III. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization1 A. ORIGIN The standing Conference of Allied Ministers of held iri London from November 1 to 16, 1945. Education, which first met in London in 1942, was It was attended by representatives of 44 govern- mainly concerned with plans for educational re- ments and by observers from a number of inter- construction after the war. In April 1944, however, national organizations. After considering a draft the Conference, which was joined by an American constitution prepared by the Allied Ministers of educational delegation, drew up plans for an edu- Education, a draft submitted by the French Gov- cational organization. These plans, after being ernment and other proposals, the Conference drew sent to governments for comment, and subsequently up the Constitution of UNESCO.2 It also estab- revised, were published on August 1, 1945, as a lished a Preparatory Educational, Scientific and Cul- basis for discussion at an international conference tural Commission to function until UNESCO came which the Conference of Allied Ministers requested into being. The Conference decided that the seat the British Government to call. of UNESCO should be in Paris. In the meantime, France, which had been the The Preparatory Commission, during its one host country to the League of Nations Institute of year of existence, made arrangements for the first Intellectual Co-operation, inaugurated in January session of the General Conference of UNESCO. 1926, and which had been closely interested in the It prepared the provisional agenda of the Con- work of the Institute, recommended at the San ference and made recommendations concerning the Francisco Conference that the United Nations Organization's program and budget. It also took should call a conference to draw up a statute of an steps to meet some of the most urgent needs of international organization on cultural co-operation. educational, scientific and cultural reconstruction The Conference for the Establishment of an Edu- in devastated areas. cational, Scientific and Cultural Organization of UNESCO came into being on November 4, 1946, the United Nations was convened by the Govern- when the instruments of acceptance of twenty ment of the United Kingdom in association with signatories of its Constitution had been deposited the Government of France. The Conference was with the Government of the United Kingdom. B. PURPOSES AND FUNCTIONS The preamble to the UNESCO Constitution guage or religion, by the Charter of the United recognizes that "since wars begin in the minds of Nations". men, it is in the minds of men that the defences 1 For further details concerning the origin and early of peace must be constructed". activities of UNESCO, see Yearbook of the United Na- tions, 1946-47, pp. 703-12. For further information The purpose of UNESCO, as stated in Article concerning later activities, see reports of UNESCO to the 1 of the Constitution, "is to contribute to peace and United Nations (E/461 and Add.1, E/804 and Add.1 and Add.1/Rev.1), annual reports of the Director-Gen- security by promoting collaboration among the eral on the activities of UNESCO during 1947 and 1948, nations through education, science and culture in and UNESCO: 1948 Programme, setting forth the reso- lutions of the second session of the UNESCO General order to further universal respect for justice, for Conference. See also Bibliography of this Yearbook, the rule of law and for the human rights and funda- Appendix III. 2 The text of the Constitution of UNESCO is repro- mental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples duced in the Yearbook of the United Nations, 1946-47, of the world, without distinction of race, sex, lan- pp. 712-17. 844 Yearbook of the United Nations To achieve its purpose UNESCO is to accom- prepare the children of the world for the responsibili- plish the following: ties of freedom; "(c) maintain, increase and diffuse knowledge; "(a) collaborate in the work of advancing the mutual by assuring the conservation and protection of the knowledge and understanding of peoples, through all world's inheritance of books, works of art and monu- means of mass communication and to that end recom- ments of history and science, and recommending to mend such international agreements as may be necessary the nations concerned the necessary international con- to promote the free flow of ideas by word and image; ventions; "(b) give fresh impulse to popular education and to by encouraging cooperation among the nations in the spread of culture; all branches of intellectual activity, including the in- ternational exchange of persons active in the fields of by collaborating with Members, at their request, in education, science and culture and the exchange of the development of educational activities; publications, objects of artistic and scientific interest by instituting collaboration among the nations to and other materials of information; advance the ideal of equality of educational opportunity by initiating methods of international cooperation without regard to race, sex or any distinctions, eco- calculated to give the people of all countries access to nomic or social; the printed and published materials produced by any by suggesting educational methods best suited to of them." C. ORGANIZATION UNESCO consists of a General Conference, an by Member States. Each year the General Con- Executive Board and a Secretariat. ference elects six members of the Board, endeavor- The General Conference, which meets at least ing to select persons competent in the arts, humani- once each year, is composed of representatives of ties, sciences and education. The Board, which the States Members of UNESCO. It determines the meets at least twice each year, is responsible for policies and the main lines of work of the Organ- the execution of the program adopted by the Con- ization, and it may summon international confer- ference and exercises any powers delegated to it ences on education, the sciences and humanities by the Conference. and the dissemination of knowledge. The Secretariat consists of the Director-General Each Member is entitled to one vote in the Con- and the staff. The Director-General, appointed by ference. Decisions of the Conference are made the General Conference on the nomination of the by a majority of the Members present and voting, Executive Board, is the chief administrative officer except in cases in which the Constitution requires of UNESCO. a two-thirds majority. The adoption by the Con- Four Field Science Co-operation Offices have ference of international conventions, or of amend- been set up: in Cairo, for the Middle East; in Rio ments to the Constitution, for example, requires a de Janeiro, for Latin America;3 in Nanking, for the two-thirds majority vote. Far East; and in New Delhi, for South East Asia. New Members may be admitted into UNESCO, As of September 21, 1948, National Commis- if they are Members of the United Nations, by sions or co-operating bodies had been set up in 28 signing the Constitution and depositing an instru- Member States and plans were well advanced for ment of acceptance. Other states, to become Mem- their establishment in six other states. National bers, require in addition a favorable recommenda- Commissions, composed chiefly of representatives tion of the Executive Board and a two-thirds of non-governmental organizations interested in majority vote of the General Conference, and their educational, scientific and cultural matters, advise applications are subject to the approval of the their respective delegations to the UNESCO Gen- United Nations. eral Conference and serve as liaison groups between The Executive Board consists of eighteen mem- UNESCO and their local communities. bers elected for three-year terms by the General The Latin American office was transferred to Monte- Conference from among the delegates appointed video3 in November 1948. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 845 D. ACTIVITIES PRIOR TO JULY 1, 1947 The first session of the General Conference of reconstruction and rehabilitation of their educa- UNESCO was held in Paris from November 19 tional, cultural and scientific life. It was instru- to December 10, 1946. Among the first decisions mental in establishing the Temporary International of the Conference was the approval of the agree- Council for Educational Reconstruction (TICER) 4 ment establishing the relationship between the to co-ordinate the work of non-governmental or- United Nations and UNESCO; this agreement ganizations active in the field of educational recon- came into force on December 14, 1946, with its struction. It began the publication of a Reconstruc- approval by the General Assembly of the United tion Newsletter to assist in the campaign and Nations. published a pamphlet, The Teacher and the Post- In addition to appointing the first Director-Gen- War Child. The specialized activities of the Organ- eral, electing the Executive Board and adopting the ization in the fields of education, natural sciences, various administrative and financial regulations of libraries and museums and mass communications UNESCO, the General Conference approved a were mainly directed during this period toward comprehensive program of work for the Organ- furthering the reconstruction program. ization during 1947. The final plan of action to be In April 1947, UNESCO sent a team of scientists undertaken during the year, together with budget allocations, was determined in April 1947 by the