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©Ahsanul Haque Nayem / UNESCO Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads

Culture, a global public good

150 States unanimously adopted an ambitious Declaration for Culture at the end of the MONDAICULT 2022 conference, affirming culture as a “global public good” and reflecting countries agreement on a common roadmap to strengthen public policies in this field.
MONDIACULT 2022

Bring out the best in our shared humanity

Since wars begin in the minds of men and women, it is in the minds of men and women that peace must be built. 
UNESCO uses education, science and culture to inform, inspire and engage people everywhere to foster understanding and respect for each other and our planet.

UNESCO mission and mandate
Transforming Education Summit

United Nations, New York, 16, 17 & 19 September 2022

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War in Ukraine

UNESCO is scaling up the delivery of emergency support to people across Ukraine in its fields of competencies.

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Latest News

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Our Priorities

UNESCO has identified key challenges for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the improvement of the human condition.
Futures of Education

Knowledge and learning for the future of humanity

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Open Science

Closing the Global Knowledge Gaps to Build Back Better

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Ethics of AI

AI plays a role in billions of people's lives

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Revive the Spirit of Mosul

Mosul is one of the oldest cities in the world.

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Li Beirut

Rebuilding heritage, culture and education #ForBeirut

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Covid 19 - Response

Promote global solidarity

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Our Networks

Discover our flagship networks and their peace-building endeavors.
1154
World Heritage Sites

of exceptional cultural and natural value.
630
Intangible Heritage Elements

in 139 countries.
738
Biosphere reserves

in 134 countries.
3.9 billion
people live in cities

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177
UNESCO Global Geoparks

in 46 countries.
12,000
ASPnet member schools

in 182 countries
850
higher education and research institutions

in 117 countries as part of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs network
220+
UNEVOC Centres

situated in more than 140 UNESCO Member States worldwide

Our Stories

Find out how UNESCO is making an impact and building resilience in local communities around the world.
Listening to the voices of girls and women

Magdalena Cox Xum is the youngest of a family of four girls and five boys living in San Andrés Xecul in Totonicapán, Guatemala. In this region, only 35% of school-age girls attend primary school and 1% of girls aged 12 to 21 pursue secondary education.
Helping young girls realize their potential and dreams

Marshet Zelalem grew up in a rural village in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. In elementary school, she lacked confidence and felt she could not do as well as the boys in her class.
Lake Chad Initiative Creates Green Jobs for Local Communities

Enabling the inhabitants to live and work serenely on the shores of Lake Chad is the ambitious goal of the BIOPALT (Biosphere and Heritage of Lake Chad) project.
In Albania, rebuilding trust in journalism

According to journalists themselves, trust in the media is low in Albania. The loss of their audience has caused the media to become dependent on the powerful or the rich, who in turn buy "the truth".
Young children with book and covid mask
© Kwame Amo / Shutterstock.com

Our Data

AS A KNOWLEDGE BASE ORGANIZATION, UNESCO PUBLISHES GLOBAL DATA AND SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION TO GUIDE PUBLIC POLICIES. AS THE OFFICIAL STATISTICAL AGENCY OF UNESCO, THE UNESCO INSTITUTE FOR STATISTICS IS ALSO PRODUCES A WIDE RANGE OF INDICATORS IN THE FIELDS OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE, CULTURE AND MORE
UNESCO Core Data Portal
UNESCO Institut for Statistics
World Inequality Database on Education
17%
of 19-year-olds

are still in primary school in Haiti due to late enrolment

80%
of children living in rural areas in low-income

countries transition to lower secondary education compared to 91% of those in urban areas
13%
of the poorest

in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school compared to 70% of the richest
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Our History

75 years of history in the service of peace!

A history in the service of our common humanity. 

With the birth of UNESCO in the aftermath of two world wars, a simple but firm conviction was settled: political and economic agreements between states are not enough to build lasting peace. UNESCO therefore recognises that reconciliation and development require stronger foundations, deeply rooted in social interactions, and built on intellectual and moral solidarity.

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