A Review of the United Nations Education Science Culture Organization

"...to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among the nations through education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of the law, and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language, or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations," as stated in the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's constitution (Funk & Wagnall's).

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, otherwise known as UNESCO was formed November 4, 1945 with the intention of promoting the fields of education, science, culture, and communication on an international level (Encyclopedia Americana). It was created in London by representatives of 44 governments (Funk & Wagnall's).

The initial reason for the founding of this organization was because of World War II, people were concerned about educating the children of Nazi-occupied countries and felt that their best option was to rebuild the system entirely, a challenge that in turn created UNESCO (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005). The people of UNESCO built museums and libraries in these countries in their effort to physically rebuild the educational facilities destroyed in war time (Fact and Fiction, 2000). When governments realized how successful the organization was, they decided to continue on with other projects and activities to promote education, science and cultural preservation around the world.

In the constitution created in 1945 the founders of UNESCO set forth the goals that they hoped to accomplish through their organization. According to the Gale Virtual Reference Library (2005), they wanted to collaborate with other participating nations to advance the knowledge and understanding of people through mass communication, advance the equality of education without regard to sex, race, or nationality, and to maintain, advance, and spread knowledge by conserving and protecting the world's heritage of books, art, and monuments of science and art.

UNESCO doesn't always take charge of the events and activities taking place but they are there to offer support and guidance. They lend guidance, advice, and assessment in areas such as "anticipating and preparing innovative strategies, gathering and circulating reliable information on the present situation and probable trends in the organization's field of competence, and encouraging political leaders at the highest level to make firm commitments" (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005). This organization also works with other UN agencies at times in order to be most beneficial to the people.

UNESCO representatives were in Jomtien, Thailand for the World Conference on Education for All in March 1990, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in June 1992, Beijing, China for the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in September 1995, and in Johannesburg, South Africa for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in August and September 2002 (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005). Each one of these conferences attended by UNESCO's people had a goal which the organization agreed with and felt that their assistance could help the progression, for example education and the environment.

Since this organization was created shortly after World War II to help overcome the disasters created, one shouldn't be surprised by their program, Action Programme to Promote a Culture of Peace, which was designed in 1993 in order to reduce conflict and raise peace levels during the time following conflict (Gale Virtual Reference Libarary, 2005). They have set up another program, focusing on education which is their main direction, in which they plan to improve science and technological educational services in primary and secondary schools found in Nigeria (Ogbonnaya, Roland).

Sad but true, in Madagascar, one in three children are not educated and one in three adults can not read or write, so UNESCO decided they needed to focus some of the efforts there. They worked with other United Nation agencies to open 260 learning centers there (Bush, Laura). In Iraq, UNESCO has supplied almost 9 million text books in the fields of mathematics and science to school children, and since they were created in Iraqi printing companies, this also supplied work for the adults which in turn helped their economy as well (Bush, Laura).

UNESCO was originally designed to rebuild school systems after WWII so to continue in the educational department, they have also organized teacher training programs, advisement of governments on educational planning, curriculum reform, and production of education materials especially text books (Encyclopedia Americana). They have also created the goal of Education for All, which is a program that will make primary education available to every child in every country by the year 2015 (Bush, Laura).

Although education was the first primary goal of UNESCO, they have enlarged their spectrum to include several other areas, including the natural sciences. According to the Gale Virtual Reference Library (2005), this is the only organization that has a mandate for the natural sciences and it implies their "commitment to the promotion of multilateral, international, and regional cooperation for the training of specialists from developing countries in university science education and basic research in the four core areas of basic science, namely mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology." They feel as though the only way to help the children of the world learn the importance of science is to first teach the teachers the information they need to pass on.

Some countries, such as Nigeria, feel that they need a scientific background in order to have a successful economy and industrial development (Ogbonnaya, Roland). There have been many programs designed because of these needs of Nigeria and many other countries struggling with their scientific development. The Arid Zone Programme was designed in 1951 to address environmental issues such as water resources, and the conservation of biological diversity and ecological systems (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005). In order to complete more research on the uncertain effects the ocean has on climate and global systems, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission was formed, involving 129 countries (Encyclopedia Americana).

Other programs initiated by UNESCO dealing with humans and their environment include the Man and the Biosphere Program which began in 1971 to conduct research on the interactions that occur between man and his environment (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005). Another large scale program was created in 1957, the International Hydrological Decade, that was designed with the hopes of protecting the environment and natural resources (Encyclopedia Americana). This program developed into what is now known as the International Hydrological Program in 1975 and is now in it's sixth stage with the main focus on water interactions, more specifically, "Water Interactions: Systems at Risk and Social Challenges" (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005).

Another branch of the sciences that UNESCO deals with is that of the social and humanity aspects. Their goal is the promote and protect human rights, peace, and democracy, as well as to eliminate discrimination through research and the spreading of information (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005). They are trying to build bridges between countries in order to disseminate beliefs and ideas that may be useful to others, one way of doing this is through their sponsorship of travel programs (Encyclopedia Americana).

The other main proponent of UNESCO is the area dealing with culture, with the hopes of safeguarding cultural heritage for every country, but at the same time showing respect for diversity and promoting creative and intellectual expression (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005). The idea is to let every group of people have their own culture and beliefs yet still be aware of those surrounding them with a certain level of respect, not forcing their beliefs on others, just being conscious of them. There is an upcoming event that hopes to promote multiculturalism as a way to improve economic development through tourism. This conference will be held in Santa Fe in the fall of 2006 and is the first of it's kind (Roberts, Kathaleen).

UNESCO is organized in a logical way, made up of three divisions, the General Conference, Executive Board, and the Secretariat, each of which has it's own predetermined jobs (Encyclopedia Americana). The General Conference is developed of representatives of each member state, where each state is eligible for one vote but may have five delegates present at each meeting (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005). This group of people meet every two years in order to accomplish their goals of establishing policies, deciding the direction that the upcoming programs should take, and to approve the budget and any other personal maters that have arisen (Encyclopedia Americana). For the most part, decisions are made with a majority vote among the members but on occasion a two thirds vote is required for things such as making an amendment to their constitution. They usually meet in their founding place, London, but they have met in other locations as well, such as Mexico City, Florence, Montevideo, and Sofia (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005).

Another group of UNESCO is the Executive Board meets at least twice a year in order to make suggestions for upcoming programs and drafting the agenda for each conference (Encyclopedia Americana). This group of 58 people is determined by the voting of the General Conference and each serve a four year term after which they are not immediately eligible for a second term. When the General Conference is deciding on who to elect, they are also supposed to keep in mind that the group needs to be representative of different cultures and should also be geographically balanced (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005).

The Secretariat is the group of people which are responsible for carrying out the UNESCO programs. The head of this group is the director-general who is nominated by the Executive Board and then elected by the General Conference. The group is made up of staff members who oversee all of the programs and these people are appointed by the director-general (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005). The headquarters of the Secretariat is in Paris but still holds conferences elsewhere (Funk & Wagnall's).

Although they are not an actual organ of UNESCO, there are National Commissions which serve as liaison agencies and information outlets. Each member state is requested by the UNESCO constitution to create a national commission in order to associate the people who are interested in education, scientific, and cultural matters. This group is usually comprised of high government officials, leaders in the fields of education, science, and the cultural arts, and even some representatives of professional organizations (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005). They serve as a link between the UNESCO organization and the public at large. They are the ones responsible for letting people know about the organization and what activities and programs are going on.

UNESCO's budget is made up from both a regular budget and an extrabudgetary fund (see table 1). The regular budget is made up of mandatory contributions from each of the 188 member states, as of 2002 (UNESCO.org). The amount each member state is required to pay is dependent on their ability to pay, ranging upward from .01% (see table 2) (Encyclopedia Americana). The extrabudgetary funds are comprised of money received by UNESCO from other organizations, primarily other United Nation Agencies. Some of these agencies include the UN Development Program, The World Bank, UN Children's Fund, UN Population Fund, World Food Program, the UN Environment Program, and associate experts (UNESCO.org).

According to the UNESCO constitution, "a peace based exclusively upon the political and economic arrangements of governments would not be a peace which could secure the unanimous, lasting and sincere support of the peoples of the world." Because of this, UNESCO has sought the assistance of nongovernmental organizations around the world who have similar interests in educational, scientific, and cultural matters (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005). By doing this, they hope to get input from around the world on ways to make their programs and activities most beneficial to the people without only going through the other governments involved.

In the 2002-2003 term, UNESCO's budget showed zero growth but there was an increase in funding for the programs. In order to do this the General Conference approved the budget in a way that the administrative costs decreased (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005). With the money they have to be devoted to the different areas of interest such as education, science, and culture they divide it in a way that they find appropriate, with the most percentage of money going towards education since that is one of their biggest functions (UNESCO.org). The rest of their funds are divided into eight categories (see table 3). This division of money is approved by the General Conference (Gale Virtual Reference Library, 2005).

No organization is perfect, and UNESCO is not an exception. There are always problems that don't necessarily ruin the organization, but they do make things more complicated and solutions are never easy to devise because you can't make everyone happy no matter how hard you try. As with many things today, a lot of problems stem from monetary problems, usually a deficit in some area. Another issue with having an international organization like UNESCO, is making ideas clear between member states which is not always easy due to translation issues as well as differing cultural ideas and beliefs.

One of the problems which UNESCO is encountering now is the shortage of teachers. They have the goal of Education for All, the program which hopes to eliminate illiteracy of all by making education available. They hope to have this accomplished by 2015 but the problem is that in order to achieve this, 15-35 million more teachers are needed. It has been said however, that there it is virtually impossible to train that many teachers using the methods they are today (UNESCO introduces new). By the way it seems, people were not thinking realistically when they planned this educational program, how are they going to educate that many more children without the extra teachers?

Another problem dealing with education, is the available funding, especially for teacher training. As of August 2000, there were 113 million school aged children that were not attending school and considered illiterate, and that isn't even including the adults. A goal of UNESCO is to provide free education to all children around the world to eliminate illiteracy and meet the Education for All goal. In order to educate that many more children a year, UNESCO's educational budget would need another $8 billion a year (Fact and Fiction, 2000). Even if you are capable of finding the funding to provide education to all these children, you'll also need to find the funding to train all the teachers needed to do the work. Even if you cut costs in other departments, that is a lot of money to accumulate every year.

Another issue which people are finding to be a downfall of UNESCO is their ambiguity in defining terms and protecting cultural expression. The problem is that UNESCO never defines which cultural expressions they seek to protect or actually define diversity (Mortished, Carl). They plan to protect and preserve cultural expressions that are at risk of extinction as well as promote diversity among the different member states of UNESCO. At first thought, this sounds like a good idea, it will protect Italian textiles and Swiss watchmakers; however, this will also protect the Japanese whaling tradition and British fox hunting since they are both cultural expressions of those members. Another example of this is in French schools where it is taught in a positive view, the French colonization of Africa which in reality was a bloody outrage (Mortished, Carl). So in this case the French are protected but not the Africans, so who is to decide which is more important and in need of protection. Every country will want an exception to morals of other member states because of their own cultural beliefs so what is the real point of these goals of UNESCO.

Although there are several problems that every organization has to face at some point, that doesn't always mean there is no workable solution. If you look at UNESCO's first problem, their shortage of teachers, I can come up with a logical solution. If countries who are more technologically advanced are willing to help aid the poorer countries, they could design computerized learning, much like online courses offered here in the United States. If you were able to supply a computer to each community, you could offer lessons to groups of children at a time, without the need of a trained teacher, just some sort of supervision. At first thought, the idea of supplying computers seems like it would be expensive but if people donated their old computers you wouldn't have to purchase so many. I'm sure there are some people who would be willing to donate an old computer because they could use it as a tax write off and the computer wouldn't have to be brand new, just capable of running a program or two. You would need to train the supervisor on how to use the program but you would need less teachers than the expected 35 million shortage.

The budgetary problem UNESCO is facing, the $8 million a year necessary to educate all the children around the world, isn't as large of a problem as it sounds. To the average human being, $8 million sounds like an extreme amount but as calculated by (Fact and Fiction, 2000), Europeans spend $8 million a year in ice cream! If member states of UNESCO make small cut backs in other areas of their life, especially in the leisure department, they would be able to make larger contributions to educational funding. When there are close to two hundred member states being represented by UNESCO, $8 million isn't such a drastic figure and if people find it important enough, they would be able to meet the challenge.

Just because UNESCO doesn't clearly define what they mean by protecting cultural expressions and beliefs, doesn't mean it has to result in such a catastrophe. People are arguing that Italian textiles and Swiss watch making should be protected but the British fox hunting tradition and Japanese whaling shouldn't. Who is to say that? If UNESCO is standing up to preserve cultural expression, every culture should be protected. So what if one member state thinks another is doing something wrong, if they are doing it, it means that they believe in it. Who are we to judge what is right and wrong in each culture? Every culture is different so every culture should have their own protection.

UNESCO has it's problems but so does every other organization. They have made a lot of progress since their foundation in 1945 and don't show any signs of stopping any time soon. They have their goals of promoting education, science and cultural preservation and that will always be their groundwork even if they continue to add different programs to help in varying areas.

Works Cited

Bush, Laura. "Global Literacy: Making Education a Reality For All the World's People." Vital Speeches of the Day March 15, 2005.

"Fact and Fiction." Reading Today, (2000). Expanded Academic ASAP Plus. Hermann Memorial Library-Sullivan County Community College. November 16, 2005.

Gale, Thomas. "The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)." Gale Virtual Reference Library. 2005 ed.

Hazleton, William A. "United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization." Encyclopedia Americana.

Mortished, Carl. "Who are the culture police at UNESCO protecting?" The United Kingdom Times October 26, 2005.

Ogbonnaya, Roland. "Minister Commends Obasanjo, Unesco On Science Education." Africa News Service, (2005). InfoTrac OneFile Plus. Hermann Memorial Library- Sullivan County Community College. November 16, 2005.

Roberts, Kathaleen. "UNESCO conference will meet in Santa Fe; topic is tourism as economic tool." Albuquerque Journal October 28, 2005.

"United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, (2005).

"United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization." Funk & Wagnall's New World Encyclopedia.

"UNESCO Funding." United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. November 8, 2005 www.unesco.org

"UNESCO introduces new teachers' initiative." Asia Africa Intelligence Wire, (2005). InfoTrac OneFile Plus. Hermann Memorial Library-Sullivan County Community College. November 8, 2005.