development of resources within the East Asian sub-region. Close co-operation with National Commissions in China, Mongolia and DPRK has enabled the office to form alliances with various institutions in the three countries. Regular consultation with government agencies, institutes and non-government organisations also allows UNESCO to better understand its beneficiaries’ needs. These strong relationships have added to the effective implementation of UNESCO programmes. UNESCO Beijing also places great emphasis on strengthening national capacities in education, the sciences, and cultural preservation.

UNESCO Beijing stresses a sub-regional approach in its programmes to ensure maximised development and sharing of each country’s resources. The office emphasises participation of Member States in seminars, training courses and forums, and encourages networking between institutions and experts within the sub-region.

UNESCO Beijing strives to focus and co-operate its efforts with those of other organisations. It maintains and forges new links with multilateral and bilateral donors and international non-governmental organisations. The office’s programmes are also supported by extra-budgetary resources and various volunteer groups. In addition, the Beijing Office works closely with UNESCO offices in Bangkok, Jakarta etc. on many joint activities.

Despite, or because of, its many disparities, juxtapositions, and changes, East Asia today is truly a land of possibilities - and that is perhaps its most fitting label of all. The Beijing office sees numerous possibilities for using education, science and technology to accelerate development and culture to foster exchange within the sub-region. UNESCO Beijing invites you to discover these possibilities together.