© UNESCO

On 16 November 2015, UNESCO will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the adoption of its Constitution.

To highlight this event, the Organization will convene the Leaders’ Forum of the General Conference from 16 to 17 November 2015, to coincide with this landmark celebration.

This high-level event will be reserved for keynote addresses by Heads of State and Government of Member States, who will be invited to share their vision for UNESCO and its place in the multilateral arena today and in the future, as it celebrates 70 years of action and as the international community moves to implement the new global sustainable development agenda.

The overall theme for the Leaders’ Forum will be the celebration of UNESCO’s 70th anniversary. In this spirit, its format will differ from previous fora, and it will not be a segment of the general policy debate taking place, as usual, during the first week of the Conference. The discussions of the Leaders’ Forum will be part of the official Proceedings of the Conference.

Timetable:

The keynote addresses by Heads of State and Government of Member States will start in the morning of Monday, 16 November 2015 and will continue during the afternoon session on the same day, as well as during the morning and afternoon sessions of Tuesday, 17 November 2015, depending on the number of participating Heads of State and Government.

During the lunch break of Monday, 16 November 2015, the Director-General will host an official lunch in honour of participating Heads of State and Government.

In the evening of Monday, 16 November 2015, participants are invited to a performance by the World Orchestra for Peace in Room I, to be followed by an address of the Director-General and UNESCO’s three former Director-Generals.

Following the evening performance in Room I, participants will be invited to an official viewing party - architectural projection - involving a live media projection onto the UNESCO external facades. The projections will highlight events important to UNESCO in the context of its 70th anniversary.