UNESCO

Why in News?

• Under Joe Bidens administration, United States in all likely hood will re-join organisations like UNESCO.
• United States and Israel had left UNESCO on 31 December 2018 asserting that the organization had an anti-Israel bias.

About UNESCO

• UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
• It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture.
• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris.
• It is also a member of the United Nations Development Group.

Objectives of UNESCO

• It aims to contribute to the
  • building of peace,
  • eradication of poverty,
  • attaining quality Education For All and lifelong learning
  • sustainable development and
  • fostering cultural diversity
• UNESCO's programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in Agenda 2030, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.

Important conventions under UNESCO

• Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
• Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
• Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
• Convention against Discrimination in Education.

Add-On

• Global Education for All Monitoring Report and Education for All development index is developed by an independent team and published by UNESCO.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Which of the following organisations has United States of America as a member currently:
1.UNHRC
2.World Trade Organization
3.World Health Organisation
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a)1 only
(b)2 and 3 only
(c)1 and 2 only
(d)1,2 and 3 only

Answer to prelims question