UNESCO Constitution

1 UNESCOCONSTITUTIONP reambleArticle IPurposes and FunctionsArticle IIMembershipArticle IIIO rgansArticle IVThe General ConferenceArticle VExecutive BoardArticle VISecretariatArticle VIIN ational Co-operating bodiesArticle VIIIR eports by member statesArticle IXBudgetArticle XRelations with the United Nations OrganizationArticle XIRelations with other specialized Organizations and AgenciesArticle XIIL egal status of the OrganizationArticle XIIIA mendmentsArticle XIVI nterpretationArticle XVEntry into Governments of the States Parties to this Constitution on behalf of their peoples declare:That since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peacemust be constructed;That ignorance of each other s ways and lives has been a common cause, throughout thehistory of mankind, of that suspicion and mistrust between the peoples of the world through whichtheir differences have all too often broken into war;That the great and terrible war which has now ended was a war made possible by the denial ofthe democratic principles of the dignity, equality and mutual respect of men, and by the propagation,in their place, through ignorance and prejudice, of the doctrine of the inequality of men and races;That the wide diffusion of culture, and the education of humanity for justice and liberty andpeace are indispensable to the dignity of man and constitute a sacred duty which all the nations mustfulfil in a spirit of mutual assistance and concern.

2 That a peace based exclusively upon the political and economic arrangements of governmentswould not be a peace which could secure the unanimous, lasting and sincere support of the peoplesof the world, and that the peace must therefore be founded, if it is not to fail, upon the intellectual andmoral solidarity of these reasons, the States Parties to this Constitution , believing in full and equalopportunities for education for all, in the unrestricted pursuit of objective truth, and in the freeexchange of ideas and knowledge, are agreed and determined to develop and to increase the meansof communication between their peoples and to employ these means for the purposes of mutualunderstanding and a truer and more perfect knowledge of each other s lives;In consequence whereof they do hereby create the United Nations Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization for the purpose of advancing, through the educational and scientific and culturalrelations of the peoples of the world, the objectives of international peace and of the common welfareof mankind for which the United Nations Organization was established and which its I - PURPOSES AND purpose of the Organization is to contribute to peace and security by promotingcollaboration among the nations through education, science and culture in order to furtheruniversal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamentalfreedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex,language or religion.

3 By the Charter of the United realize this purpose the Organization will:(a) Collaborate in the work of advancing the mutual knowledge and understanding ofpeoples, through all means of mass communication and to that end recommend suchinternational agreements as may be necessary to promote the free flow of ideas by wordand image;(b) Give fresh impulse to popular education and to the spread of culture: By collaborating with Members, at their request, in the development of educationalactivities; By instituting collaboration among the nations to advance the ideal of equality ofeducational opportunity without regard to race, sex or any distinctions, economic orsocial; By suggesting educational methods best suited to prepare the children of the worldfor the responsibilities of freedom;(c) Maintain, increase and diffuse knowledge: By assuring the conservation and protection of the world's inheritance of books,works of art and monuments of history and science, and recommending to thenations concerned the necessary international conventions; By encouraging co-operation among the nations in all branches of intellectualactivity, including the international exchange of persons active in the fields ofeducation, science and culture and the exchange of publications, objects of artisticand scientific interest and other materials of information.

4 By initiating methods of international co-operation calculated to give the people ofall countries access to the printed and published materials produced by any a view to preserving the independence, integrity and fruitful diversity of the cultures andeducational systems of the States Members of the Organization, the Organization is prohibitedfrom intervening in matters which are essentially within their domestic II - MEMBERSHIP1. Membership of the United Nations Organization shall carry with it the right to membership of theUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Subject to the conditions of the Agreement between this Organization and the United NationsOrganization, approved pursuant to Article X of this Constitution , States not Members of theUnited Nations Organization may be admitted to membership of the Organization, uponrecommendation of the Executive Board, by a two thirds majority vote of the Territories or groups of territories which are not responsible for the conduct of their internationalrelations may be admitted as Associate Members by the General Conference by a two-thirdsmajority of Members present and voting.

5 Upon application made on behalf of such territory orgroup of territories by the Member or other authority having responsibility for their internationalrelations. The nature and extent of the rights and obligations of Associate Members shall bedetermined by the General 4. Members of the Organization which are suspended from the exercise of the rights andprivileges of membership of the United Nations Organization shall, upon the request of thelatter, be suspended from the rights and privileges of this Members of the Organization which are expelled from the United Nations Organization shallautomatically cease to be Members of this Any Member State or Associate Member of the Organization may withdraw from theOrganization by notice addressed to the Director General. Such notice shall take effect on 31 December of the year following that during which the notice was given.

6 No such withdrawalshall affect the financial obligations owed to the Organization at the date the withdrawal takeseffect. Notice of withdrawal by an Associate Member shall be given on its behalf by the MemberState or other authority having responsibility for its international ARTICLE III - ORGANSThe Organization shall include a General Conference, an Executive Board and a Secretariat. 1 Paragraph adopted by the General Conference at its sixth session (1951) (6 C/Resolutions).2 Paragraph adopted by the General Conference at its eighth session (1954) (8 C/Resolutions). At its twenty-eighth session (1995), the General Conference adopted resolution (28 C/Resolutions, ),concerning the amendment of this provision and of article IX (new paragraph 3), Which is worded asfollows:The General Conference,Having examined document 28 C/30 and taken note of the Report of the Legal Committee (28 C/136),1.

7 Decides to amend Article II, paragraph 6, of the Constitution as follows: 6. Any Member State orAssociate Member of the Organization may withdraw from the Organization by notice addressed to theDirector-General. The withdrawal take effect twenty-four months after its notification to the Director-General. No such withdrawal shall affect the financial obligations of the State concerned to theOrganization on the date the withdrawal takes effect. Notice of withdrawal by an Associate Membershall be given on its behalf by the Member State or the authority having responsibility for its internationalrelations. ;2. Decides to add a new paragraph 3 to article IX of the Constitution reading as follows (the presentparagraph 3 becoming paragraph 4): The financial period shall be two consecutive calendar years,unless otherwise decided by the General Conference.

8 The financial contribution of each Member Sate orAssociate Member is due for the whole financial period and is payable by calendar year. However, thecontribution of a Member State or an Associate Member having exercised its right of withdrawalaccording to Article II, paragraph 6, shall be calculated, for the year during which the withdrawal takeseffect, on a pro rata basis covering the period of its membership in the Organization. ;3. Considers that the above-mentioned amendments involve new obligations for Member States and that,consequently, these amendments shall only come into force after having been accepted by two thirds ofthe Member States, in accordance with the provisions of Article XIII, paragraph 1, of the IV - THE GENERAL General Conference shall consist of the representatives of the States Members of theOrganization.

9 The Government of each Member State shall appoint not more than fivedelegates, who shall be selected after consultation with the National Commission, if established,or with educational, scientific and cultural The General Conference shall determine the policies and the main lines of work of theOrganization. It shall take decisions on programmes submitted to it by the Executive 3. The General Conference shall, when it deems desirable and in accordance with the regulationsto be made by it, summon international conferences of States on education, the sciences andhumanities or the dissemination of knowledge; non-governmental conferences on the samesubjects may be summoned by the General Conference or by the Executive Board inaccordance with such 4. The General Conference shall, in adopting proposals for submission to the Member States,distinguish between recommendations and international conventions submitted for theirapproval.

10 In the former case a majority vote shall suffice; in the latter case a two-thirds majorityshall be required. Each of the Member States shall submit recommendations or conventions toits competent authorities within a period of one year from the close of the session of theGeneral Conference at which they were Subject to the provisions of Article V, paragraph 6 (c), the General Conference shall advise theUnited Nations Organization on the educational, scientific and cultural aspects of matters ofconcern to the latter, in accordance with the terms and procedure agreed upon between theappropriate authorities of the two 6. The General Conference shall receive and consider the reports sent to the Organization byMember States on the action taken upon the recommendations and conventions referred to inparagraph 4 above or, if it so decides, analytical summaries of these 3 Article IV previously contained a paragraph which was inserted as a transitional provision by theGeneral Conference at its twentieth session (1978) (20 C/Resolutions) and was deleted by the GeneralConference at its twenty-fourth session (1987) (24 C/Resolutions).