Historical Background
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is an exclusive department of the United Nations, which in charge of the Global Intellectual issues and Culture. The quest for a worldwide body to coordinate world intellectual issues had begun long by 1920s. (UNESCO)
In 1942, The European nations, which were fighting the Nazi Germany and its accomplices held a conference of Allied Ministers of Education (CAME) in The United kingdom. This conference aimed at forging the way forward and reconstructing their Education systems by the end of this war. Many countries such as United States embraced this project and joined it. This move paved the way for the convention of the United Nations Conference for the formation of a world intellectual and cultural organization. This conference was held in London in 1945 and it assembled 48 member states advocating for a peaceful culture that would prevention the dawn of another world war. This conference founded the UNESCO in 1945 with a membership of 37 countries including United States, United Kingdom, China and Canada among others states. Its constitution got its official promulgation in November the same year and became operational in nearly a year later. Since then, many nations have hopped in and out of it due to their own political and personal ideologies. Nonetheless, this organization still boosts of a greater membership throughout the world including the great nations such as Britain and United States. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a wing of the United Nations, which support education, research and Information Technology in developed and poor nations alike. (Singh 7)
How it Functions
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization operate under two major guidelines: Mission and Strategy.
UNESCO’s constitution clearly states is Mission Statement. This mission statement seeks to use education, science communication information and culture to eradicate poverty and build peace throughout the world. This constitution highlights two key priorities; Priority Africa and Priority Gender Equality. The two priorities aim at to acquiring quality education and lifelong learning, ensuring sustainable development through science and technology, fostering inclusive knowledge through information and effective communication, integrating cultural diversity for a peaceful co-existence and addressing emerging trends in social and ethnic groups of the world. (Keough 25)
The achievement of these objectives relies on the approach followed by the Unesco’s Bureau of Strategic Planning. This body is in charge or drawing all the strategic plans and budgetary estimates for UNESCO. It is also the central point from which the cooperation of both the private and public financiers who cater for the extra-budgetary financing of the UNESCO’s projects. These can include multinational banking institutions and intergovernmental associations. The mandate of the Bureau of Strategic Planning is to prepare and carefully follow the UNESCO’s Medium-Term Strategy. It attains these through upholding the essence of result-based strategizing. In general, BSP performs an array of functions which ensure the execution of all the organization’s programs and plans from the beginning to the end.
The Strategy adopted by UNESCO in implementing and achieving its plans, programs and objectives is mainly a Medium-Term Strategy. This strategy is adopted after every six years. It outlines the strategic vision and framework of administering such program’s objectives and their expected results. This Strategy is contained in the Document C/4 of the UNESCO’s constitution and it revolves around the organization’s mission statement. It therefore directs the Organization’s activities in all the five sectors and other departments. The C/4 document definition prioritizes Africa and gender equality as global matters. In doing so, it targets the youth, the Least Developed States and Developing Island States. It also focuses on the providing for the needs of marginalized, vulnerable and excluded groups in the World. (Erlanger TP4)
The Director-General of the UNESCO presents a budget proposal to the General Conference for adoption. This program and budget of the budget proposal is contained in the document C/5. This document outlines into details the chief programs, program categories and principal services. It also defines the program objectives and the strategies to achieve them together with their expected outcomes. Financial apportionment is broken down by the Main line of Action. Each Main line of action must therefore have the full understanding of the expected results which are lauded indicators of performance and guidelines. UNESCO’s C/5 document gives a full translation of the policies, objectives and guidelines into real thematic approaches for the five Programmatic Departments of UNESCO. These departments are Natural Sciences, Culture, Education Social and Human Sciences and Communication and Information.
The Structure of UNESCO
UNESCO operates under three governing bodies; the General Conference, the Executive Board and the Secretariat. These bodies work harmoniously to ensure that the objective stipulated by the meet organization’s constitution.
The General Conference
The general conference is made up of the member states’ ambassadors to the Organization. It holds its meetings after every two years which are attended by the member nations, affiliate members and Non-Governmental Organizations dealing with education, science and technology. Each state has strictly one voting power. This is the body that determines the doctrines and the course of operation of UNESCO. Besides, it programs and budgets for the organization and also elects the members of the Executive Board together with nominating the Director-General of the organization.
The Executive Board
The Executive Board of the UNESCO is a body responsible for the examination of the organization’s work program and harmonizing the budget estimates it receives from the Director-General. Its members are elected from 58 member states by the General Conference and their term lasts four years and the president of the General conference and the Director-General. The Director-General attends and actively participates in the Executive Board’s meetings. However, he/she has no voting powers but only presents proposals for blueprint programs and budgets and reports on their implementation. Similarly, the President of the General Conference is an ex-officio who admonishes the board on various issues. Particularly, Article II.2 and Article IV.7 empower the members of this board to recommend the enrollment of new member states who have not subscribed with the United Nations and the naming of the Director-General respectively. In addition to this, Executive Board executes the program adopted by the general conference and thus evaluates keenly the operational reports that the Director-General submits to it. Finally, this board can convene both urgent sessions of the General Assembly and global or non-governmental conference on the circulation of knowledge as per the regulations of the General Conference.
The Secretariat
The last organ of UNESCO’s structure is the Secretariat. It is headed by the secretary of the Executive Board. This secretary is picked among the board members by the Director-General and is approved by the board itself. Other members of the secretariat included two assistants, senior documentalist, head of documentalist, administrative officer, the Board’s Chairperson’s Executive Assistant and his/her personal Assistant. The secretariat prepares and attends all Board meetings to record its decisions. In addition, it supervises the preparation and translation of the Board’s documents and summary records. It also publishes and distributes such documents to the Executive Board’s members.
Criticism
The first criticism for UNESCO revolves around its promotion of cultural heritage in many countries in the world. Since the world’s cultures are unique and diverse in nature, people would wish to explore and experience the various cultures of the world. This organization tops the list in upholding cultural heritage and has created several reserves and national parks. This has in turn provoked mass tourism throughout the world. Many people have since then criticized this move. The critics pose several to the move. First, they argue that in most cases, these rich cultural heritages may be embraced only by people who or group of people who practice them. Erlarger (2012) in The New York Times asserts that this does not add any aesthetic value to those who do not practice such cultural practices. The Unesco enlisted some heritage sites that it perceived as endangered by extinction so as to protect them. This move however does not seem meet it targeted results. It leads to manipulation of these cultural heritages. For instance, the enshrined French meal which would preserve flamboyant events such as weddings, births and birthdays has been manipulated to entertain tourists. This has eroded this precious culture. (Erlanger TP4)
Francesco Bandarin, an assistant to Director-General of Unesco whom also heads the organization’s Global heritage center defended their move stating that the problem surrounding these centers lies with their consumers. He further emphasizes that the tourism industry has taken control of many poor nations without providing lasting solutions to their problems. Cécile Duvelle, seconds Bandarin in defending the Intangible Cultural Heritage by insisting that this is a concept that is very old and it simple in meaning and objective in nature.
The American Legion is another body that has criticized Unesco’s activities especially in the US. It claimed that Unesco promoted world government, paganism and totalitarianism. Some the Legions proposed sought for lawful ban of the organization. For instance, Joe Jenkins, its Florida Department commander championed a bill in the state legislature to deny funds schools that taught anything relating to Unesco. In response to this criticism, a special committee chaired by Murphy investigated these claims. The committee’s preliminary reports never found any strength of the Legion’s complaints. Those ill accusations on the Unesco never had any proofs even in the final report of this special committee. This led to their dismissal in 1955.
(Bagdikian 1)
Another criticism anchors on the fact that the UNESCO Committee on Cultural Heritage and the host countries of the listed sites have lost control of the hordes of visitors streaming into those sites. Those hosting companies are not willing to let go of the booming income they earn from those tourists. On the other hand, this committee is unprepared to deal with the impacts of tourism that those sites bear. This committee has tried to combat this problem by increasing the list of endangered sites so as to spread this effect. However, the committee go off its way when it continuously add sites into its endangered sites list without doing a prior thorough assessment on the host country’s ability to maintain such sites. (Betsy 5)
Conclusion
Unesco has pursued the development of global intellectual since its formation in 1945 in the midst of the second world war. It has worked tirelessly to conserve the global cultural heritage. This has not only promoted the endangered regions of the world but also has promoted the interaction of the diverse global culture across the world. Its strategic leadership through the General conference in coordination with the secretariat and the Director-General has surely delivered international peace. In addition, it has partnered with both governmental and non-governmental organizations to reach the vulnerable, marginalized and poor nations. Indeed, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a wing of the United Nations which support education, research and Information Technology in developed and poor nations without favor. Little does it realize that this is the loophole that leads to the influx of tourist who are ready to squander their cash.
Works Cited
Ben H. Bagdikian “How the Legionnaires Were Duped.” Atlantic Magazine.15 February 2013:
Print.
Elizabeth Betsy Keough, “Heritage in Peril: A Critique of UNESCO’s World Heritage
Program”, 10 Wash. U . Glob. Stud. L. Rev. 593. 2011: Print.
Keough, Elizabeth Betsy. "Heritage in P eri l: A Critique of UNESCO' s W orld." Washington
Singh, J.P. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
Creating Norms for a Complex World. illustrated. Oxon: Taylor & Francis, 2010.
Steven, Erlanger. “What Does Unesco Recognition Mean, Exactly?” The New York Times
6 January 2012: TR4. Print.
UNESCO. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization . 21 February 2013
