The Ministry liaises constantly with the Italian Permanent Representation to UNESCO, the Italian National Commission for UNESCO, Italian and foreign diplomatic Missions and the Ministry of Culture, coordinating Italy’s participation in UNESCO’s bodies and programmes; supporting the submission of Italian applications to the lists for the protection of cultural, intangible and environmental heritage, and promoting multilateral cultural cooperation.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) was established by the London Convention, which was signed on 16 November 1945 and entered into force on 4 November 1946. UNESCO was therefore created in the aftermath of the Second World War, based on the general awareness that political and economic agreements would not be enough to ensure lasting peace, but rather that education, science, culture and cooperation among nations must also be promoted globally. In fact, spreading these values plays a key role in ensuring universal respect for justice, human rights and the fundamental freedoms of all peoples. More than eighty years after it was first established, UNESCO’s mandate is confirmed as being as relevant as ever, to counter new forms of violence and intolerance, severe inequalities between countries around the world and threats to human rights and peace, as well as to address the challenges posed by the need for sustainable development on a global scale.
The organisation currently has 194 Member States and 12 Associated States and operates through three bodies: the General Conference, the Executive Board and the Secretariat.
UNESCO’s work focuses on the following sectors:
- Education: since it was first established, the Organisation has dedicated most of its ordinary budget to this sector. UNESCO has always worked, and continues to work, towards wider access to education in all countries of the world, starting from basic education, in the belief that this is a fundamental element for individuals and societies to develop in a healthy and balanced way.
- Culture: traditionally, this is the sector with the greatest visibility and with which the Organisation is most associated. Through a number of international conventions, UNESCO promotes the protection of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, the safeguarding of cultural heritage in crisis areas, the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural heritage and the protection of different cultural expressions and identities (Italy and UNESCO).
- Natural Sciences: Through a number of international scientific programmes, UNESCO supports environmental protection, research and scientific cooperation in the interests of people’s safety and sustainable development. In particular, the Organisation works: to develop policies and strategies for the reform of scientific and technological systems; to protect biosphere resources, to ensure a balanced use of water resources and to raise awareness among individuals and communities regarding a more respectful relationship with nature; to carry out marine research and properly manage the resources of the sea and coastal regions (Italy and UNESCO).
- Social sciences and the humanities: UNESCO helps Member States to develop mutual understanding and cooperation in order to build lasting peace. Through a number of intergovernmental programmes, it provides tools to address global threats, such as inequality, exclusion, violence and sectarianism; it promotes intercultural dialogue and education about peace, human rights, democracy and global citizenship. In addition, UNESCO supports sport as a tool to foster integration between political and cultural contexts that are otherwise very distant from each other.
- Communication and Information: this is the organisation’s most recent sector and aims to protect and promote freedom of expression, access to information, independence and pluralism for means of communication and information, and the safety of journalists.
Headquarters: Place de Fontenoy 7, 75007 Paris
Website: unesco.org