Foundation: 16 November 1945

Director General: Irina Bokova

Headquarter: Paris

Member Country: 195 Member States with 8 Associate members

UNESCO purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the UN Charter.
UNESCO pursue its objectives through five major programs: education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, and communication and information.

Important facts on United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
1. It is governed by the General Conference and the Executive Board.
2. The Secretariat, headed by the Director-General, implements the decisions of these two bodies.

UNESCO strives to build networks among nations that enable this kind of solidarity, by:
1. Mobilizing for education: so that every child, boy or girl, has access to quality education as a fundamental human right and as a prerequisite for human development.
2. Building intercultural understanding: through protection of heritage and support for cultural diversity.
3. UNESCO created the idea of World Heritage to protect sites of outstanding universal value.
4. Pursuing scientific cooperation: such as early warning systems for tsunamis or trans-boundary water management agreements, to strengthen ties between nation s and societies.
5. Protecting freedom of expression: an essential condition for democracy, development and human dignity.